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Silvertwinkie · 03-30-2006, 12:20 PM

Locals know we have two seasons here in Chicago, winter and construction. For anyone passing through or stopping by the City of Chicago, be warned that a VERY major 2 year construction project is about to get underway starting 4.1.06

Traffic on the south side of the city will be the worst and should be avoided if at all possible. If you are planning on passing close to Chicago, try to stay as far from it as possible as it is anticipated that most of the other area expressways will take on additional traffic as a result of the 90/94 reconstruction (which will close most of the lanes on 90/94) on the south side of the City of Chicago.

You can find more info here:

http://www.danryanexpressway.com/

Additionally, you can find other construction projects throughout the United States Interstate System here:

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/trafficinfo/index.htm

summerkid · 03-30-2006, 01:33 PM

On that note, I am just 40 highway miles south of the I-80/I-294/I-57 interchange, so if anyone traveling through the bottleneck that is Chicago needs a break, I got room in the driveway for ya!

BigAl · 03-30-2006, 03:13 PM

Thanks for the info. As you know I am going to the rally in June and don't want to sit in stopped traffic all day. Maybe I'll take the southern route through Indianapolis.
Al

Chaplain Kent · 03-30-2006, 03:20 PM

I love living in Milwaukee it is the perfect city not too big not too small. A major league baseball team and for me better yet an NBA team. Good restaurants a beautiful lake front and the great North woods just outside the city. The only problem is that whenever we take a trip it seems that we must go through Chicago. Either the Edens or the Kennedy or the Dan Ryan or the Stevenson or the Ike is torn up. Even when all are supposedly in good shape there is the 27 hour a day rush hour.
You forgot to mention that not only is the Dan Ryan going to be torn up But I-294 and the Kingerly Expressway is also torn up and which makes that even worse is that they charge you tolls to sit and look at the traffic not moving. I am tempted to travel to Rockford then down through the middle of the state and cut over at Champaign or somewhere else just to avoid Chicago. I remember one trip when it took us five hours to get through the city. Then there was the memorable day before my niece's wedding, I was officiating and we were stuck in traffic for six hours. The rehearsal was very late that night. How do you guys who live there cope with that traffic each day?

Silvertwinkie · 03-30-2006, 03:33 PM

You sure thats 294 they have torn up? I thought they were nearly done with the I-294 connector section down south near Indiana.

I do know that they have started to widen the bridges on the north section of 294 from Deerfield Road to the Wisconsin boarder. They plan on making I-294 8 lanes, up from 6 as soon as the bridge work is done.

Additionally, I've been hearing rumors that the Edens will also be torn up and upgraded to 8 lanes, up from 6 as well in the next few years (most likely after the Ryan is completed).

You can see a lot of the upcoming plans here:

http://dot.state.il.us/hip0712/district/cook.pdf

DocBear · 03-30-2006, 03:34 PM

It's probably worth noting that there's also major construction going on in the downtown Milwaukee, WI freeway interchanges. If you're going through town, you're best bet is to try something taking you around rather than through.

norbert · 03-30-2006, 04:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chaplain Kent

I am tempted to travel to Rockford then down through the middle of the state and cut over at Champaign or somewhere else just to avoid Chicago.

that would be your best bet chappy......im goin that way to moraine in june...
norby

Davydd · 03-30-2006, 06:23 PM

Once about 20 years ago on I-294 I was locked into three semis in front, three in back and one on each side of me. The one on my left decided he wanted in my space and he didn't know I was there. One more inch and I would have been toast if it were not for the three behind me all blaring their horns. He got that close to my rear view mirror before figuring it out.

10 years ago I totaled a Saturn on I-294 by being rear ended by a semi and driven into a Dodge van. Luckily no one was hurt--a testimony to Saturn cars.

Last month I had another minor bumper banger from the rear with a semi on I-294. OK, maybe I am good for another 10 years but I'm done with Chicago forever. I go to Indianapolis from Minneapolis once or twice a year but will go an extra 50 miles straight down I-39 from Rockford and then over on I-74 in Bloomington.

I still have to go to Chicago for business but that will be using a rental car after I get there or the train into the Loop from Midway. Never again for pleasure in my own vehicle unless I can sneak through about 3:00 AM.

summerkid · 03-30-2006, 09:39 PM

I do OK around Chicago because I can travel at off-hours & know all the bottlenecks. But yes, I-294 is still bad in spots because of the construction for "open-road tolling," which is SUCH a boondoggle because even if you have IPass, half the time the merges & exits are situated so that you can't get over to the IPass lanes or vice versa, so you end up stuck in the other lanes anyway.

For those Chicagoans going to Moraine, I've been back & forth on I-55 south to 294 & then jogging off I-80 onto I-57 every few days lately, and it has been a clear & easy commute 9 times out of 10.

SilverToy · 03-31-2006, 12:38 AM

Grew up in that town and lived there for 30+ years.

NEVER AGAIN!

have lived in many places - better, worse and eqivalent to Chicago in term of traffic. I got better things to do with my time.

Lived on 67th and Jeffery (many moons ago), on the near west side (OP/RF/FP) and been all over (Highland Park, Barrington, Willowbrook, Stretor, Create, Evanston, Oakbrook, etc...) and there is NO good time to be on the roads.

Pulled SilverToy thru Ike traffic going westbound to the parents and relatives and ......

NEVER MORE!!!!

Live in ABQ now and LOVE the traffic - there AIN'T NONE!!! Not compared to what I know and don't love!

Ah well, Ce La Vie!

See ya out there!

Axel

Chaplain Kent · 03-31-2006, 06:58 AM

[quote=summerkid]I do OK around Chicago because I can travel at off-hours & know all the bottlenecks. But yes, I-294 is still bad in spots because of the construction for "open-road tolling," which is SUCH a boondoggle

Yes, I forgot to mention the open- road tolling. This applies for all vehicles BUT RVs. Now all the times I have driven through I have yet to find the lane that is designated "non- open- road- tolling." Somehow changing lanes bumper to bumper at 40 to 50 MPH looking at a row of stopped cars and trucks 10 feet in front of you is not "open" to me but then again the government in Chicago has a different definition for things. I attended the convention in '68 as a delegate in Grant Park and still have memories.

Chaplain Kent · 03-31-2006, 07:07 AM

Sorry for the second post. As for the major tear out here in Milwaukee, come on up and drive on through. It will hardly even slow you down. If you are not planning on exiting to go downtown they have the roads very well marked and wide enough for traffic to sail on by with little disruption. There is also a wonderful by-pass which goes around the outside of the city and you can avoid all of the construction. You can even drive the city streets with little or no problem. I call this the 20 minute city. We can get any where in the city in just 20 minutes at any time.

DocBear · 03-31-2006, 07:40 AM

Erg...I'd strongly recommend the bypass. The main thruways aren't so bad, no...it's the drivers.

See, we've been gearing up for this major renovation and work for some time now, and it's been underway for a good while. Still, seems that the locals have yet to grasp where some of the changes have been made and where they really need to be on the road to get where they need to go...

As such, you're always seeing people try to cross three-four lanes of traffic in some random fashion to try and make their exit.

So no, the roads aren't all that bad...it's those wacky drivers.