Through Chicago to WI, from Ft. Wayne, IN. Help with best route please

[sundevil777 94]

Should I take route 30 (shorter but with non-divided highways, stops/small towns), or go North to 80? Is 80 some sort of toll road? Of course it all depends on how much actual stopping you have to do in the small towns.

I'm ultimately headed up to Sky Knights in East Troy, Wisconsin. If you have other tips for getting through, around bad traffic in Chicago in the early afternoon next Friday 4/14 I would greatly appreciate that also.

Thanks for your help.

People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

[warpedskydiver 0]

take 80 west to 294 north...yes it's a tollroad going north...but nice and fast route, but don't go at rushours

[craddock 0]

I take 69 to 80 from Ft. Wayne to Chicago. It is a lot further this way though. 80 is a toll road but you just pick up a ticket when you get on and pay where it ends. There is never any lines at the two tolls you will hit.

Make sure you do not take 94 thru Chicago.

Take the 294 bypass to 94(WI) to 20 west in Racine. The airport is right off of 20. Just turn as you pass and you can not miss it. The Skyway is an option but the Dan Ryan is tore up for the next few years so I would not chance it unless you are going through in the middle of the night. Friday traffic can really suck this time of year.

Early afternoon is pretty vague. Timing is everything getting through Chicago. I travel through on Friday's frequently from that way. You can do everything right and still get stuck. That said I have had real good luck working around traffic.

Pm me if you have questions.

That spot isn't bad at all, the winds were strong and that was the issue! It was just on the downwind side.

[stitch 0]

I just recently moved to Z-Hills from Valporaiso,IN..I'm a truckdriver,and have operated all over the midwest for years.
Your best and most economical route is US30/IN 49/I-80/94/I-94.Don''t leave FT.Wayne till about 6PM to avoid traffic(FT.Wayne is on the same time as Chicago this time of the year,they don't adjust for daylight savings time)
Or if you don't mind spending a little on tolls in addition to gas.Take US 30/IN49/IN.toll road(I_80/90)/SKYWAY(I-90)/I-94......ONLY about 5-6 bucks,but you avoid the construction in Gary/Lansing.

"No cookies for you"- GFD
"I don't think I like the sound of that" ~ MB65
Don't be a "Racer Hater"

[stratostar 5]

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they don't adjust for daylight savings time

They do now, started this year.
Wouldn't want ya messing up your storybook and finding out the hard way at the chicken coop.

~

you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo

[ExAFO 0]

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I just recently moved to Z-Hills from Valporaiso,IN..I'm a truckdriver,and have operated all over the midwest for years.
Your best and most economical route is US30/IN 49/I-80/94/I-94.Don''t leave FT.Wayne till about 6PM to avoid traffic(FT.Wayne is on the same time as Chicago this time of the year,they don't adjust for daylight savings time)
Or if you don't mind spending a little on tolls in addition to gas.Take US 30/IN49/IN.toll road(I_80/90)/SKYWAY(I-90)/I-94......ONLY about 5-6 bucks,but you avoid the construction in Gary/Lansing.

Take 80 W to NB 294. DO NOT take 94. The Dan Ryan Expy is under reconstruction.

Illinois needs a CCW Law. NOW.

[craddock 0]

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FT.Wayne is on the same time as Chicago this time of the year,they don't adjust for daylight savings time

Wrong. Things have changes since you moved. Last year IN voted to adopt daylight savings time. And as I discussed via PM to the OP, the Dan Ryan is under one of the biggest construction renovations in US history. Two weeks ago I would not have argued your route. I routinly travel back from Michigan, Ft. Wayne or Elkhart County IN on Friday afternoon. I always go before rush hour rather than wait until late at night. Now you could get away with the f'd up Dan Ryan by going as late as you suggest, but they are down from 7 lanes to 4. Have you ever been through that area with 3 lanes closed? I don't think they have ever had 3 lanes closed since the Dan Ryan was built. The 294 bypass is great. It is not like it takes you out of the way my much like the loops in some cities. It just runs out and parallels 94. The fact that he does not have an IPass sucks though.

Things have changed since you left. How do you like the weather?

That spot isn't bad at all, the winds were strong and that was the issue! It was just on the downwind side.

[sundevil777 94]

Thanks for the advance intelligence on routing.

I'll make sure to hit Chicago in the very early afternoon.

Besides the fact that I don't have an I-pass, anything else worth noting about the toll road to make it easy, how to pay, do they record your time vs distance to check your speed, etc?

Thanks

People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

[stitch 0]

Um,hate to bust your bubble,but no they don't.There was a vote during the last election,and only a few more counties in the northwest Indiana area switched.

"No cookies for you"- GFD
"I don't think I like the sound of that" ~ MB65
Don't be a "Racer Hater"

[stitch 0]

Yeah,so is I-80/94 from I-65 to the I-80--I-294 split.And it is bad.

"No cookies for you"- GFD
"I don't think I like the sound of that" ~ MB65
Don't be a "Racer Hater"

[stitch 0]

To clarify what i posted earlier about Indiana time zone changes.Here is how it breaks down;

Effective 04/02/2006

1.All of Indiana switches to daylight savings time.

2.8 Indiana counties;Daviess,Dubois,Knox,Martin,Perry,Pike,Pulaski,,&Starke moved from eastern to central time zone.


So while before this change Fort Wayne would be the same time as Chicago this time of the year.
It is now still 1 hour ahead.

"No cookies for you"- GFD
"I don't think I like the sound of that" ~ MB65
Don't be a "Racer Hater"

[craddock 0]

It is not fair to compare the construction on 80/94 to the Dan Ryan project. Not even close. Your intentions are good but trust those that still live here and drive it when we say to take 294. I love the Skyway but it is too much of a gamble now. Think Risk/Reward. I Drive that stretch of 80/94 on Friday quite a bit. So long as timing is good there is not much of a problem.

That spot isn't bad at all, the winds were strong and that was the issue! It was just on the downwind side.

[craddock 0]

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Um,hate to bust your bubble,but no they don't.There was a vote during the last election,and only a few more counties in the northwest Indiana area switched.

Whatcha talking about?

Edited to add I see you caught your mistake and changed your position in your next post. Sorry.

That spot isn't bad at all, the winds were strong and that was the issue! It was just on the downwind side.

[airtwardo 6]

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The Dan Ryan Expy is under reconstruction.

That could be a 'sticky'...

FOREVER!

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[Vallerina 2]

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It is not fair to compare the construction on 80/94 to the Dan Ryan project. Not even close. Your intentions are good but trust those that still live here and drive it when we say to take 294. I love the Skyway but it is too much of a gamble now. Think Risk/Reward. I Drive that stretch of 80/94 on Friday quite a bit. So long as timing is good there is not much of a problem.

From my perspective, the Skyway/Dan Ryan stretch has been fine. It hasn't been much worse than normal. However, the construction on the Borman makes getting to 294 a freaking pain in the rear. It has been really really awful even at 1 am in that section.

You're pretty much screwed no matter how you decide to drive through Chicago.

There's a thin line between Saturday night and Sunday morning

[craddock 0]

I am thinking you just have to be joking?

I put around 45k driving that route to customers in IN or MI. Jammed up at 1 AM. Never. I was just through there last week at around 1 AM coming back from Valpo.

Are you intentionaly misleading? What time of the day do you travel the Dan Ryan?

That spot isn't bad at all, the winds were strong and that was the issue! It was just on the downwind side.

[Vallerina 2]

On a Saturday night a week before they began the construction on the Dan Ryan, the area where they are doing the construction on the Borman was backed up, making a less than 30 minute trip well over an hour. Last Saturday morning, the Borman was backed up (sometimes, there is a detour forcing you off of 80 which causes the back up.)

I've taken the Skyway/Dan Ryan a couple of times in the past week since I've had to drive to work. It didn't take me much longer than it normally takes me to get to work...10 mins at the most. I leave for work at about 7:30 am. My dad had to drive into the city, and he told me that it wasn't that bad taking the Skyway.

Like I said, from my perspective, I've had worse experiences with the Borman than with the Skyway/Dan Ryan. I'm sure other people have had other experiences.

There's a thin line between Saturday night and Sunday morning