So this weekend I'm making a road trip to Chicagoland for a wedding this Saturday. I'm leaving for the Prescott, ON area this evening after work, then I'm driving to South Haven, MI via Windsor-Detroit tomorrow (Friday). I'm driving the rest of the way to the wedding near the O'Hare airport on Saturday morning.
The route to the Lansing area is pretty much laid out, mostly set in stone and very mundane. Good ol' 401 and such. Leave Prescott at 7:30, through Toronto around lunch time (407 is an option if the city is really bad, but the tolls definitely aren't cheap), Windsor-Detroit by late afternoon.
As I've never really been past Lansing, I'm not sure what the rest of the way will be. I know a bit about the Mitten but I'm completely illiterate when it comes to Indiana and Chicagoland (aside from reading maps and history). I'm traveling frugal due to various budgeting concerns, so I want to keep tolls reasonable but I don't need to completely eliminate them, especially if I have extra time on Sunday for more exploration around Lake Michigan.
To get to the wedding, I was thinking about taking I-94 (Dan Ryan) through the city to I-290 (Eisenhower), since it seems to be the one toll free route. Should I expect traffic to be a serious problem?
I'm also looking to explore things if I have some spare time on Saturday morning or at some point on Sunday (unlikely but possible depending on how motivated I am). I might want to look at the Chicago Skyway and/or drive on U.S. 66 at least a bit. I assume the Tri-State Tollway is worth looking at for a freeway. Any other suggestions?
Non-road activities may include plane spotting at O'Hare, train spotting in Rochelle (unlikely) or visiting the Illiniois Railway Museum. Anything else?
It's unlikely that any of the side activities I planned in Chicago actually occur due to logistics and time (I'll probably spend more time in Michigan; I'm coming back on Monday), but I'm definitely coming back at some point, so suggestions will always be noted if not for this trip.
Quote from: Dr Frankenstein on September 25, 2014, 01:43:00 PM
So this weekend I'm making a road trip to Chicagoland for a wedding this Saturday. I'm leaving for the Prescott, ON area this evening after work, then I'm driving to South Haven, MI via Windsor-Detroit tomorrow (Friday). I'm driving the rest of the way to the wedding near the O'Hare airport on Saturday morning.
The route to the Lansing area is pretty much laid out, mostly set in stone and very mundane. Good ol' 401 and such. Leave Prescott at 7:30, through Toronto around lunch time (407 is an option if the city is really bad, but the tolls definitely aren't cheap), Windsor-Detroit by late afternoon.
If it were I, I'd go via Sarnia/Port Huron instead. It's slightly shorter, and you avoid the busy Detroit/Windsor border crossing.
Quote from: catch22 on September 25, 2014, 03:49:25 PMIf it were I, I'd go via Sarnia/Port Huron instead. It's slightly shorter, and you avoid the busy Detroit/Windsor border crossing.
That's what I'd usually do, but I'm meeting with someone in Detroit. I have the Nexus advantage anyway.
Given that you're arriving on a Saturday morning there won't be too much traffic no matter what route you choose, unless it's 290. That will more likely than not be a problem. I would probably take 294 all the way to your destination. The toll will be in the $6 range, unless you have an EZ-Pass, in ehich case it will be half that. If you want less tollage than that, I would suggest taking 90/94 up through the city and then taking 90 to the airport and working around from there. That is usually not so bad, traffic and convenience wise, in my experience.
Other than that, I took a similar route from Niagara Falls to the Windy City on my east coast trip earlier this month. Although I went through Sarnia. Overall, there isn't too much construction going on, although there is some. Except where 290 meets 90/94. If you're on 90/94 and if stay in the express lanes as much as you can and if you do not exit to 290, though, things aren't too bad.
Just a heads-up, I'm pretty sure there is still construction on I-94 in NW Indiana (down to 2 lanes in each direction, I think) which has been an issue the last couple times I've been there. However, I'm not sure what Saturday morning traffic would be like (and there's not a very fast detour anyway).
Out of curiosity, is there any particular reason you're going through Lansing? If I were going from Detroit to South Haven, I would definitely take 94 to at least Kalamazoo. 196 might be a bit out of the way, even if it's faster, so I would probably take the 15-mile 2-lane M-140 between I-94 in Watervliet and South Haven.
Yes. I'm picking someone up near Lansing.
I would say from Lansing to South Haven, the quickest way would obviously be I-96>M-6>I-196, but if you're in the mood for a more relaxing drive, picking up M-43 west of Kalamazoo is a good option. There's still plenty of construction at the Circle which might slow you up, but if you aren't carrying an EZPass-compatible transponder, it makes sense to shunpike. (Sorry I didn't see this thread sooner.)
Quote from: Dr Frankenstein on September 25, 2014, 01:43:00 PM
So this weekend I'm making a road trip to Chicagoland for a wedding this Saturday. I'm leaving for the Prescott, ON area this evening after work, then I'm driving to South Haven, MI via Windsor-Detroit tomorrow (Friday). I'm driving the rest of the way to the wedding near the O'Hare airport on Saturday morning.
To get to the wedding, I was thinking about taking I-94 (Dan Ryan) through the city to I-290 (Eisenhower), since it seems to be the one toll free route. Should I expect traffic to be a serious problem?
I'm also looking to explore things if I have some spare time on Saturday morning or at some point on Sunday (unlikely but possible depending on how motivated I am). I might want to look at the Chicago Skyway and/or drive on U.S. 66 at least a bit. I assume the Tri-State Tollway is worth looking at for a freeway. Any other suggestions?
Non-road activities may include plane spotting at O'Hare, train spotting in Rochelle (unlikely) or visiting the Illiniois Railway Museum. Anything else?
It's unlikely that any of the side activities I planned in Chicago actually occur due to logistics and time (I'll probably spend more time in Michigan; I'm coming back on Monday), but I'm definitely coming back at some point, so suggestions will always be noted if not for this trip.
No, no, no, no, no, unless you really want to see the Circle Interchange. It is well worth the tolls (especially if you or the person you're with has an I-Pass/EZ-Pass) to avoid the Loop. Even on Sunday, the Circle can be a right royal bitch to get through, and parts of it are under construction right now. The Tri-State (I-294) is a much better option as it is consistently four lanes (in one direction) throughout and has better services (Lincoln Oasis, Cicero Avenue Exit, Hinsdale Oasis, O'Hare Oasis).
As Brandon said, use the Tri-State. Tolls > Circle anyday