Great Lakes - Route Advice (in a car) Madison WI to Lake Forest IL
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Wiswell
07-22-09, 09:06 PM
Google sends me to Milwaukee on I94 and then down. Would taking US 12 to Illinois 173 to US 41 be torture? It just seem like there should be a better way than due east and due south.
From there I am going to Waterford but that looks easy enough. About an hour Lake Forest to Waterford?
JPradun
07-22-09, 09:49 PM
If you are going to be near Milwaukee during rush hour, take US 12. If not, I would follow 94.
John Wilke
07-22-09, 09:58 PM
That would be pretty good depending on the day of the week and time of day you do it. As far as N. IL roads go, 173 is pretty good (one lane each way), 50 is better (two lanes each way). 12 is pretty speedy most of the way. Traffic through Milwaukee is usually pretty good, even during rush hour and construction on 94 in Kenosha County isn't that bad right now, the overpasses that they had to remove are gone. Once you cross into IL on 94, it's full speed ahead, again depending on time of day and week.
You looking for shortest time or a new adventure? :innocent:
Wiswell
07-23-09, 08:34 AM
...
You looking for shortest time or a new adventure? :innocent:
Shortest time with least possibility for gigantic traffic jam.
12-173-41 wouldn't be torture. Just a lot more exits to take that way.
94 south of the border is going to suck, especially between 6-9am. It's under construction from Grand Ave to Half Day Rd (I think). They are doing constuction on 41 and grand that might make you sit at the same light for 10min, but nothing really bad. You can take 94 down into IL, then stay in the left lane to get onto 41 from there. Should only take about 30 min once you cross the border.
John Wilke
07-23-09, 11:15 AM
Well, I drove to Arlington Heights at 7am and traffic was relatively heavy but not stop and go down to the Edens and that's where I bailed to head west. I'm sure it only takes one fender bender to change that though. No tolls on 41. That's a +1 !! (how do you folks do it?)
Far too much construction on the tollway right now to risk it in my opinion. If you do go the Milwaukee to the tollway route, just listen to Chicago radio for traffic and be prepared to jump off 94 onto 41 just after you hit the state line.
The preferable route (to me) would be to take US 12 to IL 60 (you have to jog over to 60 on 120 - I think).
John Wilke
07-23-09, 09:37 PM
Those traffic reports on WBBM are way off IMHO. Every time they called a jam up, it seemed to be happening in the opposite direction from what I was experiencing. Maybe it's a delay in getting the info?
Don't Know. WGN always seems to be ok. Bigger problem is that you gotta know what you're listening for, and have quick ears. They run through the list quickly and they use the local terms for the highways rather than the numbers (e.g., Edens, Dan Ryan, Bishop Ford, etc.)
I was going to suggest I-90 to edgerton, then Hwy 59 & county N to whitewater where you would pick up hwy 12, then take hwy 50 to I-94 south, but I see there is major construction on I94 from hwy 50 to the state line. You might be able to take hwy 45 south off of 50 then hit 173 to I94.
Heres a good site for seeing where construction and delays are in the Gary-Chicago-Milwaukee corridor area. http://www.gcmtravel.com/gcm/maps_corridor.jsp
HTH
David