Please assist: Driving thru flooded midwest
 

On Mon. I'll be taking my daughter to Milwaukee for college. We'll be
driving routes 90 and 80 across northern Ohio and Indiana. I'm concerned
about all the flooding. It's been impossible to find maps on-line for the
affected areas of each state, and though I intend to check with AAA today,
when I leave Mon. morning my info from them will be 4 days old (as we
will be on the road all day Fri taking our other daughter East).

Any info regarding the road conditions in regards to the flooding, in Ohio
and Indiana would be appreciated. Intended route is routes 90 & 80 towards
Chicago, then Northward to Milwaukee (route 294 I think) to route 43.

Thank You

The good news is if you plan the regular, traditional route the police will send you on well-marked detours should it be needed. Either way, you would still likely encounter a longer-than-normal trip duration. Good luck.

As far as I know the drive through Ohio should be fine. The only reports of interstate closings were for I-75 around Lima and this would be south of your route.

I'd worry more about the traffic jams traveling through Chicago, Gary, and the suburbs. :)

All interstate routes are open in the Milwaukee-Chicago area.

As Trsnrtr said, your biggest problem will be getting through the Greater Chicago area. I hate driving through that southern Chicago/Gary region. Not unusual at all for it to take over an hour to travel about 10 miles through there. And you are going through on a Monday? I hope you aren't hitting that area anytime between 4-6PM.

On a map it may look like there are loops around Chicago, but all of them are packed and all have road construction going on in the summer.

Yup. All earthbound traffic must squeeze beneath the southern edge of Lake Michigan. It just sucks. And if you encounter a gridlocked Interstate and are thinking of secondary roads --don't. You'll be dealing with trains, train yards, steel mills, and boat canals. I usually just pop in Beethovens 6th and relax.

I haven't heard of any closures on I90 in Ohio. There is construction in Lake County east of Cleveland but 2 lanes are maintained in both directions. This website will help you in Ohio.

http://www.buckeyetraffic.org/

I have tried the secondary road alternative twice and got burned both times.

On my last trip east, I did the BIG LOOP around Chicago, as in taking I-39 South from Rockford to Bloomington to catch I-74 East. 50 miles further, but almost no traffic at all.

Same here. I swear, it can't be done.

80/90 has construction around the South Bend area but it only seems to back traffic up a couple of miles either way during the day... I ride across a bridge over the toll road every day.. we have some flooding here but nothing that has impacted the 80/90 toll YET!

So far as I know, there hasn't been any flooding related closures on I80/90 in Ohio or Indiana. I75 was only closed for one day, and that was about 70 miles to the south.

I-80/94 was closed in Lake County Indiana for about 20 hours on Thursday/Friday. It was a titanic mess. All that truck traffic was forced north on US41 to US12/20 to SR319 and back to 80/94. The backup on the east bound side extended to I57 in Illinois and I65 in Indiana. I certainly hope cranky wasn't in that mess.

torgrot

Suggestion: Take the car ferry from Muskegon, MI to Milwaukee to avoid flooding and the Chicago traffic. I'm assuming it is still there. Been many years since I traveled there, but it is a very pleasant way to cross the lake.

There is a ferry across Lake Michigan to Milwaukee, but it is kind of pricey. A one-way trip for two people and a car is $196.

http://www.lake-express.com/

One person with a bicycle going roundtrip is $119. Not a bad way to go to Michigan for a ride.

Well, I just checked and 80/94 eastbound in northwest Indiana is still closed. What a mess. All of the east west streets around here are jammed with trucks. Cops are handing out tickets like there was no tomorrow. Best to avoid at all costs.

torgrot

Still looking at making the trip on Monday. Leaving Upstate NY before dawn, hope to reach Gary In. by 2:00 PM. Hopefully floodwaters on 80/94 will have receeded by then. Have traveled this route twice in the last 12 months with my wife's Camry. For me, it was white knuckle driving from Gary all the way to Milwaukee. Taking the '94 Ford Conversion Van this time. I really appreciate the updates, thanks and feel free to keep them coming.

edit: 9:15 PM
I see on WGN News...two lanes opened westbound on 80/94.
Wish I could talk the wife and daughter into leaving a day early and
going north around Lake Michigan, sigh.

That drive through Chicago is usually nerve-wracking for me. It is either stop & go, or it is like driving on a speedway full of crazy people, swerving back and forth through heavy traffic at 75 mph.

I love it when I get behind a van or small truck doing 60-62 (speed limit is supposedly 55) in the 2nd lane from the right. No merging traffic, room on the left to pass, and I'm not the one setting the pace (and getting honked at).

.... or glared at, and for what??? For going the speed limit? That sounds like our typical weekend commute across town. :eek:

Cranky: I don't have anything to add, except to say that I wish you a safe trip and return home.

I can't complain about our 90+ temps and low[-ish] humidity here, especially considering the nightmarish weather up there in the midwest. I hope it ends soon, well before the first snow so you can enjoy some nice weather in between.

80/94 is open in both directions finally. It will take a while for the truck traffic to subside. Take your time and be patient. You will get through. Unless you are coming through Canada north around Lake Michigan will add at least 600 miles to that trip.

torgrot