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Fastest way around Chicago

jkb

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I'm the same Tugger that has a thread about Wisconsin Dells for 1st week in Aug. Starting this thread because I need advice about a route thru/around Chicago area. Mapquest has us coming Rt 90 W from Indiana toward Chicago, then merging onto I-94 W, then back onto I -90 north of the city. Would bypassing all of Chicago via 294 and catching I-90 at Chicago O'hare be better/faster? We prefer the least complicated route. Is the mapquest route all super highways? Toll roads are fine if they are the most direct/uncomplicated. Please advise.
 

slip

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I would take 294 and catch I90. We used to live on the south side of Chicago and bought a house just south of the Dells so we made that trip often.
 

Passepartout

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Those roads are a!l Expressways. There may be some tolls. Mapquest (and Google maps) calculate the fastest routes. You should be fine, barring something unexpected happening. I drove heavy trucks through that area for years. My only advice it to try to avoid peak travel times if you can.
 
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I am a truck driver, and I frequently drove to/around Chicago. I-94 through downtown is not terrible, but it is slow. I-294 is a toll road, BUT it is faster. So, if you aren't going to Chicago, I-294. If you're going TO Chicago, I-94.

TS
 

Kelso

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Definitely 294 in my opinion.
 

sfwilshire

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I hate the Chicago area because of the tolls. Wouldn't mind paying them so much except they are inconsistent in how you pay them. Some have cash or credit card options. Some have no way to pay if you don't have a toll transponder. I hit one of those and determined how to pay on-line, but I'm convinced I wound up paying someone else's tolls (on my rental car) and then mine showed up a couple of months later. So I paid again. Going back and forth to work, I found that I didn't lose much time in most cases and had a more peaceful trip if I just set my GPS to "No Tolls". Saw some nice neighborhoods. In the Spring, the flowers were beautiful. You can even get to and from the airport rental car center with no tolls by investing a few extra minutes. Well worth it to me.

Sheila
 

nkldavy

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90 to 80 W to 39N. Stop at the Pilot in Beloit for low price gas. 39 up to 94 to exit 92 into Lake Delton/Dells.
 

rapmarks

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90 to 80 W to 39N. Stop at the Pilot in Beloit for low price gas. 39 up to 94 to exit 92 into Lake Delton/Dells.
We often took that route. We also took 88 instead of 90.
 

jwalk03

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I hate the Chicago area because of the tolls. Wouldn't mind paying them so much except they are inconsistent in how you pay them. Some have cash or credit card options. Some have no way to pay if you don't have a toll transponder. I hit one of those and determined how to pay on-line, but I'm convinced I wound up paying someone else's tolls (on my rental car) and then mine showed up a couple of months later. So I paid again. Going back and forth to work, I found that I didn't lose much time in most cases and had a more peaceful trip if I just set my GPS to "No Tolls". Saw some nice neighborhoods. In the Spring, the flowers were beautiful. You can even get to and from the airport rental car center with no tolls by investing a few extra minutes. Well worth it to me.

Sheila

After driving through Chicago to go to Wisconsin Dells 2 years ago I decided it would be worth it just to buy an EZ-PASS for when we are traveling (as I don't live near any toll roads). After some research I ended up buying a NC Quick Pass (even though I live in Ohio) because it doesnt have any monthly fees and its the only one that works in all the EZ Pass states plus NC, GA & FL. Its less than $10 to buy one, and the convenience it completely worth it, even if I only use it for 2-3 trips per year.
 

sfwilshire

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After driving through Chicago to go to Wisconsin Dells 2 years ago I decided it would be worth it just to buy an EZ-PASS for when we are traveling (as I don't live near any toll roads). After some research I ended up buying a NC Quick Pass (even though I live in Ohio) because it doesnt have any monthly fees and its the only one that works in all the EZ Pass states plus NC, GA & FL. Its less than $10 to buy one, and the convenience it completely worth it, even if I only use it for 2-3 trips per year.

I knew that there was something in the works for using the same pass for multiple states. We'll have to look into it. We have a Sunpass that's good in Florida and Georgia. Just paid my toll by plate for the Tappen Zee Bridge online, but other than those, we usually manage to avoid tolls for personal travel. I find tolls pretty annoying since we pay very high gas taxes in Tennessee to provide roads for everyone. Seems unfair that other states don't return the favor.

Sheila
 

jwalk03

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I knew that there was something in the works for using the same pass for multiple states. We'll have to look into it. We have a Sunpass that's good in Florida and Georgia. Just paid my toll by plate for the Tappen Zee Bridge online, but other than those, we usually manage to avoid tolls for personal travel. I find tolls pretty annoying since we pay very high gas taxes in Tennessee to provide roads for everyone. Seems unfair that other states don't return the favor.

Sheila

congress actually passed the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act in 2012 that required states to adopt a nationwide universal tolling solution no later than 2016. But since the law didn’t provide any funding or specify any penalty for not complying thus far the states have just ignored the law. Federalism at its finest! Lol

The NC quickpass is nice being valid in 18 states, but they are all East of the Mississippi so tolls in TX, OK, KS, CO, CA, etc are all still not compatible! It would be nice if they finally came out with a truly universal system!

last time I was in California you could only pay online if you didn’t have a transponder and you had to figure out how to do it, which I did but then I got a charge several months later from the rental car agency with $75 in added admin fees! Luckily I had my receipt showing I had logged in and paid the toll so I disputed the charges with my credit card company and won! That’s some racquet for unsuspecting tourists.
 
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