Des Moines IA to Columbus OH

paulj wrote:
I've seen Indiana I70 mentioned in 'worst roads' threads.

There was a stretch from the Ohio line (mile mark 156)to mile mark 149 around Richmond that did literally take off peoples wheels. It took them nearly three months to get around to doing patch work and now it is rough instead of dangerous. They have awarded a contract for a permanent fix.

Oh and to top it off...my windshield wiper fluid was bone dry. Sand dirt from the trucks pelting the windshield and no fluid.

Here all the times I took my Nissan in for service I thought they were topping that off. It took a whole gallon!

So please check your wiper fluid...:)

Thank you so much. I really appreciate it. We will take 80 to 74 to 70.

We just left Evanston WY this morning and got to Cheyenne WY for the night. It was blizzard, white out conditions, 50+ mph winds, blowing snow across the road, black ice and a nightmare. I am following my DH in his truck and I could not see a thing. We crawled at 25 mph.

Four big rigs flipped over, cars in the ditch. My Altima was slipping all over the place. We got behind a slow semi and kept it at 40 mph pretty much the whole way. Can't believe the people blowing past us at 60.

We saw RV'ers headed West towards SLC and I prayed for every one of them to be safe.

Thank goodness we are not towing. But trying to follow behind someone is nerve wracking.

Good grief!

High winds, dry roads in Cheyenne. I pray no snow tonight.

I've seen Indiana I70 mentioned in 'worst roads' threads.

DutchmenSport wrote:


Your route is good. There's some construction going on around Richmond Indiana, and some construction between Indianapolis and Richmond on I70. If your towing, it's a bumpy ride. If you not towing, you don't notice the bumps that much. We've never encountered any delays between Indy and Richmond.

X2

There is a little construction west of Columbus but no major issues. The first 40 miles of Ohio on I 70(until you get to I75) can be patrolled very heavy at times.

lots2seeinmyrv wrote:
We are travelling 80 East out of Des Moines and headed to Columbus OH. Not towing.

Should we drop down off of 80 East to 74 South through Indianapolis to 70 through Columbus OH.

Any construction or road conditions to be aware of?

Thanks!

End of our trip is Cumberland MD...but wanted to drop down off of 80 to avoid Chicago and Cleveland.

Yes by all means. Just get on I-74 at Quad-Cities. We do it all the time except the Indy to Columbus,OH part. We do it from Columbus,IN. The last time was this past Oct. without problem or slow down.

DutchmenSport wrote:
Additional comment: When driving through Illinois, the speed limit is 60. Don't speed. No one will pass you either ... There's a reason why everyone runs the speed limit in Illinois! Also, Illinois enforces driving on the right side of the road on Interstates unless you're actually passing. So, if you're a "Left Lane" driver... don't do it in Illinois! It makes for a very LONG drive through Illinois! It seems to take forever! But don't speed!

As a native, I don't really notice that much enforcement on a regular basis. You certainly can do +5 all day every day and probably up to +10. They seem to be looking for big fish to catch, the people going 15 or 20 over the limit. I should add, most of my experience is in the northern half of the state. Really only the NE quadrant, I suppose, from I-39 to Indiana and from Wisconsin to Springfield. It may be different down south or out west, or in any given state police district for that matter.

The Chicago area is crazy. There, +15 is the norm and +20 is common, with little enforcement.

If you are talking about interstate speed limits, it has not been 60 as a general number; it has been 55 in cities and 65 rural. As of Jan 1, rural is being raised to 70. Non-interstates top out at 55 AFAIK.

I don't want to start a battle, but rather than IL, I notice the exact thing you describe in OH. When there, I'm trying to do my typical IL method of +5 to +8, and I'm passing absolutely everyone. Makes me very paranoid about it. I asked my OH friends if everyone has been radar-ed into submission, or they are descended from law-abiding countries, or what.

Additional comment: When driving through Illinois, the speed limit is 60. Don't speed. No one will pass you either ... There's a reason why everyone runs the speed limit in Illinois! Also, Illinois enforces driving on the right side of the road on Interstates unless you're actually passing. So, if you're a "Left Lane" driver... don't do it in Illinois! It makes for a very LONG drive through Illinois! It seems to take forever! But don't speed!

I would definitely go that way, miss the traffic south of Chicago and I-65 south can be a serious pain, more aggravating in a four wheeler than towing - too much truck traffic.

That's the basic route we take when we visit our daughter who lives in Hubbard, IA (South of Ames), except we cut North on 27 and go through Cedar Rapids and hit highway 20 at Waterloo.

Your route is good. There's some construction going on around Richmond Indiana, and some construction between Indianapolis and Richmond on I70. If your towing, it's a bumpy ride. If you not towing, you don't notice the bumps that much. We've never encountered any delays between Indy and Richmond.