N.W. Indiana to Madison, WI

kknowlton wrote:

If you want to avoid Chicago and the Tri-State Tollway, take I-80 West to I-39 and go North to Madison.

x3. Lived in the area many years & always recommend it.

Early on I thought this may be a route to take. How do I obtain an I-Pass?

If you want to avoid Chicago and the Tri-State Tollway, take I-80 West to I-39 and go North to Madison.

x3. Lived in the area many years & always recommend it.

Check traffic using Google Maps before you leave. As said before, avoid passing through during rush hour if possible. Here are my guidelines when I am going around the city.

Option 1: Take I-80 to the Tri-State Tollway (I-294). Then take I-290 to I-90W (look for signs for Rockford). On I-290 stay to the right side. The road will divide into local and express lanes when you get near I-90.

Option 2: Stay on I-80 until you get to I-355. It will merge with I-290. Take I-290 to I-90 West as above.

Option 3: Take I-80 to I-39N, which will go straight to Madison. This is significantly longer but it avoids Chicago area traffic.

Expect a lot of trucks on I-80. If you don't have an I-Pass, consider getting one. Tolls are doubled for vehicles without one.

Enjoy Madison. It's a great city.

camperpaul wrote:
If you want to avoid Chicago and the Tri-State Tollway, take I-80 West to I-39 and go North to Madison.

x2
I lived in Madison for many years and once drove from Gary strait thru the city during rush hour, but not with an RV. What a mess! Used to travel a lot in my work so I've also driven in most of the major cities during rush hour. The worst was in LA going from the Pasadena area to the airport during evening rush hour. Now that I'm a retired old fart, I don't go anywhere before 9 or 10am and get off the road by 3 or 4. One of the very few advantages of getting older.

If you want to avoid Chicago and the Tri-State Tollway, take I-80 West to I-39 and go North to Madison.

Everyone seems to dread Chicago. Being in WI we find ourselves going through there quite often. Traffic flow is much better since roads are redone, but NEVER go through during rush hours. We try to go thru early morning like 5am or later evening like after 7pm, then it's not so bad. Still the shortest route.
Buy an I-Pass and no need to stop.