Chicago
The best route thru Chicago, 294 or 94 north
Forum Discussion
We live far enough west of Chicago that hopping on I-43 and I-41 to get to Green Bay makes more sense than taking I-94 to I-43.
But... if you're coming in from Indianapolis or somewhere else that general direction, taking I-74 to I-39 to I-43 will add 110 miles to the drive. At our MPG, that's $36 in extra fuel, which might actually be worth the lack of frustration and lack of tolls. You'll have higher overall speeds so time-wise it might be a wash, and if you're stuck in traffic, you might wind up burning more fuel on the shorter routing. I'd take that bet and head west...
Failing that, I-294 is manageable in non-peak times. There's construction on I-94 between the IL/WI state line and Milwaukee, so that's actually worse than what you'll deal with getting around Chicago.
But... if you're coming in from Indianapolis or somewhere else that general direction, taking I-74 to I-39 to I-43 will add 110 miles to the drive. At our MPG, that's $36 in extra fuel, which might actually be worth the lack of frustration and lack of tolls. You'll have higher overall speeds so time-wise it might be a wash, and if you're stuck in traffic, you might wind up burning more fuel on the shorter routing. I'd take that bet and head west...
Failing that, I-294 is manageable in non-peak times. There's construction on I-94 between the IL/WI state line and Milwaukee, so that's actually worse than what you'll deal with getting around Chicago.
