Hey all: I just got back from a weekend driving trip to Columbus. I'm sure that more travel information will be forthcoming as we approach 9/3, but while it was fresh in my mind, I wanted to note that construction traffic was HORRIBLE on I-70 East, especially around Richmond, Ind. I was driving on Saturday about the time I would be driving to the game. Of course, as it turns out, most idiots like me (who checked the Internet before leaving but left his map at home) end up sitting and sweating in traffic while those who are smart enough to actually have a map in hand realize that it is easy to drop down to Rte. 40 to avoid the delays. Rte. 40 parallels I-70 from Indianapolis to Columbus. Anyway, there's lots of info about the construction near Chicago on Indiana's Web site, but I didn't see anything about Richmond until the signs announcing possible delays. By then, of course, it was too late. If there are any local Hoosiers, they may be able to post the best exit numbers.
If you start out on 80/90, you might consider diverting onto US-33 in Indiana -- it's a little bit local, but a freeway into Columbus and generally a nice drive most of the way. You could either leave 80/90 in South Bend (it's a little tricky to get through Goshen [SE of South Bend] if you do it that way, else you have to go south of the city on US-31 to either US-6 or US-30), or you could go down I-69 to Ft. Wayne and pick up 33 there. If you stick with 80/90, you'll need to get off onto I-75 in Toledo and then take another highway into Columbus -- the other highway is pretty good most of the way but picks up a bunch of traffic lights as you get into the Columbus suburbs.
Yes, I'm hoping that at some point someone will chime in with any recent driving experiences on that route. Two summers ago (wife's family has a reunion in Ohio every two years), we did the "northern" route and had bad construction delays with a detour through about six small towns and three cow pastures...
I went to school in Ada for a year, and we always took 68 and 31 to get to Columbus. Are there better options?
From South Bend, as I indicated, I liked the drive on US-33, aside from busting through the middle of Goshen IN (right near South Bend) -- I need to figure out the best way around that. OH-15/US-23 looks to be a better route from I-75 than OH-68/OH-31/US-33, just reading off the map, that's how I went to Columbus for the Frozen Four (I took US-33 all the way back). Also, from Fort Wayne, you can take US-30 through western OH and then use I-75 to switch to US-33. The main drawback to US-33 is that when the freeway ends, it turns into a two-lane highway that goes through a few towns. A lot of the space in between is wide open and easy to pass traffic, if there's not too much of it, but in Indiana it's a bit more narrow and winding.
I'm not sure exactly how you would come, I can cover I-94 all the way from Milwaukee, to 80/94 south of Chicago, to where 80 joins with 90 in Lake Station, and then 80/90 to South Bend. There's a fair bit of construction in the middle of Milwaukee, although it didn't seem to be causing traffic problems when I was there (Memorial Day weekend). After that, it's open all the way into Chicago and through Chicago. South of Chicago, they're doing a lot of work near the interchange with I-80, and it's a bit of a mess. There was a lane drop on 94 from three lanes ultimately down to one entering 80 east, which caused a nasty backup when I went through on Memorial Day. After that, there's construction on 80/94 in Illinois and Indiana, but I don't think any of it should cause traffic problems as there aren't any lane drops. If you prefer to pay exorbitant tolls on the Skyway, the last time I was there was last August, at that time there was a lane drop across the Skyway bridge and only three lanes open in western IN. I don't know what the construction situation is now, though -- I use 94 exclusively because I'm too cheap to pay the tolls. There wasn't any significant construction on 80/90 in either IN or OH that I can recall, but the last time I went over the bridges over it in South Bend and Mishawaka, it looked like they had paved the shoulders, so they may be up to something now. And I don't recall any construction on I-75, OH-15, or US-23.
I'm picking up a friend in Milwaukee Friday night and then we plan to leave Saturday morning. My guess is that we'll take 90 down through Chicago to 80/94 on the south side. This past weekend, I went 65 to 70 and across. I'm wondering about the tollway across northern Indiana and Ohio. However, given some of the suggestions in earlier posts, I think that I may just get out my map and get creative.
If any of you have a AAA subscription, I would advise you to use their TripTik feature on their website. It usually has up-to-date construction info if you will be encountering any on your route and provides many detailed maps to help you choose the best way to go. EDIT: Current map shows construction on I-90 at the Skyway toll section leaving Chicago, along with a 60-mile stretch from Indy to Richmond on I-70, as well as short stretches of construction on I-70 in Ohio and a short section of I-670 heading into Columbus. The I-80/90 route seems clear.
In what sense? The toll isn't ridiculous in Indiana, that I can recall -- something like 1.75 from Lake Station to South Bend, and I don't think much more than that from Mishawaka to OH -- and I think it was reasonable in OH as well. If you want to avoid tolls altogether, you could probably take 65 down to Indy and then 70 across, although that has the construction concern raised at the start of this thread. If you want to explore local roads, my route (that I've taken in bits and pieces) would be I-94 to US-12 just into Michigan, to US-31 west of Niles, stay on the bypass around South Bend, then take US-33 all the way to Columbus. I'm planning to take US-33 when I go, possibly doing something extra to bypass Goshen.
Construction that isn't list/I couldn't find on the Internet. Thanks for posting your route, though. I'll check it out.
Just to be clear, this route is: I-94 east to New Buffalo, MI Exit to US-12, turn right US-12 east to Niles, MI Turn right onto the ramp to US-31 south US-31 south to South Bend, IN Continue on US-20/US-31 Continue on US-20 after US-31 exits to the south US-20 east to Elkhart, IN (might be Goshen, not Elkhart, not sure) Exit to US-33, turn south (right, I think) The part about where you pick up US-31 and which direction you go on it wasn't entirely clear.
Everyone should make note of these websites, and pass them around: http://www.pavingtheway.org/ -- Columbus road construction and traffic updates http://www.i-70.org -- Information on I-70, going east-west through Ohio and Columbus http://www.i-71.org -- Information on I-71, going north-south linking Cleveland, Columbus, and Cincinnati.
I'm flying into Dayton on Friday evening at about 6 and then driving to C-Bus....... Is that going to be a rough drive? How long does it take? Peace out Americanos.
Dayton to Columbus is only about an hour, assuming no traffic. Since you will have over 24 hours to make this journey from Dayton to Crew Stadium, I can't see too many problems standing in your way.
The tolls are exhorbitant on the Skyway because they're worth it. I quite often go on trips out east straight from work (I work in the Loop), and the slowest part of my journey is always I-94 between the Loop and the Skyway exit. I'm heading out east next weekend, through Cleveland on my way to PA, and eventually Hartford. I'll update how that drive went when I get back. Thanks for starting this thread.
I'm leaving Boston Friday morning at 5:00am taking this route to The Columbus/Old Adams Mark from advice a couple CBus guys that traveled to Hartford last week told me: Columbus guys...Is this right?? I-90W to I-84W to I-81S to I-80W to I-76W to I-71S to I-670W (exit 109A) to N. 3rd St / US-23S (exit 4B) Thanks...I'll figure out how to get to O'Sahughnessy's when I hit the hotel
Driving in from the West on I-70. Anyone know if we should take the alternate route from Indy to C-bus???
I made the trip about a month ago and was surprised how much construction traffic there was--especially around Richmond, Ind. If it gets heavy, you can hop back and forth between U.S. 40 and I-70 fairly easily (something I wasn't really thinking about at the time). See here: http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.ad...home&address=&city=richmond&state=in&zipcode= Since I'm coming from the north, I'll probably use the alternate route posted above.
does anyone know the mile markers of where you want to get off of I70 and then back on? I'm trying to avoid making this 13 hour drive into a 15 hour one
I am also coming from Boston, and I am doing the same route, except: 71S to 270E to 70E (my friend lives right off 70 in CBus) see you there