Driving to Milwaukee...

I was wondering how the drive is on the freeway from either Midway Airport or Downtown to Milwaukee. I%26#39;m debating whether to rent a car at Midway Airport or Downtown. I say Midway Airport because I%26#39;ll eventually be flying back home from Midway Airport, so it would be convenient to rent a car from there, but I%26#39;m also open to the option of just renting a car from a Downtown location. I will be driving up to Milwaukee on a Tuesday morning. Will the freeways from either Midway or Downtown be crowded at around 9AM-12PM? What should I expect on the drive? And how much are tolls, and are there any alternatives to avoid them? And I%26#39;ll be driving back to drop off the car on Wednesday in the middle of the day. Should I expect traffic coming into Chicago, and traffic when going to either Midway or Downtown? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

Driving to Milwaukee...

At 9AM, you%26#39;ll be at the tail end of the morning rush hour here. If you%26#39;re driving from MDW, you%26#39;ll hit a little bit of traffic as you approach downtown from the Dan Ryan (I-90). It%26#39;s not a big deal.

You don%26#39;t need to pay any tolls from downtown to Milwaukee. Just follow the signs for I-94. After you%26#39;re on the Edens Expressway portion of I-94, you%26#39;ll approach the Dundee Road exit. You%26#39;ll also see signs for I-94/I-294 with an exit on the right. Do not exit. Instead, stay on Highway 41 north. 41 will run back into I-94 just south of the WI border. There are no tolls on the WI portion of I-94. Watch your speed in WI.

FYI - there%26#39;s a bunch of construction on I-94 as you approach downtown Milwaukee. Watch for the detour signs.

Driving to Milwaukee...

You can also take public transportation - the Orange Line from Midway to downtown, and Amtrak to Milwaukee. There is minor construction on the Edens and major construction on the 94 interchange in Milwaukee. That road is always crowded, it handles over 100,000 cars in a day. Mid-morning is your best bet for avoiding traffic.

Using the toll road to Milwaukee is faster, but will cost you. The alternative, Hwy. 41, is not an expressway after the split to 294 - it becomes a four-lane road divided road with stoplights every couple of miles.

I would recomment paying the tolls...it will save you a lot of time. I%26#39;m not sure how many tolls you%26#39;ll hit, but I%26#39;m thinking it%26#39;s 2 $1 tolls and 1 $2 toll each direction. I%26#39;m guessing it%26#39;ll save you an hour.

As dave said, you%26#39;ll be hitting the end of rush hour if you leave midway at 9 o%26#39;clock. It will still be reasonably bad then....I wouldn%26#39;t say that traffic fully lightens up until 10ish.

Renting a car at downtown vs midway will save you a little money, but will cost you about an extra hour each way in commuting. Midway to downtown is about 45 minutes to an hour by train I think.

you should have no problem coming back on Wednesday. Traffic starts getting heavier around 3 and peaks around 4:30-5:30.

I would have to disagree with cpfoutz - I estimate the time savings on 294 vs. 41 at 20 minutes or so. Of course, construction delays are not included, they%26#39;re too hard to predict!

I have to agree with pgo about the time difference between 41 and 294, in the summer months when Six Flags is open or on the weekends when people go to their summer homes 41 can even be faster than 294. It%26#39;s a fairly fast drive with a few stoplights, I doubt even in the best of traffic that it adds more than 20 minutes.

For people who don%26#39;t have an I Pass, the tolls are double and the cash lanes can have long lines, if you do take 294 make sure you don%26#39;t drive through the open tolling unless your rental car comes equipped with one (a friend of mine who just rented one said that hers came with an I Pass).

If you do have an I Pass and you rent at Midway and are heading up at that time, another alternative would be to avoid the city altogether and just get straight on 294. I don%26#39;t drive it often, maybe someone else can chime in on any construction delays, if any.

Just over the WI border, there%26#39;s a tourim office. If you don%26#39;t have a map of Wisconsin, you might stop there and get a map of Milwaukee, the last time I was up there the exit I needed was closed and I was glad I had a map with me. I believe the construction is still going on.

I live in Bucktown (in the city) but own a few businesses in Wisconsin so I am constantly making that drive.

If you are leaving downtown around 9 am then take 94 the whole way. Do not take 41.

The first toll will be a $1 and the second will be $1.50 if you are paying cash. The cash lanes are on the far right.

That said if you do not need a car to get around Milwaukee (cab service suck in Milwaukee) then (as someone else has posted) check out the Amtrack.