Commute from Naperville to Waukegan (Chicago, Bolingbrook: how much, home, construction)

[Mike0572]

I accepted a new position in Waukegan and live close to I-88 & Route 59 in Naperville. I understand the commute is not easy. I am trying to understand how bad it will be. Google maps says it will take 1 hr and 10 minutes. How much time it will take if you travel at 5:30 AM and 3:00 PM?

Relocation is not an option since the current location is comfortable for my wife and her work.

Thanks for your inputs.

[tcs1366]

I dont even think on a GOOD day you would do Naperville to Waukeegan in an hour and 10.

I am roughly 40 min to 88 and 59 with no traffic [i'm at 53/290 and Thorndale]
then 45 to an hour to Waukegan - again, no traffic, depending on my route.

I used to do 90E towards Ohare, then 294 North [towards milwaukee]
but last time i did that route, we took 53 North to Lake Cook, then picked up 94/294 north and it was actually quicker.

5:30 am will probably be your best ride, 3pm will start to really pick up, to where you could be hour and 45 ... those are my best guesses.

hopefully someone who does this route will jump in.

[chet everett]

I can say with ease that the estimate is low by at least 20-30 minutes unless you have a police escort. The section of 88 from about Midwest Rd to the 294 junction never gets up to posted speeds because it is all torn up. Once you get on 294 the section from just about the St. Charles Rd underpass to north of Touhy is a parking lot unless you get through there PRIOR to 6am, which would require you to leave about 15 minutes earlier than 5:30.

Going home is no picnic either, as the traffic from Great America slows the northern half of 94, you have people staying on 296 to avoid the Edens, and then you hit the O'Hare traffic before you get on 88 with its muy loco reconfigurations around the 22nd St Plaza...

I did some work for a major packing company up there and it was a hell commute. I was only getting on/off at 83 and that was taking me MUCH longer unless I could be at the office by 7PM and headed back home before 2:30PM...

[jessiegirl_98]

I know that this isn't the same, but I recently had an interview in Glenview and from Glenview to Naperville at around 3:30, it took me 2.5 hours!!!!!!!

[Ophidian14]

It's going to be two hours each way unless you can get some serious flex hours and leave work well after dinnertime. Leaving at 3pm won't help, there will be massive traffic all afternoon. Have you considered that the Tri-State is under construction right now?

If you take two trains, you could catch the 5:40am from Naperville into Chicago, and then take another train out to Waukegan and get in around 7:50..

[chet everett]

Really don't think train is viable -- the station is pretty far from the "employment zone" that is closer to the borders with Gurnee and Libertyville...

I think the morning commute can be done in less than two hours but you have to be on the TriState going north by about 5:50am, as the crowding hits just after that. Guess that would mean being the Rt 59 entrance by about 5:20 or so...

Afternoons are going to be a real push -- 2:30PM is heavy, but not a real parking lot. Gonna burn much fuel too...

[acdevane]

All I can say is "your wife better REALLY appreciate you". You're a saint.

[Irishtom29]

I was a boilermaker and sometimes drove to Waukegan from Bolingbrook to work at the powerhouse up there. The drive was rigorous and this was several years ago. Working a 6 week outage the drive was tolerable but driving from Naperville to Waukegan on a permanent basis would be nuts.

[The L.C.]

I used to live in Gurnee near the Waukegan border and had to attend a training class from 8-3 in Naperville for 1 week.

I wanted to kill myself after day 3 due to traffic and that was before they started working on 88 or 294 . Good luck.

[Naperville77]

Suicide run...you will want to commit it after about a week of driving this back and forth.