Reverse commute from Chicago to Oak Brook? (Oak Lawn, Oak Park: rental, transfer to)

[noreaster7]

Hi,
I am relocating to Chicago from Boston in a few weeks. My new job is in Oak Brook, IL but I am hoping to live in Chicago (or as close as possible). I have found what look like good rental options in the West Loop and South Loop that are close to I-290.

How bad is the reverse commute out West on I-290? Does 1 hour each way sound about right?

Would the westbound traffic situation be better if I lived a little further out west in a community such as Oak Park?

Thanks,
Noreaster7

[RJW]

Unfortunately, the drive from Chicago to Oak Brook is pretty bad virtually any time of the day. Living in Oak Park (where I currently reside) would make it a bit better, but still not great since 290 is usually fairly jammed up in both directions all hours of the day, particularly at rush hour. The reverse commute is certainly better, but not by much. I may be confronting similar dilemma as it looks like my job situation will change and I would need to commute to northern suburbs instead of taking CTA from Oak Park to the loop, which is very easy and convenient. I dread the thought of driving in Chicago rush hour traffic every day and may have to consider relocating closer to work. You should explore public transit options. I don't believe the Metra train runs to Oak Brook, but it could get you close.

[noreaster7]

RJW,
Thank you this is great information. Based on the rush-hour situation on I-290 it sounds like I may shave anywhere from 30-to-45 minutes from my westward commute to Oak Brook if I start out in Oak Park as opposed to starting from the Loop endpoint of the expressway.

It's a nice endorsement for the neighborhood that you've chosen it yourself as a home. I am next going to see if public transit to my company's office is an option for me at all.

Good luck with your own job-location-change situation. Hopefuly things will work out.

Thank you very much for the advice.

[OakBrookMom]

I commuted for 12 years and my husband still commutes. The reverse commuters are probably spared 10-15 minutes of torture a day. The advice you have been given is totally correct. In fact Oak Park seemed to be the 1/2 way mark during our commutes. If your company has a commuter shuttle or Pace bus service at the curb I would definitely consider that option, especially with gas prices the way they are. Plus I used to work on the train on the way into the city. The Pace bus runs from the Blue Line to the Oak Brook mall so if you are close to the blue line that may be an option to driving but it probably won't save you much time. You could live in the burbs close to Oak Brook, maybe somewhere that has a metra to get you downtown on the weekends. Oak Brook doesn't have one, we use the stations at Elmhurst, Hinsdale, Downers Grove and LaGrange. LaGrange is a 17 minute train ride, Oak Park is 15 minutes on Metra, Hinsdale & Elmhurst are 24 on the express trains and Downers Grove is 26 minutes on the express trains. Even the all stop trains are shorter than fighting traffic on 290. All those towns are options too and have rental housing within the downtown areas. Oak Park or Forest Park are really great alternatives to the city without being too suburban.

[Drover]

With so many corporate offices in the suburbs (including, of course, McDonalds headquarters in Oak Brook) there is no such thing as a reverse commute any more. The Eisenhower Expressway (main artery to Oak Brook) positively drops anchor in both directions during both rush-hour periods. It even sucks on Saturdays now too. Alternate street routes get jammed up with hundreds of folks who think they're going to out-wit everyone on the expressway, but it never quite works in their favor.

You could cut your commute time in half by living in Oak Park or Forest Park. The benefit of these two particular suburbs is they are serviced by the CTA Blue Line train which can whisk you into downtown Chicago in half an hour or less. Give it another 15 minutes and it can deposit you in Bucktown/Wicker Park, one of the city's best dining and nightlife areas. Or you can transfer to the Red Line downtown which will take you to most of the rest of the nightlife hotspots. Best of all, the Blue and Red lines run 24/7.

[prairiestate]

The worst traffic these days is going towards the city during the evening rush hour. Not only do you have so many people working in the 'burbs returning home, but you have a lot of people who live in the 'burbs going into the city to party, etc. The great irony of living in Chicagoland is that there's a ton of stuff to do here, but the traffic trying to get there leaves you no time to do anything.

[raenycole]

I'm commuting to Oak Brook from Beverly via 294. My normal schedule is 8-4:30. What do you think that will be like?

[chet everett]

Beverly is inconveniently located relative to the expressways that make the most sense to get to the north and west. It may require doing some sample routes that involve surface routes to compare them to expressways. My hunch is that if you can get to 294 via 95th through Oak Lawn without too much hassle and exit 294 at 22nd St that may beat the alternative of expressways (like the Ryan and Ike) to 88. Would not be surprised if this is over an hour either route...

[Jandur]

I commuted from Linclon Park to Oakbrook for a year and it was pretty bad. At least an hour each way sometimes an hour and a half. That being said living in the West Loop helps a lot. My co-worker lived there and on average it took him about 40-50min to get into work, which is a bit more manageable.