How bad is the daily drive from the city to Joliet area (Chicago: home, neighborhoods)

[Evan.]

I may be getting a really good job offer in Joliet (actually I think it's in Millsdale, but close enough). Haven't had the on-site interview yet, but I've been told I'm a top candidate. The job description is right where I want to take my career. Currently, I live in central PA (but was in Pittsburgh last year).

How bad is a daily work drive from Chicago to the Joliet area? South Loop area looks like it has close access to I-55 and is a decent neighborhood to live in. So let's assume that (or a nearby neighborhood) as my home and Millsdale as work. Google is saying about 50 minutes in a no-traffic situation.

I know rush-hour traffic in Chicago can be... intense, but I also thought reverse commuting the Stevenson wasn't too too bad.

Thoughts?
Anyone have experience with this commute or similar?
Am I out of my mind for even considering this?


About me:
-City boy
-Engineer
-Single gay male in late 20's (OK, fine, I'll be 30 this autumn).
-Lived outside of Pittsburgh all my life, except the last 6 months. The only reason I moved to central PA was because I lost my job in Pitt. and found one in central PA.

[snoylekim]

Google doesn't take the weather into account, and the reverse back to the city can be fun given events that might be occurring on any given evening ( Bulls, Bears, White Sox..) . There's also lots of truck traffic on 55, and there are pockets in the suburbs between the tollway and 355 that can get jammed up for no explicable reason . I hope you have a comfortable ride, because you'll be spending a lot of time in it .. figure 2 hours a day on a good day both ways . And , there will be days in the winter when such a trip is not advisable, so I hope your employer had some telecommuting options .

[Chicagoist123]

I wouldn't drive. Is there a Metra line near the office?

[chet everett]

The drive would be horrendous. It really is not feasible. Not only are the commute times / traffic issues extreme so to are the delays due to road construction. Though the distance might be under 40 miles the traffic to/from other suburbs and part of the city have made this corridor one of the heaviest traveled

[ChiNaan]

Actually the distance from South Loop to Millsdale (which is on the other side of Joliet) appears to be 54 miles, according to Google maps. It looks like it would actually be the same distance to take the Dan Ryan to 57 to 80 as it would be to take 55, and you'd probably have less traffic overall if you went that way. It would still be a long commute, though, and truck traffic on 80 can be brutal, especially when mixed with rush hour traffic.

[UPChicago]

You probably should drive actually, when I lived on the south side I worked for Will County. The drive was about 40 minutes and there was very little traffic usually. It's a very easy drive, I only had problems when it snowed.

[marothisu]

I would check to see if the Metra is anywhere close to there. If not, your commute might suck badly. I mean, let's not sugar coat this. The area is over 50 miles away in a metro area of 10 million people. On a good day, with no sizable amount of traffic, the drive is going to take you at least hmmm..40 minutes each way? It can easily be avoided if you leave early enough in the morning but the commute home will be worse. Any sort of bad traffic? Your commute will take an hour, but if you like driving then it's not *as* bad, but it might get old fast.

I hope if you do this that they pay you well. In the South Loop at a normal building, you are going to be paying a few hundred dollars per month for your parking. Then factor gas into it (Chicago's gas is more expensive than most other cities)...then the fact that South Loop is one of the more expensive neighborhoods in the city...

[Evan.]

Originally Posted by UPChicago

You probably should drive actually, when I lived on the south side I worked for Will County. The drive was about 40 minutes and there was very little traffic usually. It's a very easy drive, I only had problems when it snowed.

What's it like when it snows?

[Evan.]

Originally Posted by marothisu

I would check to see if the Metra is anywhere close to there. If not, your commute might suck badly. I mean, let's not sugar coat this. The area is over 50 miles away in a metro area of 10 million people. On a good day, with no sizable amount of traffic, the drive is going to take you at least hmmm..40 minutes each way? It can easily be avoided if you leave early enough in the morning but the commute home will be worse. Any sort of bad traffic? Your commute will take an hour, but if you like driving then it's not *as* bad, but it might get old fast.

I hope if you do this that they pay you well. In the South Loop at a normal building, you are going to be paying a few hundred dollars per month for your parking. Then factor gas into it (Chicago's gas is more expensive than most other cities)...then the fact that South Loop is one of the more expensive neighborhoods in the city...

Hmmm. That's a good point. I only picked south loop because it's close to I-55. 40 minutes isn't ridiculous, but any amount of traffic could really balloon that number.

I might need to rethink this job. It's a good start to get a foot hold in the area, but maybe living in the city is just too impractical for this job location. I really don't know what to think. Maybe I'll get lucky and not get an offer, that way there is no decision to make. :/

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by Evan.

Hmmm. That's a good point. I only picked south loop because it's close to I-55. 40 minutes isn't ridiculous, but any amount of traffic could really balloon that number.

I might need to rethink this job. It's a good start to get a foot hold in the area, but maybe living in the city is just too impractical for this job location. I really don't know what to think. Maybe I'll get lucky and not get an offer, that way there is no decision to make. :/

It's a tough situation because the area can be great, but Joliet is on the fringes of the metro area, at least the populated section of the metro area (which is far). I would say if you absolutely have to have this job, the

Do you have any sort of address for the company? You can probably see if they're even remotely close to a Metra station. If they do, your situation, if you get the job, would be much more manageable.