Driving Cross Country - need safest route (Chicago, Aurora: travel, move)

[Sidnie]

I have to drive from Chicago to Auburn, California then to Medford, Oregon. I will be traveling in January or the beginning of February Can someone tell me the safest route th time of year. I am not concerned with time or miles just safety. Thank you for your assistance.

[Switch625]

To get out of Illinois, just go east on I-88 to I-80 and follow that. Once you're out of Illinois, I can't help you. I-88 is a new Interstate, so should be safe and fast. Once you get past Aurora, you're pretty much in the country anyway until you get to the Quad Cities. I-80 takes you around the Quad Cities to the north, so you'll avoid much of the urban traffic.

[Switch625]

If you want to avoid the possibility of bad weather, that's something different. You'll want to then swing to the south. Go south on I-57 to I-55 in Missouri. Follow that to I-40 near Memphis and go west from there. That will take you across the southern great plains, which will remove you from much of the possibility of snow and ice.

[mdz]

that time of year, anything can happen anywhere. You may want to consider mapping out a few different ways and then deciding a day or two before based on the weather report. I was on i-40 and i-17 around flagstaff arizona in April this year and it was slippery as heck with all the snow.

If you do the southern route I would take i-55 to i-44 in missouri and then cut over to I-40, but that is going to be way out of your way so I would do that only if weather looks bad on I-80. i-80 is most direct.

good luck, let us know how it went.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by Switch625

I-88 is a new Interstate...

Huh??

I-88 has been there for decades...

[Switch625]

The road has been there for decades, yes. It was only recently though (the past 10 years?) that it was brought up to Interstate standards and re-signed as I-88. It was Illinois route 5 before, I believe.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by Switch625

The road has been there for decades, yes. It was only recently though (the past 10 years?) that it was brought up to Interstate standards and re-signed as I-88. It was Illinois route 5 before, I believe.

It gained interstate status in 1987. By the 1970s it was already a major tollway with interchanges rather than intersections and built to handle heavy traffic; nothing had to be done to "bring it up" to interstate standards; it was simply re-designated.

[jettsetter]

I-80/88 will take you all the way to California. I just recently took a road trip to Colorado and took I-80 all the way through. But it takes you all the way to San Francisco. I-94 will eventually get you to Seattle and I-55 will take you to New Orleans.

[starry1st]

Doesn't I - 80 close down some parts of the road in winter in some states? For example WY? Even I-70 from Denver to KS has been closed recently due to snowstorms.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by starry1st

Doesn't I - 80 close down some parts of the road in winter in some states? For example WY? Even I-70 from Denver to KS has been closed recently due to snowstorms.

I'm not an expert on the subject (maybe we should cross-post on some mountain-state forums), but if I recall correctly, interstates have to be kept open to the extent possible. I know there are some non-interstate roads that just plain get shut down for the season but interstates have to be kept clear. They are only shut down in emergencies and only for as long as it takes to render them passable again. Way, way too much commerce depends on keeping the interstates open to allow them to be shut down seasonally.