Familiar with I80 just south of Chicago? (Country Club Hills, Hazel Crest: travel, move)

[JenniferLynn]

I'm going to be driving cross-country soon on I80 and I'm nervous about the stretch of road just south of Chicago. I've been through there once, but I wasn't the driver.

The traffic there is very congested and people are driving fast and there are a lot of truckers. It seemed like there was a bewildering number of on- and off-ramps and tolls (or maybe just one toll). I will be driving from east to west.

Does anyone have any tips for me? Is it not that difficult if you just pay attention to the signs? What I worry about is, for example, being in the right or left lane on the highway and finding out I need to quickly exit on the opposite side. Any help or reassurance will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[Steve-o]

Simply stay in the right lane, drive a little slower and pay attention. Dont ride the left lane unless youre absolutely sure you dont need to get on an exit for awhile.

[sgresident]

try to avoid the peak rush hour times!

[chet everett]

Where are you going from and where are you going to? There is no toll on 80 itself if you are starting on the portions east or west of Chicago, that helps to explain why it is so dense with trucks.

While it is also true that is does not have "left exit ramps" itself if you are coming from the southbound Tri-State there is a fork that will result in you heading back into the Dan Ryan if you stay "in the right lane" --

I'd recommend studying ALL the signs ahead of time from the site as there are a couple that are somewhat confusing if you don't travel that portion often:

Interstate 294, Illinois Tri-State Tollway

[JenniferLynn]

Thanks to all for the help. I am traveling from PA to CA, so will go straight through IL on 80. I made the drive before going west to east and thought I remembered paying a toll. Thanks for the photos of the signs. I suppose that if I follow the signs for West I80, I'll be fine.

[Chicago60614]

Don't worry, haha, you're not crazy. There's always been a toll on I-80 going either east or west, but it's just one toll.

They've been rebuilding that section of I-80 through Chicagoland for awhile now, and a lot of it is 8-10 lanes wide. It helps with the traffic congestion, but it's still a very busy stretch of road.

[chet everett]

Do you mean the Indiana Toll Road? That would be part of the most direct route from CA to PA -- Indiana Toll Road - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia There is no toll for the Illinois portion.

[CarolL]

I-80/I-294 run concurrently for a while through the south 'burbs from the Indiana border. Isn't there a toll where the highways split off? I seem to remember a toll, too, somewhere around Country Club Hills, Hazel Crest...?

[NYrules]

Ummmm, if I-80 and people driving fast make you nervous along with trucks, then WHY ARE YOU DRIVING?! LOL! I mean seriously! I-80 through there is all fixed now and no worse than anywhere else in the country now for driving. Traffic moves typically at 70 mph. Thats fast? LOL stay away from states like CA then where people pay absolutely no attention to the speed limits and all do about 90 on the freeways.

[JenniferLynn]

NYrules, I've spent most of my life in CA and have no problem driving there. And CA drivers are no worse than those in any other states I've lived in.

And just because I'm a little nervous about one section of 80 doesn't mean I have any qualms about the other 99% of the trip. I'm looking for useful tips about this one section and I thank the posters who were helpful.