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I'm packing up the house and rolling back to the Rockies from Boston area. This is the second time I'm moving to Colorado. The first time I moved there from Pittsburgh 12 years ago I took I-70. It was a fairly easy drive. When I moved to Boston from Colorado 3 years ago I took I-80. Chicago traffic wasn't that bad but I did it in early Spring.
Now that I'm about to head west again I'm looking for current advice on which interstate is a better route out of Boston? Google maps suggests 1-80 which seems like a more direct route straight across the US but I realize I have to pass through Chicago. Some folks suggest I-70 which is a little out of the way to travel south to hook in. The best connection might be I-71 from Akron to Columbus into I-70.
I'm driving a 26 footer, plus pulling along a car mover. My wife will be driving the family SUV with a 5x8 U-Haul trailer in tow.
- Is one option really better than the other?
- Are there current road conditions along either streatch of highway that I should take into consideration?
- Anything else?
I'm packing up the house and rolling back to the Rockies from Boston area. This is the second time I'm moving to Colorado. The first time I moved there from Pittsburgh 12 years ago I took I-70. It was a fairly easy drive. When I moved to Boston from Colorado 3 years ago I took I-80. Chicago traffic wasn't that bad but I did it in early Spring.
Now that I'm about to head west again I'm looking for current advice on which interstate is a better route out of Boston? Google maps suggests 1-80 which seems like a more direct route straight across the US but I realize I have to pass through Chicago. Some folks suggest I-70 which is a little out of the way to travel south to hook in. The best connection might be I-71 from Akron to Columbus into I-70.
I'm driving a 26 footer, plus pulling along a car mover. My wife will be driving the family SUV with a 5x8 U-Haul trailer in tow.
- Is one option really better than the other?
- Are there current road conditions along either streatch of highway that I should take into consideration?
- Anything else?
Thanks for any advice.
I-80 doesn't go through Chicago proper, though it does traverse the urban area from NW Indiana to Joliet. You'll find the heaviest traffic between the junctions of I-94 and I-294. Other than that, it should be a breeze.
It's really six of one, half dozen of the other, though I think I-70 would be a few more miles. You're not going to avoid the Pennsylvania mountains on either route and, after that, the terrian is flat to undulating all the way to Denver via either route. And, I-80 is a toll road from Youngstown, OH to Hammond, IN but, then again, I-70 is tolled across PA.
How about I-70 to Indianapolis, then I-69 towards Toledo and then I-90 to Boston the rest of the way......pretty straight line and no Chicago mess!
I would actually suggest I-90 to Cleveland and I-71 South to I-270 South and hit I-70 just west of Cbus - that way you avoid the tolls on the OH & IN Turnpikes. Plus it's shorter!
You could even go a step further if you want to avoid the main NY Thruway tolls on I-90, get off on I-84, take to I-81 South, to I-80 West which becomes I-76 West just past Youngstown on over to I-71 after you get through Akron.
Last edited by Buckeye in SC; 09-09-2010 at 08:37 AM..
I would actually suggest I-70 to Cbus and I-270 North to I-71 North and hit I-90 in Cleveland - that way you avoid the tolls on the OH & IN Turnpikes. Plus it's shorter!
You could even go a step further if you want to avoid the main NY Thruway tolls on I-90 and take I-71 to I-76 near Akron, take that to I-80 near Youngstown and on into PA, exit onto I-81 North towards Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and then hop on I-84 East up through Hartford and hit I-90 just west of Boston - although I do think there are a few minor tolls for bridges and what not on I-84, but nothing compared to the NY Thruway via I-90!
Don't forget that, you can take I-86 off of I-90 near Erie PA, then get on I-88 near Binghamton to the Albany area to I-90 then on to Boston.
I'm packing up the house and rolling back to the Rockies from Boston area. This is the second time I'm moving to Colorado. The first time I moved there from Pittsburgh 12 years ago I took I-70. It was a fairly easy drive. When I moved to Boston from Colorado 3 years ago I took I-80. Chicago traffic wasn't that bad but I did it in early Spring.
Now that I'm about to head west again I'm looking for current advice on which interstate is a better route out of Boston? Google maps suggests 1-80 which seems like a more direct route straight across the US but I realize I have to pass through Chicago. Some folks suggest I-70 which is a little out of the way to travel south to hook in. The best connection might be I-71 from Akron to Columbus into I-70.
I'm driving a 26 footer, plus pulling along a car mover. My wife will be driving the family SUV with a 5x8 U-Haul trailer in tow.
- Is one option really better than the other?
- Are there current road conditions along either streatch of highway that I should take into consideration?
- Anything else?
Thanks for any advice.
My father has a trucking-transportation company which goes between New York/Boston and Denver, so he and his employees are constantly traveling between the two cities. He uses both I-70 and I-80 without too much difference...he usually uses I-80 though. He takes the Mass Pike (I-90) through New York State all the way to I-80 to I-76. I've made the trips a few times myself and it's really not all that bad. You're not going to ever go through Chicago, but you will travel relatively close to the South of it. I'd recommend I-80 personally.
I-80 runs about 20 miles south of Chicago, but it is the tangled mess where I-80, I-90, I-94, I-355, I-65, I-294, I-57, I-55, US Highways 6, 30, 12, 20, 41, 54, 52, and state highways 53, 53, 1, 152, 192, 394, 912, 50, 51, 83, 55, 149 and 49 all kinda mash into each other within about 60 miles or so through the south suburban areas of the metro.
I was on I-80 a few days ago, and was happy that they're FINALLY almost done with the 10 year or so project of widening that stretch from 6 lanes to 10-12 lanes. It's helped a LOT, and all the intersections have been vastly widened out and reconstructed.
I would probably just use I-80. It's much much better than it was a few years ago. I use to avoid it like the plague.
i 70 works most of the way. When you are driving through Kansas you are almost hoping to see an accident or tornado just to had some excitement. Beautiful country, but just BORING!. The stretch between St. Louis and The western edge of St. Charles county in Missouri is an ugly truck infested mess with bad drivers.
I live a couple of miles from I-80 in Illinois east of Joliet. I-80 between Joliet and the Indiana border does get congested sometimes. I would avoid that stretch during rush hour if possible. Any other times you should be OK. Once you're west of Joliet, you'll be fine. A previous poster is correct that I-80 doesn't go through Chicago, but is about 20 miles south of the city.
How about I-70 to Indianapolis, then I-69 towards Toledo and then I-90 to Boston the rest of the way......pretty straight line and no Chicago mess!
To get from Boston to Denver, reverse the part to Indianapois. Then get on I-74 in Indy, take it to the Quad Cities (Rock Island-Moline IL and Davenport-Bettedorf IA); get on I-80 there. Go to Ogallala (sp?) Neb, then get on I-76 into Denver. We have done this drive (from Pittsburgh) numerous times. We've also done I-70. The problem with I-70 is that you go through St. Louis instead of the Quad Cities, Kansas City instead of Omaha. The MO cities are much larger and have a lot more traffic. There are also fewer services on I-70 in Kansas and the speed limit is lower, or was the last time we did it. I-80 is actually the old Oregon Trail route through Nebraska; they've been fleecing tourists along it for decades.
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