The University of Illinois at Chicago is a virtual ground zero for commuting. For one thing, it has the Urban Transportation Center, a think tank for the big-picture guys searching for long-range relief. The center’s “Highways and Urban Decentralization” study, or “sprawl report,” is a tool widely used by experts.
And there is the fact that most roads seem to lead to the campus, located in the heart of Chicago. Three major expressways the Dan Ryan, Kennedy and Eisenhower – plus important streets such as Ogden, Halsted, Ashland, Roosevelt, Racine and Harrison all feed into the campus, and the Stevenson is only minutes away.
Finally, there are thousands of UIC employees who must drive daily to their jobs. Here, five traffic-savvy commuters reveal the alternative routes they take to liberate themselves from the grinding congestion of the expressways.
From: FAR WEST SUBURBS
Name: Jim Danowski
Job at UIC: Associate professor in communications
Starting point: Naperville
Trip length: 30 miles
Average time: 60-70 minutes
Jim’s comment: “I have not used this route for a while, but the time passes quickly in subjective terms because of the variety of sights along the way and little congestion.”
From: NORTH SIDE
Name: Judith Maas
Job at UIC: Manager in Classroom Services
Starting point: DePaul area
Trip length: 5 miles
Average time: 15-20 minutes
Judy’s comment: “Watch out for the delivery trucks and fork lifts in the Fulton Street Market area.”
From: NORTH SUBURBS
Name: Julie Kaufman
Job at UIC: Office of Vice Chancellor for Research Development
Starting point: Evanston
Trip length: 17 miles
Average time: 40-45 minutes
Julie’s comment: “When I know there’s a festival, like Taste of Chicago, or construction, I just come straight down Western or Ashland to the school. The neighborhoods on those two streets are certainly a lot more interesting.”
From: SOUTH SIDE
Name: Joan Radtke
Job at UIC: Teaches in biomedical and health information services
Starting point: Beverly-Morgan Park neighborhood
Trip length: 12 miles
Average time: 45-55 minutes
Joan’s comment: “I always seem to get delayed on the Dan Ryan Expressway and it’s so boring. At least this way I keep moving, and I like looking at the old neighborhoods and churches on Western. The potholes under the Stevenson are bad.”
From: SOUTHWEST SUBURBS
Name: Mary Niemiec
Job at UIC: Acting director, John Nuveen Center for International Affairs
Starting point: Unincorporated Will County
Trip length: 30 miles
Average time: 60 minutes
Mary’s comment: “I used to take the Stevenson all the way. I have a neighbor who’s one of the contractors for the work being done on that expressway, so I always honk when I go past his house.”
