I had read somewhere that there is some nasty construction going on on I65 - the main expressway from Chicago to Indianapolis. Does anyone know if this is true? I know a couple of you were talking about going south through Illinois and then taking I74 over and I am wondering if I should too. It seems a bit out of the way though...

 

I65 is still under construction. I was on it last fall and to go about 5 miles just north of Lafayette it took almost an hour. We are looking at alternate routes.

 

The road to Indy is the worst possible highway for long distance driving. Two years ago I drove down to Florida on there and because of *1* accident we were in a parking lot of a highway for 3 hours. Whoever decided that one lane both directions was enough was nuts.

 

Well, it looks like I will be leaving Thursday evening and taking 43 to Rockford and then down through Illinois before heading over on I74. I will most likely stay at some hotel in Illinois Thursday night.

I still am having a difficult time believing that will be faster though!!

 

Hmmm, how long does the trip from Milwaukee to Indianapolis take? And, can you buy passes to the celebration on-site? I haven't given much thought to actually going, but now I'm seriously thinking about it.

 

From Milwaukee to Indy, it takes about 4:30 hours by car. That is, however, on clear roads with no major delays other than the typical stuff on the Edens and Kennedy in Chicago.

I-65 has been under construction for the last 4 years, in various spots inbetween Merrillville (south of Gary) and Indianpolis. I've driven that route many many times traveling between Milwaukee and Lafayette. Honestly, it really isn't that bad unless to hit those construction spots during rush hour... then it becomes hell, especially around Lafayette and just north of Indianapolis.

Fortunately, you can make up lost time rather easily since you can travel at 90 mph and have State Troopers pass you...

Just don't drive that stretch of road if you are tired... it's nothing but corn fields.

 

I got some info from another post in the C2 section. Apparently the only construction on I65 right now is right around Indy. Other than that it should be smooth sailing.

BTW - yes you can buy admission tickets at C2.

 

Thanks Dan for the update! So it should be ok to take I65 all the way down? Cool, wasn't really looking forward to alternate routes!! Especially since Joan and I are leaving at 3-3:30 Fri. morning.

 

Further confirmation:
Since I was gone before most of the recent posts were put up, I stopped by at AAA on 27th St in Milwaukee to ask about routes. The AAA guy pulled out a book of construction zones in the Midwest, and they have nothing of significance listed on I65. In fact he said that they were recommending it to travelers to Indianapolis, and they haven't heard any problems. So it probably is smooth sailing. He didn't really recommend any alternate routes.
As for the corn fields... I used to take I80 (?) through Ohio and Indiana all the time, and it's just plain dull. The rest areas mirror each other. If it's a Hardees and BP on the right side, directly across it's a Hardees and a BP. It's... wierd. But, you can listen to exciting Indiana high school basketball games on the radio. In other words, bring your own music.

Dwayne