Good morning, folks!

It's a beautiful, sunny, yet cool day here in Chicago - think I'll take in a couple of innings at Wrigley Field this afternoon.  With any luck, not another Chicago Cubsstink-a-roo today!

No, contrary to what my father, and my grandfather, told me and us kids many years ago - Chicago actually does have FOUR seasons.  But this time of year, as road crews plan for their annual work, and we drivers' annual pain, you have to wonder, sometimes!

I don't know what it's like by you folks, but it seems, every year in Chicago and nearby, there is one major road project or another each Spring, with promises that travel will be much quicker NEXT year when work is complete.  Only, the next year, they move on down the road to work on the next five-mile stretch!   Very frustrating!

This years' road growing pains involve our Tri-State Tollway - the major bypass road for those wanting to bypass the city when headed from the north or south.  I-294 runs from the Indiana Border on the Southeast, to just short of the Wisconsin Border on the North. 

This year, as last, road widening and bridge repair continues.  Although traffic lanes won't  be closed per-se, traffic will often be diverted onto the shoulder while the main road is repaired, making, again, for extended travel times.  Recently, I traveled one stretch, from around Chicago's O'Hare Airport to suburban Libertyville - a normal 30 minute ride - in two-hours, thirty-minutes!

Three years ago, Open Road Tolling began in the Chicago area - with the goal of making travel quicker for those with I-Pass Toll Transponders.  Last year, toll plaza and lane configuration continued.  Now, the largest tollway renovation since the road was constructed 50 years ago is underway.  Finishing touches in 2009 - who knows!

Minor improvement and some widening is also in progress on the Reagan Memorial Tollway (I-88, going west from Chicago), and the Veteran's Memorial Tollway (I-355, traveling southwest).

A reminder:  If you travel the Illinois Toll Roads regularly, be sure to pick up an I-Pass Transponder at a Toll Plaza or a Chicago-Area Jewel Food Store. The $50 cost includes $40 of pre-paid tolls - and you'll save a ton of hassle and time waiting to pay manual tolls.  Also, and very importantly, cash tolls are now DOUBLE the amount tolls deducted automatically from your I-Pass are!

More exciting road construction news for the Chicago Area in 2008 - our Edens Expressway (I-94), the superhighway which begins on the far northwest side of Chicago, and extends to the Cook County-Lake County line, is undergoing a complete resurfacing, with drainage and bridge enhancements, that is expected to last into September.

On the Edens, the normal configuration of three traffic lanes in each direction will be reduced to two - constricting one-third of the traffic flow.  Shoulder diversions will create additional traffic nightmares throughout the Spring and Summer, 2008.

Good alternates to the road construction include Milwaukee and Cicero Avenues in the city, and Milwaukee Avenue (Route 21), Skokie Boulevard, and Waukegan Road (Route 43) to the north of Chicago.

Be cautioned:  Speeding violations in construction zones, 24/7, are a minimum $375, increasing to $1,000 for subsequent offenses.  Many zones are speed camera enforced, so be careful, and responsible!

Traveling in, through, or to Chicago this Spring and Summer?  As usual, allow plenty of extra time.  And bring water, provisions, and plenty of tunes on your I-Pod to pass the time.

Banging on the dashboard while cursing your head off doesn't really speed things up!

See our post yesterday @ BlogChicagoHomes.com for more details, and links to the March 10th story in the Chicago Sun-Times detailing the road work around the Chicago Area this year.   Click here for online travel times in and around Chicago, refreshed frequently.

DEAN & DEAN'S TEAM CHICAGO