I-294 Tri-State Tollway: Chicago, IL

[MrMbtaguy]

Great song!

[efrem1]

real professional job. It's a shame these don't go viral. Pop-up videos for road geeks is a great idea!!

[Freewayjim]

@efrem1 Thanks!

[awz121]

PA turnpike also has the long lines that you mention at 1:33

[js30blackhawks2010]

I've always been curious about exit numbers here as well. I'm not exactly certain why they aren't numbered. This is a great tollway and probably the best way to get to I-80 from downtown if you're headed east. I always used I-55 to I-80 to head westbound.

[8RAPS]

The Best Cities Of The U.S

[8RAPS]

See The Tollways Overpasses See Metal Types

[tribar1022]

This was kind of explained already but Illionis Tollways never had exit numbers up until recently. 355 and 80 have them and 90 might be getting them because its under construction in parts right now but the Tri State doesn't.

[8RAPS]

See Records In 2005 The Chicago Sunday Drive

[riolindasucks]

The Tollway did a great job expanding the Tri State to 8 lanes, though it should be at least 10 IMO. As for the mile marks, the Tollway is now installing them every 1/4 mile on all of it's roads. For whatever reason, they never had exit numbers until the last few years. In fact, I-90 (Northwest Tollway) was numbered backwards. It counted up as you approached Wisconsin from O'Hare, now it correctly counts down. The Tri State also used to be numbered backwards an has been reversed. Good Vid.

[Freewayjim]

@riolindasucks Thanks, interesting history with exit numbers there.

[riolindasucks]

@Freewayjim Did you film I-355?

[Freewayjim]

@riolindasucks No, I did not.

[riolindasucks]

@Freewayjim I-355 and I-88 are the best Tollways in Chicago. They are the most visually appealing (355 with the 100 ft high, mile long des plaines river bridge and the area where 88 runs alongside 355 for one mile is awesome. If you're either traveling north on 355 or west on 88 at this location, it looks like you're driving in Australia or the UK because traffic on the other side of the median to the right looks like how you'd pass in those 2 countries. Google street view it, it's cool.

[dave11686]

Hope you had fun in the city!

[Freewayjim]

@dave11686 Yes, I enjoyed my time in Chicago! You'll see in future videos :)

[DontBeATeabagger]

80 cents toll! Compared to our highway robbery of the 407, that's a bargain!

[Freewayjim]

@DontBeATeabagger But there are several 80 Cent and higher tolls along that road, maybe not the bargain you think :)

[bschaven]

@Freewayjim he's right, we do get ripped off up here :(

407etr.com/tolls/rate-chart-20­11.html

[freerider4891]

@DontBeATeabagger Problem is they just doubled the tolls this year

[0marigolds]

One of my fav all time lyrics "I'm not expecting to grow flowers in the desert, but I can live and breathe and see the sun in wintertime". Nice choice and editing :.)

[Freewayjim]

@0marigolds That is a great lyric indeed, thank you!

[colinstu]

The wisconsin videos sound like they're coming close! Woot! And I've driven on 294 a number of times, thank god the widening is completed, construction felt like it took forever.

[exit322]

I believe in the next couple years the exit numbers are coming.

[uptownbronze]

I'm glad.

[UsonianAC]

I've been on the Tri-State Tollway before, and, since the Open Road Tolling was instituted, traffic usually isn't too bad, although the Tri-State Tollway floods quite easily. I was at Six Flags Great America a few years ago, and, at about 5 o'clock in the evening, a huge thunderstorm hit, and another thunderstorm hit just as we got on to the Tri-State Tollway at the Grand Avenue entrance in Gurnee, which completely flooded the tollway!

[james71]

i love the fact that you slowed it down for the music and then sped it up when the music sped keep them comming

[Freewayjim]

@james71 Thanks, I do that with almost every video where the music demands it.

[viagensimagens]

Mais uma vez um video excelente, parabéns pelo post. Com seus videos viajamos pela America e isto é sempre bom. hope you don't mind a little portuguese.. :-) Again, one more great video!!

[Freewayjim]

@viagensimagens Thank you!

[uptownbronze]

Seems like everybody is in the Chi this week....including me! Enjoy ur stay here. UB

[Freewayjim]

@uptownbronze That was shot three weeks ago and I did enjoy my time there.

[sc4portugal]

Interesting that its considered to be a one-hit wonder in the US, they were pretty successful at home

Great video!

[Freewayjim]

@sc4portugal "Fields of Fire" got a little bit of airplay in the US but never broke the top 50.

[Theo76150]

Très belle autoroute, merci de nous faire partager ça.

[FreewayTitan]

I see we have the same opinion on the sanitary and shit canal. Glad to see the first video from chicago , enjoyed it!

[Freewayjim]

@FreewayTitan LOL, thanks!

[FreewayBrent]

@FreewayTitan: lol

[carzingan02]

Will there be I-290 near Schaumburg?

[Freewayjim]

@carzingan02 There will be an I-290 video but not that far out of the city

[aswchris]

why is the speed limit only 55? Even for U.S. standards that's pretty low. It should've been at least 65. Nice video though, I wonder if this is the widest toll road that's not a bridge or tunnel? (apart from the NJ Turnpike I suppose)

[Freewayjim]

@aswchris I would agree that 65 is appropriate for that area. Wait till you see the speed limits in Grand Rapids, MI, it's the opposite. I think it's the 2nd widest toll road I've seen behind the NJ TPK.

[txkid1]

This is a fun route to drive during the winter with a northeast wind off of Lake Michigan.

[zach8559]

That's one of my favorite songs from the 80s.

[mizzouluvr]

Outdoing yourself again, Jim. I recall this stretch of highway from the window of a bus between O'Hare and South Bend. Would that sound correct?

[Freewayjim]

@mizzouluvr Yes that would fit, and thank you!

[broadhurst04]

The only thing that annoyed me was the use of state names as control cities. Either Illinois couldnt decide what cities to use or they're trying to hurry you out of the state and they just don't care where you end up after you cross the state line. That's the impression I got.....

[prfsnlwannabe]

Great video, Jim. Glad to see you are finally filming freeways in the Chicago area, and that you're gonna do Milwaukee soon as well.

And a quick question, do you have any plans to someday hit Twin Cities/Minneapolis area freeways, to film them?

[Freewayjim]

@prfsnlwannabe Would like to see the Twin Cities someday but I don't see myself getting up there any time soon, I just don't get up that way.

[prfsnlwannabe]

@Freewayjim Okay, thanks for answering my question. Somehow, it doesn't surprise me you didn't go north of Milwaukee for your current trip.

[Freewayjim]

@prfsnlwannabe Chicago was a destination, Milwaukee ,only 80 miles up the road with the Marquette Interchange was a no-brainer for evening/morning filming! There is no such impressive infrastructure on that level in the Twin Cities and it's another 300 miles NW, I just don't see that happening unless it's along the way to somewhere else I may be going or I decide to do some major incredible Miss River project :)

[MDCSWildcats86]

This is actually the radio edit of BIG COUNTRY.

THe CD version has an extended drum opening, a single vocal on the "I never took the smile" verse, and a bass-drum breakdown on one of the final choruses.

[rickhh1]

No mile marker exits, no I-57 exit -- is this really surprising from a highway department that signs exits 11 miles in advance?

[lakebay972]

Great song by the way. Too bad this was their only hit in the United States. In the UK/Europe, they had somewhat of a cult following; but couldn't top "In a Big Country." RIP Stuart Adamson (1958-2001)

[Freewayjim]

@lakebay972 Thanks!

[lakebay972]

I see you still have to pay cash to use Chicago tolls. In Dallas, there is now a thing called "ZipCash" where, if you don't have a TollTag, the camera above zaps your license plate and sends you a bill to the address which it is registered. It's $1.05 w/TollTag and $1.85 w/ZipCash; and, of course, it's $300 if you don't have a tag or pay the bill within a certain length of time. It could hinder getting renewals. You should come back and do the Bush Turnpike as well as TX-121 once it's done.

[Freewayjim]

@lakebay972 In Chicago I noticed a sign that said you could pay the toll on the internet if you did not have cash.

[buddybuddy0920]

@Freewayjim There is a limit to how many times you can do that however. IPass in Illinois can also be used all across the east coast with EZPass. I have IPass. You also save 50% with IPass.

[VaFreeways]

Probably one of my favorite bands from the 80s... great video!

[Freewayjim]

@VaFreeways Thanks, I do like that one song a lot.

[bestmusic96]

I love watching your videos. This one I can really relate to because I live in the Chicagoland area. I really love the ones you've done of Atlanta. I love going there and it only makes me want to jump in the car and take a road trip! Keep them coming!

[Freewayjim]

@bestmusic96 Thanks for watching, got one more Chicago video coming, then it's up to Milwaukee but then back to Chicago for 8-10 more!

[FreewayAndrew]

Great video, when I plan to go to Chicago, I-294 is one of my routes to film. I think the longer white lines are marked on all toll roads in Illinois (I checked I-88, another toll road, on street view and found the long lines). Did you film I-57 after this video?

$.80 for tolls? On the WV turnpike, it costs $2 to ride and on the OH turnpike, the toll varies by mileage. And for 70-80 MPH speeds, you'll find more of those on I-255 in the STL area.

[Freewayjim]

@FreewayAndrew Yes, I did film 57 North from there.

[FreewayAndrew]

@Freewayjim Did you hit a lot of traffic jams while up there? At 4-5 PM on a Friday, I bet you did.

[Freewayjim]

@FreewayAndrew Yes, from 5PM on was pointless as far as filming.

[FreewayAndrew]

@Freewayjim That's why I'm planning to film Chicago on a Sunday morning instead of at the middle of the day.

[Freewayjim]

@FreewayAndrew I also filmed on a Saturday and it was pretty congested downtown, Sunday AM is probably the best time.

[CosmoPhotography]

Maybe I'm biased, but I've always loved the long lines on the Turnpike. I wish they were the national standard for interstates. Also, I've always thought it was interesting how states are listed as the control cities for guide signs around the Chicago area. You were wise to not include the section of 294 near O'Hare. Anytime I've traveled that it has always been gridlocked. Cool video!

[Freewayjim]

@CosmoPhotography Thanks, I like the longer lines too for whatever reason, maybe because I don't see them very often and I'm partial to the NJTPK. I did shoot the section near the airport, not sure if it'll make it to a video.

[prfsnlwannabe]

@CosmoPhotography You're right that a good bit of the time, that a state is improperly mentioned as a control city instead of the actual city. I-55 is one of the few exceptions to this rule(where it does properly say Saint Louis), and I think on I-94, the signs say Milwaukee. I agree with you, and always thought it was weird on interstates like say I-80, they don't say Cleveland. Not sure if South Bend or Toledo is big enough, to be mentioned as a control city on I-80 east of Illinois.

[FreewayBrent]

Nice, man! I don't recall that stretch being 8 lanes when I drove it, but your annotation cleared up the confusion. Those long white painted lines also remind me of South Korean expressways. I wonder why IDOT continues to sign their urban freeways and expressways at 55 MPH. Doesn't make much sense.

On a side note, I haven't heard that song in a long time. Classic!

[Freewayjim]

@FreewayBrent Thanks, glad you liked that oldie but goodie!

[ScrewdUPClickV2]

Awesome video from Chicagoland.. thumbs up for the ride and the music...

[Freewayjim]

@ScrewdUPClickV2 Thanks!