Hopefully, you're enjoying your long holiday weekend.
But if you're going to be driving anytime this Labor Day Monday, here are a few tips and important pieces of information.
Labor Day Traffic Tips
The Geek is an idiot, who gets a lot of parking tickets, and knows how to fight back.
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Oprahpalooza
Yeah, everyone has been talking about Oprah closing down Michigan Ave. for the taping of the kickoff to her new season for the past few days.
But, just to remind you, the closures along Michigan Ave., start at midnight (12:01 AM) Monday morning and end Wednesday morning at 5 AM.
The Mag Mile will be closed from Ohio, three blocks south to Wacker Drive.
So, if you need to, or feel compelled to drive downtown Monday, I would avoid Michigan Ave. if at all possible. Otherwise, be prepared for massive traffic backups.
Returning Labor Day Traffic
Just like the extra heavy traffic leaving the city on the Friday of a three day holiday weekend, the returning traffic can be just as horrific.
Joe Collins, a 20 year veteran of Shadow Traffic and currently afternoon traffic reporter for News Radio WBBM 780, explained to me that expressway traffic really starts getting heavy "Monday afternoon and evening."
So, if you're in town, avoid traveling on the expressways Monday after 2 PM and not before 8 or even 9 PM.
If you are coming back into town, either leave really early to avoid the pain of ruining your weekend by sitting in hours of stop and go traffic when returning home. Or, stay later and time your departure to return late in the evening on Monday.
Of course, keep your radio tuned to News Radio 780, which has regular traffic reports every 10 minutes.
I always encourage having a nice long dinner just outside the city, before the traffic backups and then hitting the road just in time to miss all the hellacious traffic.
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3 Comments
EDWARD said:
if you comming south trying to go north and traffic is hectic i always travel on ashland ave avoid devon,western ave,cicero sometimes peterson is a good route or linclon(on a good day)
or just think outside the box thats what i do instead of going where everyone else is going? i make my own path home dont be a robot! : )
Bikes Are Fun said:
To avoid traffic, try not driving! Take public transit or ride a bike instead.
Julie Wernau said:
At this point, maybe Chicago employers should just declare it a city holiday and throw an anti-Oprah party south of Wacker.
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