So Is It "The Loop" Or Is It "The Circle"? (Chicago: calculation, to live)

[supportyourschools]

I80/94 is the Bishop Ford. I94 is the Dan Ryan.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by KevK

I see but that is mightly confusing to out of town people.

Seeing how your average Chicago traffic report probably sounds like military code to an out-of-towner, confusing "loop" and "circle" are the least of the issues they'd face when trying to decipher a traffic report.

[NYC2CHI]

Originally Posted by supportyourschools

I80/94 is the Bishop Ford. I94 is the Dan Ryan.

No, the stretch of I-94 from I-57 to I-80 is the Bishop Ford.
I-80/94 is the Kingery in IL and the Borman in IN.

[Chicago60614]

Originally Posted by Avengerfire

^The Circle is not located in The Loop.^

I know but in the grand scheme of things granted how large the metro is it's certainly close enough.

[Manigault]

Originally Posted by supportyourschools

I80/94 is the Bishop Ford. I94 is the Dan Ryan.

Originally Posted by NYC2CHI

No, the stretch of I-94 from I-57 to I-80 is the Bishop Ford.
I-80/94 is the Kingery in IL and the Borman in IN.

See what I mean? There's also the Jane Addams and the Ronald Reagan. Why can't we stick to numbers?

[Superion2K9]

The problem with using numbers is that Chicago's freeway system uses numbers and names that do not match evenly and cleanly. What I mean is that I-94 for instance comprises 8 different freeways throughout Chicagoland. Even if you divide the city into halves, that's still, 4 on the north and 4 on the south. I moved here a year ago. Just saying "I-94" on the southside doesn't say much when the southside is the size of Philadelphia or as many people as Phoenix, or Dallas. I think we sometimes forget how big Chicagoland is.

Then like I stated, the freeways and the interstates don't always match. I could tell somebody that the White Sox play of I-94 and 35th. Someone else could say I-90 and 35th. A third person could say the Ryan expwy and 35th. All are technically correct. The Kennedy is composed of three interstates. I-94,I-90, and I-190. If you wanted to go from O'hare to Chicago Hts in the S.Suburbs, but did not wanna pay a toll, you would tell them this:
"I-190 east, to I-90 eb, to I-90/I-94 eb (don't forget that the freeway is actually going due south at some points), to I-94 eb, to SR-394 sb, to US 30 west".
Or you could just tell them:"Kennedy thru town to the Ryan, to the Bishop Ford, and exit at Lincoln Hwy westbound"

[BenCG]

I don't know why they call it the "circle" interchange though. It doesn't really look like a circle from google maps. Since we have all these names for the highways we should just make something creative up.

[Irishtom29]

I don't even know the numbers of the Congress, Ryan, Kennedy, Edens and Calumet expressways. I know how to get around though.

[chet everett]

Originally Posted by BenCG

I don't know why they call it the "circle" interchange though. It doesn't really look like a circle from google maps. Since we have all these names for the highways we should just make something creative up.

I sorta see a circle or two:
chicago il - Google Maps

[Manigault]

Originally Posted by Superion2K9

The problem with using numbers is that Chicago's freeway system uses numbers and names that do not match evenly and cleanly.

But you downplay the fact that there is a sense and a scheme to interstate numeration that is missing with names, such as 'the Ike'. Lower numbers are south and west, even numbers are east-west highways and three digit numbers are urban beltways.

So its easy to figure where I-55 is vis a vis I-57. Anyone can instantly know which goes to Iowa and which to Minnesota between I-80 and I-90. What's I-355? A north-south connector. Try to figure out the Reagan tollway off the top of your head!