Avoid The Ryan

When you are near the south side of downtown Chicago, you can’t help but notice the Dan Ryan Expressway. The purpose of this particular expressway is to connect downtown Chicago with the Circle Interchange. Illinois’s Department of Traffic estimates that 70,000-307,000 people take advantage of the Dan Ryan Expressway every single day.

The Namesake

The Dan Ryan expressway is named after Dan Ryan Jr. Born in 1894; Dan Ryan Jr. went to Kent College. When Dan Ryan’s father passed away in 1923, Dan Ryan r. was able to take his father’s place on the Cook County Board of Commissioners. Dan Ryan was an important member of the board until he passed away in 1961.

Dealing with Traffic Jams

When they were planning the Dan Ryan Expressway, the designers knew that the expressway was going to get a great deal of traffic every single day, and they really did try to design the expressway that would be able to handle the high volume of traffic. The most obvious indicator of this is the width of expressway. When things are going smoothly, the Dan Ryan Expressway is very efficient. It can be traveled in approximately 20 minutes. The problem is that the Dan Ryan was constructed in the early 1960’s. There was no way that the original designers could possibly have imagined that there would be days when more than 300,000 cars cruising along the expressway.

The more cars driving on the Dan Ryan expressway means that traffic jams are inevitable. The traffic jams are usually the result of the number of vehicles driving exiting on and off the expressway. When stuck in a traffic jam on the Dan Ryan Expressway it is important to remember that losing your temper and getting impatient is not going to make the traffic move any faster. The best way to deal with a traffic jam is give yourself plenty of time to reach your destination. Popping an audio book or your favorite singer into the CD player will help the time pass faster. The worst thing you can do when the traffic is stopped is to try wiggling your car into tight spots and cutting people off which creates even more problems for everyone. It is important to be respectful when caught in a traffic jam.

Stony Island

One of the best things about the Dan Ryan expressway is that it takes you straight to Stony Island Avenue. Stony Island Avenue is an excellent road if you have young children. Since the road runs parallel with the Illinois Central Railroad, the kids can watch the trains whizzing past while their parent’s drive. There are all sorts of family friendly organizations that call Stony Island Avenue home. The avenue creates Jackson Parks western boundary. The Museum of Science and Industry is located on Stony Island as is the famous Moo and Ink grocery store and the Bronzeville Children’s Museum. You reach Stony Island Avenue by taking the Dan Ryan Expressway to the Stony Island exit which will take you straight to Stony Island Avenue.