<VV> Re: Driving to Sterling Heights from Chicago - Need opinions

[Dale Dewald]

Hello Rick,

Even though I am a Yooper, I have been in this area many times to visit 
relatives.

At 23:54 7/20/07 -0400, Rick Loving wrote:
>I'm pulling a 16 ft enclosed trailer with a crewcab dually as the tow
>vehicle and want to plot my course to the Host hotel with as few stops
>and turns as possible.

Okay.

>Various online maps direct me to 94, then M-14, then I-275, then I-696,
>then smaller streets to the host hotel for the most direct route.

I would recommend following this route.  M-14 is a freeway bypass around 
the north side of Ann Arbor which connects to the I-275/I-696 beltway 
around the NW side.  The only "smaller street" you need to travel on is 
M-53, aka Van Dyke Rd, which is a 4-6 lane road. The convention hotel is on 
the SW corner of Van Dyke and 15 Mile.

>Looking at the map it looks like I could stay on 94 all the way around
>Detroit and get off on 11 mile Road exit right near the Hotel.

I-696 was practically built on top of 11 Mile Rd. I do not see how this 
will work better.  Are you sure you have the correct hotel located?

>It would only add less than 15 miles but cut out a lot of turns and
>exits, which can sometimes be a challenge with long rig. (it also cuts
>out a Michigan left, which would be impossible in this rig)

Semi trucks do the U-turn left bit all the time.  The only left (other than 
the turn off the I-696 exit ramp onto Van Dyke) you will have to do on the 
recommended route is to pull into the hotel parking lot off Van Dyke.  To 
do this make sure to get in the left-most lane some time after you pass 14 
Mile going north.  About 1/4 mile before 15 Mile, Van Dyke changes from a 6 
lane road with a center left turn lane to a boulevard.  Look closely for 
the hotel sign as you approach the 15 Mile intersection and turn into the 
U-turn pocket prior to 15 Mile (there is a traffic light for the southbound 
lanes), but instead of making a U, simply go straight across into the 
convention center entrance of the hotel complex.

>How is traffic on 94  (non-rush hour, after 9:00am before 3:00pm) ?

Typically heavy, but be prepared to go 70-80 MPH if you want to keep up 
with the flow.  Michigan's economy is in the sewer, so traffic is not as 
bad as it used to be.

In my observations, SW Michigan has one of the best systems of freeways and 
surface streets in the country for a large urban/suburban area.  Learn to 
live with the U-turn left. It is the method by which traffic lights can be 
synchronized so that one can drive 2, 3, or more MILES (not blocks) on a 
major surface road (at or slightly above the speed limit) without hitting a 
single red light.

Dale Dewald
Hancock, MI