Don't know why people are so afraid of Chi town traffic, either stay with traffic and roll or get in the right lane. Avoiding a jam is staying away from 6-9am CST or 3-6pm cst. Remember 55 usually means 65-70 except for work zones. ( and reminder the time changes 1 hr when you cross into Illinois or Illi noise)
"Chi town traffic" starts about Hammond Indiana and goes to about Joliet where it magically turns back into open road.
If you granny it in a left lane they will pass you and cut in front with the narrowest of margins, it's a hint to move to the right.
To avoid the "crazyness" you are going to have to Option 1: go as far south as rt 30 or Option 2: Take the ferry from Michigan to Wisconsin ( that is about a 2 1/2 hr trip ) or 3: Get off the expressway and take a main road through Chicago ( call it the urban trail) and during rush hour 6-9am CST or 3-6pm this is the way I choose to go, option 4: just ride through avoiding rush hour and realizing it ain't all that bad.
Other things that will influence traffic are hitting the end of a southside game (Go Sox) , oh wait they suck this year and no one is going to the games, nah