New I-355 extension a big time-saver for this commuter

And I thought getting to sleep in an extra hour last weekend was cool.

While realizing today is a federal holiday and plenty folks got to stay home, I couldn't help but notice my commute on the new I-355 extension just may help reclaim about an hour of my life each day.

Before going to sleep Sunday night in my home near the southernmost reaches of the Veterans Memorial Tollway, my wife asked me if I was excited about my upcoming morning commute.

I was.

After six months of trudging along Route 53, a trip that sometimes took more than an hour from New Lenox to Lisle, I was excited for a commute where the only red lights I would see would be the brake lights on the car in front of me.

About 8:10 a.m. this morning, I anxiously cruised the four minutes from my garage to the on-ramp and began what would be one of the best commutes in my seven years traveling to Lisle from an assortment of southern suburbs.

While not a big deal to some, to those of us traveling the tollway this morning, it was obvious it was something special.

Smiles were exchanged instead of the obscene gestures I'd become used to.

When sharing my travel tale with tollway spokeswoman Joelle McGinnis, she also warned that this morning's commute wasn't a typical one because of the federal holiday.

As of 10 a.m., however, McGinnis said traffic had been flowing smoothly since the roadway officially opened late Sunday night.

Meanwhile, Illinois State Police Sgt. Jim Jenkner said the morning rush went "very well with nothing unusual on the roadways."

Jenkner didn't know how many tickets were issued, if any. Still, he reminded motorists to be careful.

"Especially through the holidays, we'll continue with extra enforcement and air speed details along that area," Jenkner said. "We just want to make sure everyone is safe as they get acclimated to driving on the new roadway."

As for my ride, traffic cruised along, with the only slowdown occurring near the northbound 75th Street and Boughton Road ramps.

All in all, my usually hour and some change commute was done in about 40 minutes.

Today, more than ever, I can't wait to go home.