Drive Distance and Times
Using Madison as the geographic center of the eight-county region; drive times may vary from other parts of the region.
- to Chicago,IL: 150 mi, 2:50 hrs
- to Milwaukee, WI: 79 mi, 1:20 hrs
- to Minneapolis, MN: 270 mi, 4:70 hrs
- to St Louis, MO: 360 mi, 5:41 hrs
- to Des Moines, IA: 350 mi, 5:30 hrs
- to Green Bay, WI: 137 mi, 2:40 hrs
- to Duluth, MN: 330 mi, 6:09 hrs
Transportation
The region has a well-developed and diverse transportation network for moving products and people. The rich history of the dairy industry has provided fantastic roads throughout the eight counties. Air, rail, and the interstate highway system connect us with markets near and far.
Roads
The region is criss-crossed with four major interstates, 43, 39, 90, 94, that connect us to Chicago, Milwaukee the Twin Cities, and beyond. The state highways of 151, 12, and 18 connect us to the four corners of the region. Integral to the region is our well-developed and maintained county highway network
Air
The region is well served by the Dane County Regional Airport offering 85 flights daily with major airlines flying to 15 airline hubs and many direct flights to major U.S. cities. The region also possesses 16 small airports operating at the county or municipal level and recently upgraded by significant state investments. In addition, the drive time/distance to Chicago O'Hare is only 135 miles, 2:11 hours and to Milwaukee Mitchell Airport is only 85 miles, 1:26 hours.
Freight Rail Link to Wisconsin Rail Map
Freight rail lines: 5 lines in the region
Canadian National: NE Dodge County
Canadian Pacific: Madison to Portage
Wisconsin Southern: Major line in all counties
Union Pacific: Jefferson and Dodge counties
Iowa, Chicago, & Eastern: Illinois to Beloit and Janesville
Passenger rail
Amtrak: Chicago through Jefferson and Columbia counties with stops in Columbus, Portage, and the Wisconsin Dells
Bus Lines
Badger Bus Providing daily service bewteen Madison and Milwaukee and service to LaCrosse and Minneapolis on Fri through Mon.
Coach-Van Galder Providing service to Chicago O'Hare, Midway and downtown Chicago
Greyhound Providing regional and nationwide service
Jefferson Lines Providing regional service to Milwaukee and Minneapolis