I can't help you with your route, but I
STRONGLY recommend that you make a serious investment in lights and retroreflective materials for any nighttime commute.
Now is a good time to buy lights, summertime typically brings down the prices as people are not riding much after dark.
But, do not think that a $20 flashing LED headlight will be some kind of shield (I'm sure that you don't, but this is for anybody thinking about night commuting). I've been using two MiNewt X2's for nearly a year now, and despite my initial misgivings about the mounting system, I've been
AWED at how reliable it has been. You probably don't need to add a TriNewt to the mix, but it's nice to be able to blind damn near anything (except for Wisconsin teen drivers).
The Planet Bike Superflash taillight is, for the money, the best I've seen out there.
Adding retroreflective materials to your bike makes you more visible to motorists in the distance, alerting them early to your presence.
You can read
here for more on Lights...
And
here for Retroreflectivity...
Rubberside Down!
K'Tesh