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U.S. Route 20 in Illinois

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This article is about the section of U.S. Route 20 in Illinois. For the entire route, see U.S. Route 20.
U.S. Route 20 marker
U.S. Route 20
Ulysses S. Grant Memorial Highway
Route information
Maintained by IDOT and CDOT
Length233.93 mi[1] (376.47 km)
Existed1926–present
Major junctions
West end US 20 in East Dubuque
Major intersections
East end US 12 / US 20 / US 41 in Chicago
Location
CountryUnited States
StateIllinois
CountiesJo Daviess, Stephenson, Winnebago, Boone, McHenry, Kane, DuPage, Cook
Highway system
← IL 19→ IL 21

U.S. Route 20 (US 20) in the U.S. state of Illinois is a major arterial highway that runs from the Iowa state line at East Dubuque at the northwestern tip of Illinois, to the Indiana state line at Chicago south of the Chicago Skyway, a distance of 233.93 miles (376.47 km).[1] For its entire length, US 20 is designated as the General Ulysses S. Grant Highway, often abbreviated the U.S. Grant Memorial Highway. However, this name is only commonly used west of Elgin. From Elgin to Melrose Park, US 20 follows Lake Street. It then follows Mannheim Road, and further south La Grange Road. US 20 also follows 95th Street as it turns east through Chicago's southwestern suburbs. It ultimately leaves Illinois on Indianapolis Boulevard.

Route description

Northwest Illinois

The US 20/IL 84 bridge over the Galena River in Galena

As the highway enters Illinois across the Julien Dubuque Bridge, it continues southeasterly for a while, paralleling the Upper Mississippi River before turning east into the rugged country of the Driftless Area in Jo Daviess County, then turning flat and straight west of Stockton, Illinois and entering Stephenson County. The Ulysses S. Grant Home, a national landmark, fronts near the highway at the eastern edge of Galena, Illinois.

The road between Dubuque and Stockton was once known as the most dangerous stretch of road because of the hills and curves flanked by cliffs and valleys. Travelers were greeted with signs reminding them to drive carefully as they entered this stretch of road.

In Freeport, US 20 is routed onto a limited-access freeway bypass. Between Freeport and Rockford there are two traffic light-controlled intersections. The Rockford bypass routes US 20 onto a full limited-access freeway; it remains this way until it overlaps Interstate 39 southeast of downtown Rockford. Interchanges on the Rockford Bypass include West State Street (Business US 20), South Meridian Road, Montague Road, South Main Street (Illinois Route 2), 11th Street (Illinois Route 251), and South Alpine Road.

Rockford to Elgin

East of Rockford, the routing of US 20 runs parallel with Interstate 90, with US 20 serving minor cities that are not accessible from the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway. It is a four-lane divided highway from I-39 to just east of Belvidere; for the rest of this segment, it is a winding, rural two-lane road.

US 20 travels through the downtowns of the small towns and unincorporated areas of Garden Prairie, Harmony and Starks, as well as the city of Marengo. At Starks, eastbound US 20 overlaps southbound Illinois Route 47 and westbound Illinois Route 72, forming a wrong-way concurrency. All three routes pass beneath a railroad viaduct before separating south of Starks.

Continuing east, US 20 travels through Pingree Grove before entering the Elgin area. Before entering Elgin, US 20 widens to a four lane limited-access freeway that bypasses Elgin. This road is known as the Elgin Bypass.

Elgin to Indiana

See also: Lake Street (Chicago), Mannheim Road, and 95th Street (Chicago)
Markers for the original Ulysses S. Grant Highway on Old Lake Street in Bartlett

At the end of the Elgin bypass, US 20 takes on the name of Lake Street. US 20 has numerous high-volume intersections, including a grade-separated interchange with Illinois Route 59. In Hanover Park, an early-2000s reconstruction project widened lanes on the road and created a median for safer travel; east of Barrington Road / County Farm Road, the road briefly becomes six lanes for one mile (1.6 km) until the Elgin–O'Hare Expressway.

US 20 continues in an east-southeast direction through the town center of Bloomingdale and becomes six lanes at the Bloomingdale-Roselle border. It maintains six lanes through a very high traffic corridor to Interstate 290 and onwards to Illinois Route 53 before it returns to four lanes while serving downtown Addison, paralleling Interstate 290 to the north. Past Elmhurst, the road overlaps Interstate 290 for a mile.

US 20 continues through Stone Park and Melrose Park before turning south and joining U.S. Routes 12/45. At this point, US 20 becomes Mannheim Road, and later, La Grange Road, until it turns onto 95th Street eastbound with U.S. 12. This combination later joins with U.S. Route 41, where the three routes follow Ewing Avenue and Indianapolis Boulevard, which are the last portions of US 20 prior to its crossing the state line into Indiana.

History

The routing of US 20 has not changed since 1938. Prior to 1938, US 20 continued east on Lake Street east of Mannheim Road (US 12/US 45). It ran through downtown Chicago and exited Chicago south on what is now Torrence Avenue.[2] In 1955, the Illinois General Assembly designated the entire length of US 20 in Illinois the "U.S. Grant Memorial Highway". New signs were produced in late 2007 to reflect this designation along its entire length.[3]

Future

Long-range plans call for US 20 to be upgraded to a full four-lane highway from Rockford to the Iowa border near Dubuque. The project dates back to the 1970s, when a major supplemental freeway system was proposed in Illinois. One of the routes, FAP 401, was a freeway that was to run across northwestern Illinois from Rockford to Dubuque.[4] Portions of the freeway were built in the form of bypasses around Rockford and Freeport, while a four-lane divided expressway was built between those two cities. In addition, a four lane divided expressway was constructed between Galena and East Dubuque.

A freeway between Freeport and Galena has been proposed. The new roadway would run from an interchange with IL 84, northwest of Galena, to an interchange on the west end of the previously constructed Freeport bypass.[5] However, funding is the biggest obstacle to constructing the roadway, estimated at over $1 billion.[6] Only the Galena bypass segment has received any funding beyond Phase I, and no segment has received any construction funding.[7]

This would complete the last remaining section of US 20 in northwestern Illinois not upgraded to four lanes. Upon the completion of this project and construction a new four lane bridge over the Mississippi River, US 20 will be a continuous four lane divided highway between Rockford and Interstate 35 in Iowa.

Major intersections

All exits are unnumbered.

CountyLocationmikmDestinationsNotes
Mississippi River0.00.0


 US 20 west / Great River Road (National Route) north – Dubuque		Continuation into Iowa
Iowa–Illinois state line (Julien Dubuque Bridge)
Jo DaviessEast Dubuque0.71.1
 IL 35 north – Wisconsin		Interchange; southern terminus of IL 35; no eastbound entrance
Rawlins Township11.218.0
 IL 84 north – Hazel Green Wis.		Western end of IL 84 overlap
Elizabeth Township26.442.5


 IL 84 south / Great River Road (National Route) south (Washington Street) – Hanover, Savanna		Eastern end of IL 84/Great River Road overlap
Stockton41.767.1
 IL 78 south (Main Street) – Mount Carroll		Western end of IL 78 overlap
Stockton–Wards Grove
township line		42.969.0
 IL 78 north – Warren		Eastern end of IL 78 overlap
StephensonLena50.881.8 IL 73 – Lena, Pearl City
Freeport57.492.4

 US 20 Bus. east – Freeport		Western terminus of US 20 Bus.; west end of expressway
61.899.5 IL 26 – Freeport, Monroe Wis.
65.0104.6 IL 75 – Freeport, Rockton
68.8110.7Springfield Road – FreeportEastbound exit and westbound entrance


 US 20 Bus. west – Freeport		Westbound exit and eastbound entrance; eastern terminus of US 20 Bus.; east end of expressway
WinnebagoRockford85.9138.2

 US 20 Bus. east (State Street)		Eastbound exit and westbound entrance; western terminus of US 20 Bus.; west end of freeway section
87.7141.1Meridian Road
90.1145.0Montague Road
92.7149.2 IL 2 (Main Street) – Dixon
94.6152.2 IL 251 (11th Street) – Rochelle
96.8155.8Alpine Road
97.3156.6
 I-39 / US 51 south – Bloomington		Western end of I-39/US 51 overlap
100.4161.6




 I-39 Toll north / US 51 north to I-90 Toll (Jane Addams Memorial Tollway) – Chicago, Wisconsin, RockfordModule:Jct warning: "road" parameter is deprecated		Tolled; cloverleaf interchange; east end of freeway section; eastern end of I-39/US 51 overlap; I-39 exit 122A
BooneBelvidere106.1170.8Appleton RoadInterchange
108.0173.8



 US 20 Bus. west (Belvidere Road) to I-90 Toll (Genoa Road)		Eastern terminus of US 20 Bus.
McHenryMarengo119.2191.8
 IL 23 (State Street) to IL 176 (Telegraph Street)
KaneHampshire128.0206.0
 I-90 Toll (Jane Addams Memorial Tollway) – Chicago, Rockford		Tolled
Pingree Grove133.6215.0

 IL 47 north / IL 72 east – West Dundee, Huntley		Western end of IL 47/IL 72 overlap
134.0215.7

 IL 47 south / IL 72 west – Elburn, Hampshire		Eastern end of IL 47/IL 72 overlap
Elgin141.5227.7 CR 34 (Randall Road)West end of Elgin Bypass freeway
141.6227.9Larkin AvenueEastbound exit and westbound entrance
143.0230.1McLean Boulevard
144.4232.4 IL 31 (State Street)
145.1233.5 IL 25Split into separate north and south exits westbound
Cook146.4235.6Villa StreetWestbound exit and eastbound entrance; east end of Elgin Bypass
Bartlett148.6239.1 IL 59 (Sutton Road) – Barrington, West ChicagoInterchange
DuPageHanover Park152.6245.6
 IL 390 east (Elgin–O'Hare Tollway) – O'Hare		Interchange; western terminus of IL 390
Addison158.6255.2


 I-355 Toll south (Veterans Memorial Tollway) / I-290 west (Dwight D. Eisenhower Expressway) – Joliet, Chicago, Rockford		I-355 exit 31
158.8255.6 IL 53 (Rohlwing Road)
Addison–Elmhurst line162.6261.7


 IL 64 Truck west / IL 83 (Kingery Highway) to I-290		Interchange; western end of IL 64 Truck overlap
Elmhurst163.8263.6York RoadInterchange

 I-290 west (Dwight D. Eisenhower Expressway) – Rockford		Western end of I-290 overlap; I-290 exit 12
164.8265.2
 I-290 east (Dwight D. Eisenhower Expressway) – Chicago		Eastern end of I-290 overlap; I-290 exit 13A
165.2265.9

 IL 64 east (North Avenue) / IL 64 Truck end		Interchange; eastern end of IL 64 Truck overlap; eastbound left exit and westbound left entrance
CookNorthlake

 I-294 Toll north (Tri-State Tollway) – Wisconsin, O'Hare		Tolled; no entrances from I-294
Berkeley167.3269.2

 US 12 west / US 45 north (Mannheim Road north)		Northern end of US 12/US 45 overlap
Bellwood–Hillside line168.4271.0
 IL 56 west (Washington Boulevard)		Eastern terminus of IL 56
Hillside–Westchester line169.2272.3 I-290 / IL 110 (CKC) (Dwight D. Eisenhower Expressway) – ChicagoI-290 exit 17
169.7273.1
 IL 38 west (Roosevelt Road)		Eastern terminus of IL 38
La Grange172.9278.3 US 34 (Ogden Avenue)
Countryside174.1280.2 Historic US 66 (Joliet Road)
Hodgkins176.8284.5 I-55 (Aldai E. Stevenson Expressway) – Chicago, St. LouisI-55 exit 279
Willow Springs178.1286.6


 I-294 Toll south (Tri-State Tollway) / IL 171 north (Archer Avenue) – IndianaModule:Jct warning: "road" parameter is deprecated		Interchange; left exit eastbound
178.3286.9
 IL 171 south (Archer Avenue)		Interchange
Hickory Hills180.2290.0
 US 45 south (La Grange Road south)		Southern end of US 45 overlap
Bridgeview182.5293.7
 I-294 Toll (Tri-State Tollway) – Wisconsin, Indiana		Tolled; I-294 exit 17
182.9294.3 IL 43 (Harlem Avenue)Cloverleaf interchange
Oak Lawn185.9299.2 IL 50 (Cicero Avenue)
Chicago191.0307.4



 To IL 1 (Halsted Street) / I-94 east (Bishop Ford Freeway) / I-57
Stony Island AvenueNorthern terminus of Stony Island Avenue expressway (southbound); at-grade street northbound
196.5316.2
 US 41 north (Ewing Avenue north)		Northern end of US 41 overlap
197.9318.5
 I-90 west (Chicago Skyway)Module:Jct warning: "road" parameter is deprecated		Tolled; signed as "To I-90 west"; access to I-90 east is in Indiana; I-90 exit 107
198.0318.7

 US 12 / US 20 east / US 41 south (Indianapolis Boulevard) – Hammond		Continuation into Indiana
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

Business routes

See also: Special routes of U.S. Route 20

US 20 has been rerouted around the cities of Freeport, Rockford, Elgin and Chicago. A bypass is currently planned for Galena.

The longest Business US 20 in Illinois runs 21 miles (34 km) from just west of Rockford to just east of Belvidere. The route begins just west of Weldon Road and runs as State Street into downtown Rockford, where it is split into two one-way streets (Chestnut Street and Walnut Street for eastbound traffic, Jefferson Street for westbound traffic). The route continues east along State Street all the way through Rockford and becomes a two-lane highway between Rockford and Belvidere. Business US 20 is then routed in an outer loop around the city of Belvidere before merging back with US 20 near Genoa Road and I-90.

Business US 20 in Elgin was removed in 1984. This ran along Larkin Avenue, Highland Avenue, Chicago Street and Villa Avenue. The current routing of US 20 south of Elgin is called the Elgin Bypass.

Business US 20 in Chicago was removed in 1968. This existed from 1960 through 1968; before then, it was City US 20 from 1938 to 1960.[2]

See also

References

KML file (edit • help)
Template:Attached KML/U.S. Route 20 in Illinois
KML is from Wikidata
  1. ^ a b Illinois Technology Transfer Center (2007). "T2 GIS Data". Retrieved November 8, 2007.
  2. ^ a b Carlson, Rich (March 15, 2005). "Illinois Highways Page: Routes 1 thru 20". Retrieved April 15, 2006.[self-published source]
  3. ^ "IDOT Announces New Signs to Commemorate Ulysses S. Grant Memorial Highway" (Press release). Illinois Department of Transportation. August 31, 2007. Archived from the original on September 11, 2008. Retrieved September 8, 2007. {{cite press release}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  4. ^ Dees, Dan (November 1, 1974). "Illinois Supplemental Freeway System Proposal" (PDF). Illinois Department of Transportation. Retrieved January 11, 2015 – via Midwest Roads.
  5. ^ "US 20 Freeport to Galena (Glacier Shadow Pass)". Illinois Department of Transportation. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
  6. ^ Galena Gazette Staff (December 3, 2013). "Bustos Talks US 20 with Local Leaders". Galena Gazette. Retrieved January 11, 2015 – via Office of Cheri Bustos.
  7. ^ "US 20 Galena Bypass". Illinois Department of Transportation. Retrieved January 11, 2015.


U.S. Route 20
Previous state:
Iowa 		Illinois Next state:
Indiana
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