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. US 20 bypasses the city of Elgin on a freeway known as the Elgin Bypass or Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Highway.[2] 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.
 U.S. Route 20 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ulysses S. Grant Memorial Highway | ||||
 US 20 highlighted in red | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by IDOT and CDOT | ||||
| Length | 233.93 mi[1] (376.47 km) | |||
| Existed | 1926–present | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| West end |  US 20 in East Dubuque | |||
| ||||
| East end |   US 12 / US 20 / US 41 in Chicago | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | Illinois | |||
| Counties | Jo Daviess, Stephenson, Winnebago, Boone, McHenry, Kane, DuPage, Cook | |||
| Highway system | ||||
| ||||
Route description
editNorthwest Illinois
editAs 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 and entering Stephenson County. The Ulysses S. Grant Home, a national landmark, fronts near the highway at the eastern edge of Galena.
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 controlled-access freeway bypass. Between Freeport and Rockford, the route is a four-lane divided highway with two traffic light-controlled intersections, at Pecatonica Road and at Winnebago Road/Elida Street. The Rockford bypass routes US 20 onto a full controlled-access freeway; it remains this way until it overlaps Interstate 39 (I-39) southeast of downtown Rockford.
Rockford to Elgin
editEast of Rockford, the routing of US 20 runs parallel with I-90; US 20 serves 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 (IL 47) and westbound IL 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 controlled-access freeway that bypasses Elgin, around the town's south end. This road is known as the Elgin Bypass.
Elgin to Indiana
editAt 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 IL 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 I-290 and onward to IL 53 before it returns to four lanes while serving downtown Addison, paralleling I-290 to the north. Past Elmhurst, the road overlaps I-290 for a mile (1.6 km).
US 20 continues through Stone Park and Melrose Park before turning south and joining US 12/US 45 on Mannheim Road. In La Grange, the combined US 12, US 20, and US 45 traveling on La Grange Road intersect with Ogden Avenue, which carries US 34, one of the few places where four U.S. Numbered Highways intersect. La Grange Road continues south until US 20 turns onto 95th Street eastbound with US 12. This combination later joins with US 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
editThe 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.[3] 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.[4]
Elgin Bypass
editConstruction of the Golf Road (IL 58) extension to Summit Street in Elgin was completed in 1932. In 1958, I-90 was built through the north side of Elgin extending east to Devon Avenue and on to Chicago by 1960. In 1935, concerned about increasing numbers of traffic, residents of Elgin laid plans to build a bypass. US 20 had been routed down Villa Street, Highland Avenue, and Larkin Avenue through downtown Elgin. A section of freeway opened south of Elgin as the Elgin Bypass 27 years later.[5]
The segment of the Elgin Bypass between McLean Boulevard and Grace Street (IL 25), including the Fox River bridge, was opened first. Later, the outer segments of the bypass—to Randall Road on the west and Bluff City Boulevard on the east—were opened. On November 30, 1962, Governor Otto Kerner Jr. dedicated the Elgin Bypass.[6]
From 1962 until 1984, the old route was designated as US 20 Business (US 20 Bus.).[3]
In 2012–2016, the interchange between the Elgin Bypass and McLean Boulevard was upgraded to a single-point urban interchange, the bridge was widened and replaced, and portions of the bypass were repaved at a cost of $44.4 million (equivalent to $55.3 million in 2023[7]).[8][9]
In 2019, the interchange between the Elgin Bypass and Randall Road received a $9-million (equivalent to $10.6 million in 2023[7]) upgrade so that northbound Randall Road traffic can enter the eastbound Elgin Bypass without making a left turn at a traffic light.[10]
Starting in 2014, a comprehensive study of the Elgin Bypass corridor resulted in a number of recommendations including a wider bridge across the Fox River, a replacement bridge for IL 31 crossing the bypass, and replacement of other bridges. The 2019 estimates of the recommended improvements total $84 million (equivalent to $98.7 million in 2023[7]), with $10.6 million (equivalent to $12.5 million in 2023[7]) designated for the IL 31 bridge.[11]
Future
editLong range plans call for US 20 to be upgraded to a four lane highway from Rockford to East Dubuque. The project dates back to the 1970s, when a major supplemental freeway system was proposed in Illinois.[12] US 20 has been completed as a four lane freeway/expressway combination between Rockford and Freeport as well as Galena and East Dubuque. The remaining gap between Freeport and Galena is planned to be filled, but efforts have stalled in recent years, mainly due to funding issues.[13]
Major intersections
editAll exits are unnumbered.
| County | Location | mi | km | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mississippi River | 0.0 | 0.0 | Continuation into Iowa | ||
| Iowa–Illinois state line (Julien Dubuque Bridge) | |||||
| Jo Daviess | East Dubuque | 0.7 | 1.1 | Interchange; southern terminus of IL 35; no eastbound entrance | |
| Rawlins Township | 11.2 | 18.0 | Western end of IL 84 overlap | ||
| Elizabeth Township | 26.4 | 42.5 | Eastern end of IL 84/Great River Road overlap | ||
| Stockton | 41.7 | 67.1 | Western end of IL 78 overlap | ||
| Stockton–Wards Grove township line | 42.9 | 69.0 | Eastern end of IL 78 overlap | ||
| Stephenson | Lena | 50.8 | 81.8 | ||
| Freeport | 57.4 | 92.4 | Western terminus of US 20 Bus.; western end of freeway | ||
| 61.8 | 99.5 | ||||
| 65.0 | 104.6 | ||||
| 68.8 | 110.7 | Springfield Road – Freeport | Eastbound exit and westbound entrance | ||
| Westbound exit and eastbound entrance; eastern terminus of US 20 Bus.; eastern end of freeway; western end of divided highway | |||||
| Winnebago | Rockford | 85.9 | 138.2 | Eastbound exit and westbound entrance; western terminus of US 20 Bus.; eastern end of divided highway; western end of freeway section | |
| 87.7 | 141.1 | ||||
| 90.1 | 145.0 | ||||
| 92.7 | 149.2 | ||||
| 94.6 | 152.2 | ||||
| 96.8 | 155.8 | Alpine Road | |||
| 97.3 | 156.6 | Western end of I-39/US 51 overlap | |||
| 100.4 | 161.6 | Cloverleaf interchange; eastern end of freeway section; eastern end of I-39/US 51 overlap; I-39 exit 122A | |||
| Boone | Belvidere | 106.1 | 170.8 | Appleton Road | Interchange |
| 108.0 | 173.8 | Eastern terminus of US 20 Bus. | |||
| McHenry | Marengo | 119.2 | 191.8 | ||
| Kane | Hampshire | 128.0 | 206.0 | I-90 exit 42 | |
| Pingree Grove | 133.6 | 215.0 | Western end of IL 47/IL 72 overlap | ||
| 134.0 | 215.7 | Eastern end of IL 47/IL 72 overlap | |||
| Elgin | 141.5 | 227.7 | Western end of Elgin Bypass freeway | ||
| 141.6 | 227.9 | Larkin Avenue | Eastbound exit and westbound entrance | ||
| 143.0 | 230.1 | McLean Boulevard | |||
| 144.4 | 232.4 | ||||
| 145.1 | 233.5 | Split into separate north and south exits westbound | |||
| Cook | 146.4 | 235.6 | Villa Street | Westbound exit and eastbound entrance; eastern end of Elgin Bypass | |
| Bartlett | 148.6 | 239.1 | Interchange | ||
| DuPage–Cook county line | Hanover Park | 151.9 | 244.5 | Northern terminus of CR 43; County Farm Road continues north as Barrington Road | |
| DuPage | 152.6 | 245.6 | I-Pass only; interchange; western terminus of IL 390 | ||
| 152.9 | 246.1 | Eastern terminus of CR 29 | |||
| Roselle | 153.9 | 247.7 | |||
| Bloomingdale | 156.2 | 251.4 | |||
| Addison | 157.8 | 254.0 | |||
| 158.6 | 255.2 | I-355 exit 31 | |||
| 158.8 | 255.6 | ||||
| 161.4 | 259.7 | Southern terminus of CR 22 | |||
| 162.0 | 260.7 | ||||
| Addison–Elmhurst line | 162.6 | 261.7 | Interchange; western end of IL 64 Truck overlap | ||
| Elmhurst | 163.8 | 263.6 | York Road, North York Street | Interchange | |
| Western end of I-290 overlap; I-290 exit 12 | |||||
| 164.8 | 265.2 | Eastern end of I-290 overlap; I-290 exit 13A; I-294 north exit 31 | |||
| 165.2 | 265.9 | Interchange; eastern end of IL 64 Truck overlap; eastbound left exit and westbound left entrance | |||
| Cook | Northlake | 165.4 | 266.2 | I-294 exit 33 | |
| Berkeley | 167.3 | 269.2 | Western end of US 12/US 45 overlap | ||
| Bellwood–Hillside line | 168.4 | 271.0 | Eastern terminus of IL 56 | ||
| Hillside–Westchester line | 169.2 | 272.3 | I-290 exit 17 | ||
| 169.7 | 273.1 | Eastern terminus of IL 38 | |||
| La Grange | 172.9 | 278.3 | |||
| Countryside–Hodgkins line | 174.1 | 280.2 | |||
| 176.8 | 284.5 | I-55 exit 279 | |||
| Willow Springs | 178.1 | 286.6 | Cloverleaf interchange; left exit eastbound | ||
| Hickory Hills | 180.2 | 290.0 | Eastern end of US 45 overlap | ||
| Bridgeview | 182.5 | 293.7 | Tolled; I-294 exit 17 | ||
| 182.9 | 294.3 | Cloverleaf interchange | |||
| Oak Lawn | 185.9 | 299.2 | |||
| Chicago | 191.0 | 307.4 | |||
| 192.0 | 309.0 | I-94 exit 62 | |||
| 194.0 | 312.2 | Northern terminus of Stony Island Avenue expressway (southbound); at-grade street northbound | |||
| 196.5 | 316.2 | Western end of US 41 overlap | |||
| 197.9 | 318.5 | Signed as "To I-90 west"; access to I-90 east is in Indiana; I-90 exit 107 | |||
| 198.0 | 318.7 | Continuation into Indiana | |||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
| |||||
Business routes
editUS 20 has been rerouted around the cities of Freeport, Rockford, Elgin, and Chicago. A bypass is currently planned for Galena.
The longest US 20 Bus. 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 and 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. US 20 Bus. is then routed in an outer loop around the city of Belvidere before merging back with US 20 near Genoa Road and I-90.
US 20 Bus. 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.
US 20 Bus. in Chicago was removed in 1968. This existed from 1960 through 1968; before then, it was US 20 City from 1938 to 1960.[3]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b Illinois Technology Transfer Center (2007). "T2 GIS Data". Archived from the original on August 10, 2007. Retrieved November 8, 2007.
- ^ "Bill Status of HR1214 95th General Assembly". Archived from the original on June 25, 2021. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
- ^ a b c Carlson, Rich (March 15, 2006). "Illinois State Highways Page: Routes 1 thru 20". Archived from the original on September 23, 2006. Retrieved September 18, 2006.[self-published source]
- ^ "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.
- ^ Gathman, David (September 9, 2007). "Inroads, dead ends for woes in Fox Valley Targeting rush hour". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved March 2, 2008.
- ^ "Elgin Bypass Dedicated by Gov. Kerner". Chicago Tribune. December 1, 1962. p. 10.
- ^ a b c d Johnston, Louis; Williamson, Samuel H. (2023). "What Was the U.S. GDP Then?". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved November 30, 2023. United States Gross Domestic Product deflator figures follow the MeasuringWorth series.
- ^ "Route 20 @ McLean Boulevard Interchange Reconstruction" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on July 30, 2019. Retrieved July 20, 2019.
- ^ "US Route 20 at McLean Boulevard Interchange Reconstruction Project". Archived from the original on July 30, 2019. Retrieved July 20, 2019.
- ^ Casas, Gloria (May 31, 2019). "Randall Road/Route 20 intersection work starts Monday, won't end till later this year". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on July 24, 2019. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
- ^ "Presentation". June 5, 2019. Archived from the original on July 30, 2019. Retrieved July 30, 2019.
- ^ Dees, Dan (November 1, 1974). "Illinois Supplemental Freeway System Proposal" (PDF). Illinois Department of Transportation. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 14, 2015. Retrieved January 11, 2015 – via Midwest Roads.
- ^ Galena Gazette Staff (December 3, 2013). "Bustos Talks US 20 with Local Leaders". Galena Gazette. Archived from the original on February 21, 2014. Retrieved January 11, 2015 – via Office of Cheri Bustos.
External links
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