Interstate 94 in Illinois

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This article is about the section of Interstate 94 in Illinois. For the entire route, see Interstate 94.

Interstate 94

I-94 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by IDOT and ISTHA
Length61.53 mi[1] (99.02 km)
NHSEntire route
Major junctions
West end I-41 / I-94 / US 41 near Zion
Major intersections
East end I-80 / I-94 / US 6 at Lansing
Location
CountryUnited States
StateIllinois
CountiesLake, Cook
Highway system
← IL 93→ IL 94

Interstate 94 (I-94) generally runs north–south through the northeastern portion of the US state of Illinois, in Lake and Cook counties. It is signed east–west in Illinois in accordance with its general alignment across the country, with west signage aligned with northbound travel and vice versa. I-94 in Illinois is 61.53 miles (99.02 km) long.[1]

The William G. Edens Expressway (also known as the Edens Parkway[2] and the Edens Superhighway[3]) is the main major expressway north from the city of Chicago to Northbrook. Only the short portion from the spur ramp to the expressway's end in Highland Park does not carry I-94. It was the first expressway in Chicago and was opened on December 20, 1951. It has three lanes in each direction. The original name of the expressway was the Edens Parkway, named after William Grant Edens (1863–1957), a banker and early advocate for paved roads. He was a sponsor of Illinois's first highway bond issue in 1918.[4]

From the southern terminus of the Edens, I-94 follows part or all of several other named highways; joining I-90 on the Kennedy Expressway and the Dan Ryan Expressway through the center of Chicago, following the Bishop Ford Freeway through the southside of Chicago to I-80, where it joins the Kingery Expressway before entering Indiana.

Route description

The control cities for I-94 generally are Wisconsin or Milwaukee to the north and west, Chicago or the Chicago Loop for those heading to the central portion, and Indiana to the south and east.

Wisconsin to Downtown Chicago

See also: Kennedy Expressway

I-94 traverses rural and suburban areas in Lake County and the length of the city of Chicago, running just west of the Chicago Loop on the Kennedy Expressway, and serves Six Flags Great America, the Gurnee Mills mall, extensive office developments and residential districts in southern Lake County and the North Shore region of Cook County, and Westfield Old Orchard.

Entering Illinois from Wisconsin, I-94 becomes the Tri-State Tollway just after exit 1B (Skokie Highway), with eight lanes (four in each direction), until just north of Deerfield Road where it widens further to 10 lanes as it approaches I-294 and the Edens Spur. This is where three lanes for the Tri-State Tollway branch off and begin I-294 while two lanes for I-94 head east onto the Edens Spur which only has four lanes total (two in each direction).

The highway turns south and widens back to six lanes as it merges with US Route 41 (US 41) and becomes the Edens Expressway, and then widens to 10 lanes (four lanes in each direction plus two reversible lanes) along the Kennedy Expressway. At Ohio Street, the reversible lanes terminate and the highway has 10 lanes to the Jane Byrne Interchange, where the left lane ends and the right lane exits onto the Eisenhower Expressway (I-290).

Until 2010, mileposts along the Tri-State Tollway portion of I-94 reflected the distance from the southeastern terminus of the tollway, that led to a counterintuitive increase in the mile numbers as one proceeds "west". In 2010, the milemarkers were renumbered to indicate mileage of I-94 traveled in Illinois, increasing from the Wisconsin border to the Indiana border.[5]

Downtown Chicago to Indiana

See also: Dan Ryan Expressway and Kingery Expressway
I-94 approaching a combination interchange with I-80/I-294/IL 394

South of Downtown Chicago, I-94 serves the southeast suburbs of Chicago, including Dolton, Calumet City, and South Holland, until it joins I-80 on the Kingery Expressway, which finally enters Indiana east of Lansing, Illinois.

I-94 has 10 lanes (five in each direction) from the exit ramps of the Jane Byrne Interchange to the Stevenson Expressway (I-55). It then splits into a 14-lane freeway on the Dan Ryan Expressway, with three and four lanes alternating between the local and express lanes in both directions. At the Chicago Skyway, a two-lane ramp carries traffic to I-90, leaving 10 lanes (five in each direction) running south to the I-57/I-94 junction.

From I-57, where I-94 is called the Bishop Ford Freeway, to Cottage Grove Avenue, the route has four lanes (two lanes each way), with six lanes (three lanes each way) between Michigan and Cottage Grove avenues. The freeway connection ramp to Stony Island Avenue has four lanes (two in each direction). I-94 then has six lanes (three in each direction) south to I-80, where it departs the Bishop Ford Freeway (which continues south as Illinois Route 394 [IL 394]) for the Kingery Expressway. On these ramps to and from I-80, I-94 has two lanes in each direction. On the Kingery Expressway itself, the combined I-80/I-94 route widens to eight lanes (four in each direction) to the Indiana state line.

The section including the Southland Interchange with I-80 and I-294 was reconfigured as part of the Kingery Expressway reconstruction project, completed in 2007, including four lanes south of 159th Street, with the split between I-80 and I-94 east to the left, and I-80 west, I-294 north, and IL 394 south on the right located north of the 170th Street overpass. The configuration of I-80 and I-94 is discussed in connection with the Kingery Expressway.

History

William G. Edens

I-494 was originally planned to serve as a loop in Chicago and follow Lake Shore Drive along Lake Michigan. The first iteration of I-494 was dropped in response to local opposition. Portions of the old I-494 exist as US 41 (Lake Shore Drive) and the Ohio Street connector. In addition, I-494 was also planned at one point to be a western bypass of Chicago, as the Crosstown Expressway.[6]

In 1998, the Illinois Tollway removed the entire Deerfield Toll Plaza north of the I-294/I-94 merge point, then considered one of the worst snags on the tollway system. It was replaced with the Huehl Road Toll Plaza on the Edens Spur to charge traffic that followed I-94 into Chicago. Tolls were removed from the northbound exit/southbound entrance to I-294 at Lake Cook Road, while tolls at the Waukegan Toll Plaza were increased, and additional toll plazas were built on exits south of Deerfield at Lake–Cook Road, Willow Road, and Golf Road (IL 58). Toll collection facilities were also added to entrance ramps to northbound I-94 at those points.

The Edens Expressway section of I-94 was last rehabilitated from 1978 through 1980.[7] From 2007 to 2009, I-94 was widened from six to eight lanes between IL 173 (Rosecrans Road) and IL 22 (Half Day Road).[8]

In 1996, the Calumet Expressway was renamed in honor of Bishop Louis Henry Ford, the leader of the Church of God in Christ who had died the previous year.[9]

On April 4, 2008, the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) closed one lane in each direction for the entire length of the freeway. The closures lasted until August 2008, occurred in advance of patching and resurfacing of the mainline. In addition, the $42.8-million (equivalent to $59.5 million in 2023[10]) project was to rehabilitate six bridges and improve drainage at four underpasses.[11]

The Calumet Expressway was originally an extension of Doty Avenue. There were traffic lights at the intersections of Doty Avenue with 111th, 115th, and 130th streets, but interchanges were built in the early 1960s. The expressway was originally designated as IL 1, Alternate US 30, and certain portions as US 6 and IL 83, but IL 1 returned to Halsted Street, and US 6 and IL 83 were routed onto Torrence Avenue. In 1962, the connection between the Calumet and Dan Ryan expressways opened and is now signed as part of the Bishop Ford.

In 2006–2007, the portion south of 159th Street was reconstructed as part of the Kingery Expressway–Southland Interchange project.[12] The section between 159th Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive was rehabilitated and resurfaced in mid- to late 2009.[13]

Exit list

CountyLocationmi[14]kmExit[14]DestinationsNotes
LakeNewport Township0.000.00


 I-41 north / I-94 west / US 41 north – Milwaukee		Continuation into Wisconsin
0.560.901A CR A1 (Russell Road)Signed as exit 1 westbound
0.961.541B

 US 41 south (Skokie Highway) to IL 173 – Waukegan

 I-41 ends		Eastern end of I-41/US 41 overlap; northern end of Tri-State Tollway; southern terminus of I-41; eastbound exit and westbound entrance
Zion2.363.802 IL 173 (Rosecrans Road)Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
Wadsworth4.907.89Waukegan Toll Plaza
Gurnee8.4813.658 IL 132 (Grand Avenue)Signed as exits 8A (west) and 8B (east)
10.2116.4310 IL 21 (Milwaukee Avenue)Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
11.2318.0711 IL 120 (Belvidere Road)Westbound exit and eastbound entrance; signed as exits 11A (east) and 11B (west)
North Chicago13.8522.2913 IL 137 (Buckley Road)Toll on eastbound exit and westbound entrance ramps
Libertyville16.1125.9316 IL 176 (Rockland Road)Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
Lake Forest18.0729.08Lake Forest Oasis
19.0330.6319 IL 60 (Town Line Road)Toll on eastbound exit and westbound entrance ramps
Lincolnshire21.8835.2121 IL 22 (Half Day Road)Toll on eastbound exit and westbound entrance ramps
Deerfield24.3139.1224Deerfield RoadWestbound exit and eastbound entrance; no trucks allowed on Deerfield Road east
Lake–Cook
county line		Deerfield–Northbrook
city line		25.3240.7525ALake Cook RoadToll on eastbound exit and westbound entrance ramps; northbound exit and southbound entrance via I-294
24.91–
25.58		40.09–
41.17		25B

 I-294 Toll south (Tri-State Tollway south) – Indiana, O'Hare		Eastbound exit and westbound entrance; northern terminus of I-294; western end of Edens Spur
CookNorthbrook26.4442.55Edens Spur Toll Plaza[15]
27.8444.8027 IL 43 (Waukegan Road)Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
29.9648.2229
 US 41 north (Skokie Highway) – Waukegan		Western end of US 41 overlap; westbound exit and eastbound entrance; eastern end of Edens Spur; western end of Edens Expressway
30.2348.6530
 IL 68 west (Dundee Road)		Westbound exit and eastbound entrance; signed as exits 30A (west) and 30B (east); eastern terminus of IL 68
Northfield31.9251.3731Tower RoadEastbound exit and westbound entrance
33.0453.1733Willow RoadWestbound exit and eastbound entrance; signed as exits 33A (west) and 33B (east)
Wilmette33.9554.6434A
 US 41 south (Skokie Road)		Eastern end of US 41 overlap; eastbound exit and westbound entrance
34.5855.6534B–CLake AvenueWestbound exit and eastbound entrance; signed as exits 34B (west) and 34C (east)
Skokie35.8457.6835Old Orchard Road
37.3860.1637 IL 58 (Dempster Street)Signed as exits 37A (west) and 37B (east), signed to Northwestern University
Skokie–Lincolnwood
city line		39.8764.1639Touhy AvenueSigned as exits 39A (west) and 39B (east), exit 39B via Cicero Avenue eastbound
Chicago41.3766.5841A
 US 14 west (Caldwell Avenue)		Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
41B
 US 14 east (Peterson Avenue)
41.9167.4541C


 IL 50 south (Cicero Avenue) to I-90 west / Foster Avenue – O'Hare Field		Eastbound exit
42.4968.3842Foster AvenueWestbound exit and entrance; eastbound entrance via Elston Ave
43.2569.6043AWilson Avenue
43.26–
43.37		69.62–
69.80		43B
 I-90 west (Kennedy Expressway west) – Rockford, O'Hare		Western end of I-90 overlap; westbound exit and eastbound entrance; western end of reversible express lanes; eastern end of Edens Expressway. Interchange is locally known as the Edens Junction.
43.5570.0943CMontrose AvenueWestbound exit and eastbound entrance
43.8170.5143DKostner AvenueWestbound exit
44.17–
44.40		71.08–
71.45		44A IL 19 (Irving Park Road) / Keeler AvenueEastbound exit and entrance; westbound entrance
44.40–
44.59		71.45–
71.76		44B IL 19 (Irving Park Road) / Pulaski RoadWestbound exit and eastbound entrance
45.1272.6145AAddison Street
45.5573.3145BKimball Avenue
45.8673.8045CBelmont AvenueWestbound exit and eastbound entrance
46.4274.71—Sacramento AvenueEastbound entrance
46.5774.9546ACalifornia AvenueEastbound exit and westbound entrance
46.7475.2246BDiversey AvenueWestbound exit and eastbound entrance
47.31–
47.68		76.14–
76.73		47AWestern Avenue / Fullerton AvenueWestbound exit and eastbound entrance via Western Avenue
47.8677.0247BDamen AvenueWestbound exit and eastbound entrance
48.3077.7348AArmitage Avenue
48.8878.6648B IL 64 (North Avenue)
49.4479.5749ADivision Street
49.6979.9749BAugusta Boulevard / Milwaukee AvenueWestbound exit and eastbound entrance
50.1880.7650AOgden AvenueEastbound exit and westbound entrance
50.4081.1150BOhio StreetEastern end of reversible express lanes
50.9782.0351ALake StreetWestbound exit and eastbound entrance
51.0582.1651BRandolph Street west
51.1282.2751CWashington Boulevard eastEastbound and westbound exit
51.2282.4351DMadison Street
51.3182.5851EMonroe StreetEastbound exit
51.4082.7251FAdams Street westEastbound exit and westbound entrance
51.4982.8751GJackson Boulevard eastEastbound exit and westbound entrance
51.50–
52.13		82.88–
83.90		51H


 I-290 west / IL 110 (CKC) west (Eisenhower Expressway) – Aurora		Jane Byrne Interchange; southeastern end of Kennedy Expressway; northern end of Dan Ryan Expressway; eastern termini of I-290/IL 110
51IIda B. Wells Drive
52.1383.9051JTaylor Street / Roosevelt RoadEastbound exit and westbound entrance
52.3584.2552BRoosevelt Road / Taylor StreetWestbound exit and eastbound entrance
53.0085.3052C18th StreetEastbound exit and westbound entrance
53.2685.7153ACanalport Avenue / Cermak RoadWestbound exit and eastbound entrance
53.00–
54.82		85.30–
88.22		53B
53C
 I-55 south (Stevenson Expressway) – St. Louis

 I-55 north (Stevenson Expressway) / 22nd Street – Lake Shore Drive, Chinatown		Signed as exits 53B (south) and 53C (north) westbound; I-55 exits 292 and 293B; Cermak Road access from westbound only; western end of express lanes
54.9488.425431st Street
55.2388.8855A35th StreetGuaranteed Rate Field, Illinois Institute of Technology
55.7689.7455BPershing Road3900 South
56.2290.4856A43rd Street
56.7591.3356B47th Street
57.6692.7957Garfield Boulevard5500 South
58.2893.7958A59th StreetWestbound exit and eastbound entrance
58.7894.6058B63rd StreetEastbound exit and westbound entrance
58.78–
59.11		94.60–
95.13		59A



 I-90 Toll east / Chicago Skyway east to Indiana Toll Road		Eastern end of I-90 overlap; eastbound exit and westbound entrance; eastern end of express lanes
59.3695.5359BMarquette Road / 67th StreetWestbound exit and eastbound entrance
59.8796.3559C71st Street
60.3797.1660A75th StreetEastbound exit and westbound entrance
60.4897.3360B76th StreetWestbound exit and eastbound entrance
60.8697.9460C79th Street
61.3698.7561A83rd StreetEastbound exit and westbound entrance
61.8799.5761B87th Street
62.87101.1862 US 12 / US 20 (95th Street)Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
62.87–
63.88		101.18–
102.80		Michigan AvenueWestbound entrance only
63
 I-57 south – Memphis		Northern terminus of I-57; eastern end of Dan Ryan Expressway; western end of Bishop Ford Freeway
64.53103.8565Stony Island Avenue to 95th and 103rd StreetsEastbound exit and westbound entrance
65.73105.78103rd Street / Stony Island AvenueWestbound exit and eastbound entrance
66.18106.5166A111th StreetAccess to Pullman Historic District
66.73107.3966B115th Street
68.67110.5168130th Street – Illinois International PortSigned as exits 68A (west) and 68B (east)
69.76112.2769Beaubien Woods Forest PreserveEastbound exit and westbound entrance
Calumet City70.62113.6570Dolton AvenueEastbound exit and westbound entrance; signed as exits 70A (west) and 70B (east)
71.42114.9471 IL 83 (Sibley Boulevard)Signed as exits 71A (west) and 71B (east)
South Holland72.96117.4273 US 6 (159th Street)Signed as exits 73A (west) and 73B (east)
South Holland–Thornton Township line73.97–
74.89		119.04–
120.52		74B



 I-80 Toll west / I-294 Toll north (Tri-State Tollway) – Iowa, Wisconsin		Eastbound exit and westbound entrance; I-294 exit 0
Thornton Township–Lansing line74A
 IL 394 south (Calumet Expressway) – Danville		No exit number westbound
Lansing75.62121.70161
 US 6 west / IL 83 (Torrence Avenue)		Exit number follows I-80 mileage; no westbound exit
76.51123.13—



 I-80 Toll west / I-294 Toll north (Tri-State Tollway) – Iowa, Wisconsin

 US 6 west / IL 83 (Torrence Avenue)		Western end of I-80/US 6 overlap; westbound left exit and eastbound left entrance; eastern end of Bishop Ford Freeway; western end of Kingery Expressway; southern terminus of I-294; I-80 exit 160
77.41124.58


 I-80 east / I-94 east / US 6 east (Borman Expressway) – Toledo, Detroit		Continuation into Indiana; eastern end of Kingery Expressway
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

  1. ^ a b Starks, Edward (January 27, 2022). "Table 1: Main Routes of the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways". FHWA Route Log and Finder List. Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
  2. ^ League of Women Voters of Evanston (1955). This is Evanston (2nd ed.). Evanston, Illinois: The League. OCLC 671270450.
  3. ^ Kelly, James. Development and Progress of Superhighways in Cook County, Illinois. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
  4. ^ Presser, ArLynn Leiber (2010). Northfield. Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing. p. 65. ISBN 9780738583693. OCLC 656467482.
  5. ^ Hilkevitch, Jon (October 19, 2009). "Illinois Tollways: New Markers to Be Posted Every Quarter-mile instead of Half-mile". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved June 13, 2015.
  6. ^ U.S. Route Numbering Subcommittee (July 5, 1966). "U.S. Route Numbering Subcommittee Agenda Showing Action Taken by Executive Committee" (PDF) (Report). Washington, DC: American Association of State Highway Officials – via Wikimedia Commons.
  7. ^ Hilkevitch, John (March 26, 2006). "Buckle up, it looks like a long ride". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 26, 2006.
  8. ^ "North Tri-State Tollway (I-294/94) Rebuild and Widen Project". Illinois Tollway Authority. Retrieved October 23, 2009.
  9. ^ Varon, Ron (February 17, 2012). "Interstate Identities: Kingery, Bishop Ford, Edens". ABC 7 News. Retrieved May 4, 2016.
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ Claffey, Mike; Kollias, Marisa (March 31, 2008). "IDOT: Edens/I-94 Rehab Project Will Close One Lane In Each Direction Until Late Summer" (Press release). Illinois Department of Transportation. Retrieved April 4, 2008.
  12. ^ Greco Jr., Carmen. "Kingery Expressway readies for face-lift in 2005". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
  13. ^ "Bishop Ford Construction Headaches to Begin". WBEZ Chicago. May 11, 2009. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
  14. ^ a b Illinois Technology Transfer Center (2006). "T2 GIS Data". Retrieved November 8, 2007.
  15. ^ System Map (Map). Illinois State Toll Highway Authority. November 2007. Retrieved March 5, 2008.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Interstate 94 in Illinois.
Interstate 94
Previous state:
Wisconsin 		Illinois Next state:
Indiana
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