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Interstate 90 in Illinois
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Interstate 90 in Illinois
Interstate 90 (I-90) in the US state of Illinois runs roughly northwest-to-southeast through the northern part of the state. From the Wisconsin state line at South Beloit, it heads south to Rockford before heading east-southeast to the Indiana state line at Chicago. I-90 traverses 124 miles (200 km) through a variety of settings, from farmland west of the Fox River Valley through the medium-density suburbs west of O'Hare International Airport, through Downtown Chicago, and through the heart of the industrial southeast side of Chicago before entering Indiana.
I-90 comprises several named highways. The Interstate runs along the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (previously called the Northwest Tollway) from South Beloit to O'Hare Airport, the Kennedy Expressway from O'Hare to the Chicago Loop, the Dan Ryan Expressway from the Loop to the Chicago Skyway, and the Skyway to the Indiana state line. The Jane Addams and Chicago Skyway are toll roads maintained by the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority (ISTHA) and the Skyway Concession Company (SCC), respectively. The remainder of the highway is maintained by the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT).
I-90 enters Illinois concurrently with I-39 in South Beloit as a six-lane expressway. US Route 51 (US 51) joins Interstate at exit 1 (South Beloit); the 0.3 miles (0.48 km) between the exit and the state line is the only point where I-39 is not concurrent with US 51 in Illinois. The Jane Addams Memorial Tollway is immediately south of Rockton and the South Beloit Toll Plaza (the northernmost toll plaza in Illinois). I-39/I-90 continues in nearly a north-south direction towards Rockford, and IL 173 serves as its first exit; the Interstate pass through Rock Cut State Park (among the largest in the state). The next exit (East Riverside Boulevard) forms the border between Rockford and Loves Park. US 20 makes its first two interchanges with I-90 in Winnebago County, both within two miles (3.2 km) of each other in the Rockford region. The first is with the State Street US 20 business route connecting Rockford and Belvidere. The second is where I-90 splits with I-39/US 51, with the latter taking the path of the westbound US 20 bypass between Rockford and Cherry Valley for approximately three miles (4.8 km) before it splits again to move southward. As the Jane Addams splits from I-39, I-90 takes a sharp change in direction from south to east; until it crosses through Jane Byrne Interchange in Chicago, it is signed only as I-90. The I-39/I-90 split between Rockford and Cherry Valley marks the point where I-90 and US 20 follow nearly parallel routing until their eastern terminus in Massachusetts (though sharing no concurrency). Eastward of the interchange, I-90 is fitted with center-mounted lighting. Shortly before entering Boone County, I-90 crosses the Kishwaukee River.
Shortly after entering Boone County, I-90 passes over US 20 and has two exits providing access to Belvidere (accessing the eastern terminus of the US 20 business route). In addition to a westbound toll plaza, an Illinois Tollway oasis is located here (the sole example on I-90). The over-highway design of the oasis houses multiple vendors, allowing tollway travelers the options of resting, eating, and refueling from one location on the highway. East of Belvidere, I-90 exits the Rockford region and enters into more substantially rural surroundings, spacing exits much further apart. It changes to a southeast direction as it approaches McHenry County, where the only exit is in unincorporated Riley on IL 23 (five miles [8.0 km] south of Marengo); to match the westbound Belvidere Toll Plaza, eastbound traffic passes through the Marengo Toll Plaza (approximately a mile eastward of IL 23). As I-90 enters Kane County, the surroundings begin to transition from the farmland of Boone and McHenry counties towards various locations of the western Chicago suburbs (entering the Golden Corridor of Illinois); within five miles (8.0 km), the tollway has two exits. In Hampshire, I-90 has its third interchange with US 20; an eastward exit is located with IL 47 between Pingree Grove and Huntley. As I-90 approaches the Fox Valley, it enters Elgin, passing Randall Road (the historic western terminus of the Chicago suburbs). After the interchange, I-90 expands from six to eight lanes in width and gradually turns east as it passes through the Elgin Toll Plaza (both directions) and IL 31. After crossing the Fox River, it passes.
After passing IL 25 in Elgin, I-90 moves uphill and enters Cook County, heading eastward towards I-290 (Eisenhower Expressway). Prior to its intersection with the Eisenhower, the highway passes through Hoffman Estates (including IL 59) and Schaumburg (each also have a westbound-only interchange). Eastward of the Barrington Road exit (the first SPUI exit on the tollway), I-90 is fitted with active traffic management gantries. I-290 has its northern terminus with I-90, becoming IL 53 north of the tollway. To the north, the exit provides access to many suburbs accessed by both US 12 and US 14. To the south, the Eisenhower provides expressway access to the city of Chicago, along with access to I-355 (accessing the southern suburbs with access to I-55 and I-80). After passing the Eisenhower, I-90 expands from eight to ten lanes and turns gradually southeast towards Des Plaines (passing through Rolling Meadows and Arlington Heights). As it approaches Elmhurst Road (IL 83 north of I-90), the tollway moves back to eight lanes as it passes directly north of O'Hare International Airport; it widens back to ten lanes as it passes over US 45. The final exits for the I-90 tollway are in Rosemont, on Devon Avenue (westbound traffic) and River Road (eastbound).
Moving east of the Tri-State Tollway (I-294) and crossing the Des Plaines River, I-90 enters the Chicago city limits; no longer tolled, it becomes the Kennedy Expressway, with the CTA Blue Line operating in the median. After crossing IL 43, the Kennedy turns southeast, with I-94 joining it at IL 50 (marking the southern terminus of the Edens Expressway). Eastward of IL 50 (Cicero Avenue), the highway operates with reversible express lanes, directing express traffic in addition to the eight lanes of local traffic. Following the direction of the Chicago River, the Kennedy Expressway has its eastern terminus in the West Loop at the Jane Byrne Interchange (passing the Eisenhower Expressway). After passing through the Jane Byrne Interchange, I-90/I-94 becomes the Dan Ryan Expressway. In contrast to the electronically-controlled gates used by the Kennedy, the Dan Ryan is up to 14 lanes wide (with a center express section and outer lanes for local traffic). In the Englewood neighborhood, I-90 splits from I-94, becoming the tolled Chicago Skyway. Following the southeast direction of the railroad tracks in the area, the six-lane skyway is an elevated road linked to a bridge crossing the Calumet River. As it exits Illinois, I-90 continues into Hammond, Indiana, (directly over US 20 and US 41) before moving back onto ground level as the Indiana Toll Road.
The 76-mile (122 km) Northwest Tollway portion of I-90 opened on August 20, 1958. Prior to the opening, the first vehicle to officially travel the new roadway was a covered wagon navigated by local resident John Madsen who took five days to make the journey.
On September 7, 2007, highway officials responding to an effort by state lawmakers renamed the Northwest Tollway to Jane Addams Memorial Tollway, after Jane Addams, the Nobel Peace Prize winner and founder of the Settlement House movement in the US.
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Interstate 90 in Illinois
Interstate 90 (I-90) in the US state of Illinois runs roughly northwest-to-southeast through the northern part of the state. From the Wisconsin state line at South Beloit, it heads south to Rockford before heading east-southeast to the Indiana state line at Chicago. I-90 traverses 124 miles (200 km) through a variety of settings, from farmland west of the Fox River Valley through the medium-density suburbs west of O'Hare International Airport, through Downtown Chicago, and through the heart of the industrial southeast side of Chicago before entering Indiana.
I-90 comprises several named highways. The Interstate runs along the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (previously called the Northwest Tollway) from South Beloit to O'Hare Airport, the Kennedy Expressway from O'Hare to the Chicago Loop, the Dan Ryan Expressway from the Loop to the Chicago Skyway, and the Skyway to the Indiana state line. The Jane Addams and Chicago Skyway are toll roads maintained by the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority (ISTHA) and the Skyway Concession Company (SCC), respectively. The remainder of the highway is maintained by the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT).
I-90 enters Illinois concurrently with I-39 in South Beloit as a six-lane expressway. US Route 51 (US 51) joins Interstate at exit 1 (South Beloit); the 0.3 miles (0.48 km) between the exit and the state line is the only point where I-39 is not concurrent with US 51 in Illinois. The Jane Addams Memorial Tollway is immediately south of Rockton and the South Beloit Toll Plaza (the northernmost toll plaza in Illinois). I-39/I-90 continues in nearly a north-south direction towards Rockford, and IL 173 serves as its first exit; the Interstate pass through Rock Cut State Park (among the largest in the state). The next exit (East Riverside Boulevard) forms the border between Rockford and Loves Park. US 20 makes its first two interchanges with I-90 in Winnebago County, both within two miles (3.2 km) of each other in the Rockford region. The first is with the State Street US 20 business route connecting Rockford and Belvidere. The second is where I-90 splits with I-39/US 51, with the latter taking the path of the westbound US 20 bypass between Rockford and Cherry Valley for approximately three miles (4.8 km) before it splits again to move southward. As the Jane Addams splits from I-39, I-90 takes a sharp change in direction from south to east; until it crosses through Jane Byrne Interchange in Chicago, it is signed only as I-90. The I-39/I-90 split between Rockford and Cherry Valley marks the point where I-90 and US 20 follow nearly parallel routing until their eastern terminus in Massachusetts (though sharing no concurrency). Eastward of the interchange, I-90 is fitted with center-mounted lighting. Shortly before entering Boone County, I-90 crosses the Kishwaukee River.
Shortly after entering Boone County, I-90 passes over US 20 and has two exits providing access to Belvidere (accessing the eastern terminus of the US 20 business route). In addition to a westbound toll plaza, an Illinois Tollway oasis is located here (the sole example on I-90). The over-highway design of the oasis houses multiple vendors, allowing tollway travelers the options of resting, eating, and refueling from one location on the highway. East of Belvidere, I-90 exits the Rockford region and enters into more substantially rural surroundings, spacing exits much further apart. It changes to a southeast direction as it approaches McHenry County, where the only exit is in unincorporated Riley on IL 23 (five miles [8.0 km] south of Marengo); to match the westbound Belvidere Toll Plaza, eastbound traffic passes through the Marengo Toll Plaza (approximately a mile eastward of IL 23). As I-90 enters Kane County, the surroundings begin to transition from the farmland of Boone and McHenry counties towards various locations of the western Chicago suburbs (entering the Golden Corridor of Illinois); within five miles (8.0 km), the tollway has two exits. In Hampshire, I-90 has its third interchange with US 20; an eastward exit is located with IL 47 between Pingree Grove and Huntley. As I-90 approaches the Fox Valley, it enters Elgin, passing Randall Road (the historic western terminus of the Chicago suburbs). After the interchange, I-90 expands from six to eight lanes in width and gradually turns east as it passes through the Elgin Toll Plaza (both directions) and IL 31. After crossing the Fox River, it passes.
After passing IL 25 in Elgin, I-90 moves uphill and enters Cook County, heading eastward towards I-290 (Eisenhower Expressway). Prior to its intersection with the Eisenhower, the highway passes through Hoffman Estates (including IL 59) and Schaumburg (each also have a westbound-only interchange). Eastward of the Barrington Road exit (the first SPUI exit on the tollway), I-90 is fitted with active traffic management gantries. I-290 has its northern terminus with I-90, becoming IL 53 north of the tollway. To the north, the exit provides access to many suburbs accessed by both US 12 and US 14. To the south, the Eisenhower provides expressway access to the city of Chicago, along with access to I-355 (accessing the southern suburbs with access to I-55 and I-80). After passing the Eisenhower, I-90 expands from eight to ten lanes and turns gradually southeast towards Des Plaines (passing through Rolling Meadows and Arlington Heights). As it approaches Elmhurst Road (IL 83 north of I-90), the tollway moves back to eight lanes as it passes directly north of O'Hare International Airport; it widens back to ten lanes as it passes over US 45. The final exits for the I-90 tollway are in Rosemont, on Devon Avenue (westbound traffic) and River Road (eastbound).
Moving east of the Tri-State Tollway (I-294) and crossing the Des Plaines River, I-90 enters the Chicago city limits; no longer tolled, it becomes the Kennedy Expressway, with the CTA Blue Line operating in the median. After crossing IL 43, the Kennedy turns southeast, with I-94 joining it at IL 50 (marking the southern terminus of the Edens Expressway). Eastward of IL 50 (Cicero Avenue), the highway operates with reversible express lanes, directing express traffic in addition to the eight lanes of local traffic. Following the direction of the Chicago River, the Kennedy Expressway has its eastern terminus in the West Loop at the Jane Byrne Interchange (passing the Eisenhower Expressway). After passing through the Jane Byrne Interchange, I-90/I-94 becomes the Dan Ryan Expressway. In contrast to the electronically-controlled gates used by the Kennedy, the Dan Ryan is up to 14 lanes wide (with a center express section and outer lanes for local traffic). In the Englewood neighborhood, I-90 splits from I-94, becoming the tolled Chicago Skyway. Following the southeast direction of the railroad tracks in the area, the six-lane skyway is an elevated road linked to a bridge crossing the Calumet River. As it exits Illinois, I-90 continues into Hammond, Indiana, (directly over US 20 and US 41) before moving back onto ground level as the Indiana Toll Road.
The 76-mile (122 km) Northwest Tollway portion of I-90 opened on August 20, 1958. Prior to the opening, the first vehicle to officially travel the new roadway was a covered wagon navigated by local resident John Madsen who took five days to make the journey.
On September 7, 2007, highway officials responding to an effort by state lawmakers renamed the Northwest Tollway to Jane Addams Memorial Tollway, after Jane Addams, the Nobel Peace Prize winner and founder of the Settlement House movement in the US.
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