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Roads and expressways in Chicago

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Sunset view of the Chicago Skyway tollbooths at the entrance to the Chicago southbound city limits

Roads and expressways in Chicago summarizes the main thoroughfares and the numbering system used in Chicago and its surrounding suburbs.

Street layout

Chicago's streets were laid out in a grid that grew from the city's original townsite plan platted by James Thompson. Streets following the Public Land Survey System section lines later became arterial streets in outlying sections. As new additions to the city were platted, city ordinance required them to be laid out with eight streets to the mile in one direction and 16 in the other direction. A scattering of diagonal streets, many of them originally Native American trails, also cross the city. Many additional diagonal streets were recommended in the Plan of Chicago, but only the extension of Ogden Avenue was ever constructed. In the 1950s and 1960s, a network of superhighways was built radiating from the city center.

As the city grew and annexed adjacent towns, problems arose with duplicate street names and a confusing numbering system based on the Chicago River. On June 22, 1908, the city council adopted a system proposed by Edward P. Brennan; amended June 21, 1909. The changes were effective September 1, 1909 for most of the city.

Addresses in Chicago and some suburbs are numbered outward from baselines at State Street, which runs north and south, and Madison Street, which runs east and west.

The division of Chicago's directional address system is at State Street - separating East (E) from West (W), and Madison Street - North (N) from South (S).

A book was published in 1909 by The Chicago Directory Company indexing the old and new street numbers for most of Chicago. This volume is available online in PDF format indexed by initial letter, Plan of Re-Numbering, City of Chicago, August 1909. The opening text of the book says: EXPLANATORY

The new house numbering plan passed by the City Council June 22, 1908, to be in force and effect September 1, 1909, makes Madison Street from Lake Michigan to the city limits on the west the base line for numbering all north and south streets and streets running in northerly or southerly direction. For east and west streets and streets running in a generally east and west direction the base line is State Street from the southern city boundary line to North Avenue, thence extended by an imaginary line through Lincoln Park and Lake Michigan.

The downtown area did not conform to this system until April 1, 1911, per an amendment to the law on June 20, 1910. Downtown was defined as Lake Michigan on the east, Roosevelt Road (Twelfth Street) on the south, and the Chicago River on the north and west. The addition to cover downtown was published, and is also on line as a pdf indexed by downtown street name.

This additional paragraph explained the downtown changes:

The 1909 address change did not affect downtown Chicago, between the river and Roosevelt Road, the river and Lake Michigan. The ordinance was amended June 20, 1910 to include the downtown area. The new addresses for the “loop” went into use on April 1, 1911.

Chicago house numbers are generally assigned at the rate of 800 to a mile. The only exceptions are from Madison to 31st Street, just south of downtown. Roosevelt Road (previously Twelfth St) is one mile south of Madison with 1200 addresses to the mile, Cermak Road (previously 22nd Street) is two miles south of Madison with 1000 addresses to the mile, and 31st Street (3100 S) is three miles south of Madison with 900 addresses to the mile. South of 31st Street, the pattern of 800 to the mile resumes, with 39th Street the next major street, 47th after that, and so on. Individual house numbers are normally assigned at the rate of one per 20 feet of frontage. Thus the last two digits of house numbers generally go only as high as 67 before the next block number is reached. Higher house numbers are found on diagonal streets and have sometimes been assigned by request.

The blocks are normally counted out by "hundreds," so that Chicagoans routinely give directions by saying things such as "about twelve hundred north on Western" or "around twenty-four hundred west on Division" (which both describe the intersection of Western Avenue (2400 W) and Division Street (1200 N)).

South of Madison Street most of the east–west streets are simply numbered. The street numbering is aligned with the house numbering, so that 95th Street is exactly 9500 South. "Half-block" east–west thoroughfares in this area are numbered and called places; 95th Place would lie just south of and parallel to 95th Street, and just north of 96th Street.

Every four blocks (half-mile) is a major secondary street. For example, Division Street (1200 N) is less important than either Chicago Avenue (800 N) or North Avenue (1600 N), but is still a major thoroughfare. However, this is not always the case; for example, on the city's Far North Side, Peterson Avenue (6000 N) is a more heavily trafficked street than Bryn Mawr Avenue (5600 N), which sits exactly at the 7-mile marker. U.S. Route 14 is routed along Peterson between Clark Street at 1600 W and Cicero Avenue at 4800 W, whereas Bryn Mawr is discontinuous, split into two segments in this part of the city by Rosehill Cemetery between Damen and Western Avenues.

Even-numbered addresses are found on the north and west sides of a street, and odd numbers are found on the south and east sides, irrespective of the streets' position relative to the corner of State and Madison.

Diagonals, even if they were to run exactly 45 degrees off of the cardinal directions, are numbered as if they were north–south or east–west streets. Examples are North Lincoln Avenue and Ogden Avenue, which bends at Madison and changes from North Ogden to West Ogden.

The northernmost street in Chicago is Juneway Terrace (7800 N), just north of Howard Street. The southern boundary is 138th Street. The eastern boundary of Chicago is Avenue A/State Line Road (4100 E) along and south of 106th Street, and the furthest west the city extends is in the portion of O'Hare International Airport that lies in DuPage County, just east of Elmhurst/York Road.

Street names

See also: List of Chicago placename etymologies
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While all north–south streets within city limits are named, rather than numbered, smaller streets in some areas are named in groups all starting with the same letter; thus, when traveling westward on a Chicago street, starting just past Pulaski Road (4000 W), one will cross a mile-long stretch of streets which have names starting with the letter K (From east to west: Keystone (North Side)/Komensky (South Side), Karlov, Kedvale, Keeler, Kildare, Kolin, Kostner, Kenneth, Kilbourn, Kolmar, Kenton, Knox, Kilpatrick, Keating), giving rise to the expression "K-town". These streets are found approximately in the 11th mile west of the Indiana state line, and so begin with the 11th letter of the alphabet. A mile later, just past Cicero (4800 W), the starting letter changes to L, and mile by mile the letters progress up to P. Additionally, for most of the first mile west of the Illinois/Indiana state line, streets are lettered from Avenue A at the state line (4100 E) to Avenue O (3430 E), forming the A group. The areas that might otherwise be the B through J groups are the older parts of the city where street names were already well established before this system was developed (although some small groups of streets seem to have been given names intended to conform to the system), and the Q group (8800 to 9600 W) would fall west of the city, as the only land in Chicago west of 8800 West is O'Hare International Airport, undeveloped forest preserve, and a small strip of land connecting O'Hare to the rest of the city and containing only Foster Avenue.

Suburbs

Some suburbs number their east–west streets in a continuation of the Chicago pattern, and even more number their houses according to the Chicago grid. A few suburbs also number their north–south avenues according to the Chicago grid, although such numbering vanished from Chicago itself long ago (the alphabetical naming scheme was devised to help eliminate it). For example, the 54th/Cermak terminus of the Pink Line is located near the intersection of 54th Avenue and Cermak Road (22nd Street) in Cicero. This is 54 blocks west of State Street in Chicago. A minor street 54+1⁄2 blocks west of State Street would be called 54th Court (in reality, that is Lotus Avenue in Chicago).

This pattern continues as far west as Plainfield, which has a 252nd Avenue, as far north as Skokie at Central Street (10100 North), and as far south as the southern edge of Will County. Suburbs that follow the Chicago numbering system include Berwyn, Bridgeview, Brookfield, Burbank, Channahon, Chicago Heights, Cicero, Crystal Lake, Elwood, Evergreen Park, Franklin Park, Justice, Lincolnwood, Matteson, Monee, Morris, Morton Grove, Niles, North Chicago, Oak Forest, Oak Lawn, Orland Park, Oswego, River Grove, Rosemont, Skokie, Westchester, unincorporated parts of Des Plaines, Glenview, and other parts of Cook County, Will, DuPage, Kendall, and Grundy Counties. Other suburbs, including Evanston, Park Ridge, Oak Park, Glenview and Wilmette use their own numbering systems. The six "collar" counties (DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, and Will) use State and Madison as a base line. For example, 32W000 in DuPage County is 32 miles west of State Street, 38000 in Lake County would be 38 miles north of Madison Street, and is normally used without the direction letter. In these counties, unlike Chicago, numbering is 1,000 numbers to the mile, so in DuPage County 32+1⁄2 miles west is 32W500.

Some Chicago suburbs in adjoining Northwest Indiana also use the Chicago numbering system. These include East Chicago, Whiting, and Hammond. There are even examples further south in Lake County in Dyer and Schererville such as 205th Place through 215th Street (these examples coordinate with the Chicago grid, not the Gary street system). Other municipalities, such as Highland, and Griffith are based on the Gary, Indiana numbering system, beginning with 5th Avenue in Gary and increasing numerically as one travels southward. Examples in Scheider in the far south of Lake County, Indiana go as far down as 244th Avenue.

The aforementioned pattern also occurs in Waukegan, Illinois, with Washington Street being the baseline between north and south. Nearby municipalities such as Gurnee, Park City, and North Chicago continue with the Waukegan numbering pattern, while rural areas in Lake County, Illinois follow the Chicago grid.

Grid

Mile roads

East–West Streets North–South Streets
Mile Address number Street name Route designation Address number Street name Route designation
39 39000 W Orchard Road CR 83 (Kane)
38 38000 W Peck Road; Edgelawn Drive CR 84 (Kane)
37 37000 W Randall Road CR 34 (Kane) CR 16 (Kendall)
36 36000 W Lincolnway Street; Lake Street IL 31 / Lincoln Highway
35+1⁄2 35500 W McLean Boulevard IL 31
35 35000 W 5th Street; River Street IL 25
34+1⁄2 34500 W IL 31; Mitchell Road (276th Avenue) IL 31
IL 25
34 34000 W Ohio Street (272nd Avenue)
33+1⁄2 33500 W Farnsworth Avenue; Ridge Road (268th Avenue) CR V37 (Grundy)
33 33000 W Kautz Road (264th Avenue) IL 25
32+1⁄2 26000 N 8th Street 32500 W Eola Road (260th Avenue) CR 14 (DuPage)
CR 18 (DuPage)
32 25600 N 12th Street; McGaw Road 32000 W Beverly Road (256th Avenue)
31+1⁄2 25200 N 16th Street 31500 W 252nd Avenue (Normantown Road)
31 24800 N 20th Street; Townline Road 31000 W 248th Avenue
30+1⁄2 24400 N 24th Street 30500 W Munger Road (244th Avenue) CR 18 (DuPage)
30 24000 N Buckley Road IL 137 30000 W IL 59 (240th Avenue) IL 59
US 30 / Lincoln Highway
29 23200 N Erhart Road 29000 W Rickert Drive; Book Road (232nd Avenue) US 34
CR 1 (DuPage)
28 22400 N Dunbar Road 28000 W Plainfield–Naperville Road (224th Avenue) CR 1 (DuPage)
CR 14 (Will)
27 21600 N Hawley Street CR A38 (Lake) 27000 W Barrington Road (216th Avenue)
26 20800 N Allanson Road 20400 W Bartlett Road
25 20000 N Crystal Lake Avenue 20300 W Hough Street IL 59
24 19200 N Indian Creek Road US 14 20000 W Summit Street
23 18400 N Miller Road; Rakow Road 18000 W Roselle Road CR 4 (DuPage)
22 17600 N Half Day Road; Prairie Avenue IL 22 16600 W IL 53; Meacham Road (176th Avenue) IL 53
CR V64
21 16800 N Park Avenue 16200 W Rohlwing Road (168th Avenue) IL 53
CR 56 (DuPage)
20.5 16400 N Aptakisic Road 16000 W Barker Avenue
20 16000 N Greenwood Avenue 15800 W Lemont Road (160th Avenue) CR 9 (DuPage)
19.5 15600 N Deerfield Road 15400 W Wilke Road
19 15200 N Roger Williams Avenue 15000 W Fairview Avenue (152nd Avenue) CR 25 (DuPage)
18.5 14800 N Ridgelee Road 14600 W Williams Street; Fernandez Avenue
18 14400 N Commercial Avenue 14200 W Ardmore Avenue; Cedar Road (144th Avenue) CR 15 (DuPage)
US 52
17.5 14000 N Dundee Road IL 68 13800 W Goebbert Road
17 13600 N Walters Avenue 13400 W Busse Road; Kingery Highway (136th Avenue) IL 83
16.5 13200 N Tower Road 13100 W Linneman Road
16 12800 N Palatine Road 12800 W Elmhurst Road; York Road CR 8 (DuPage)
15.5 12400 N Willow Road 12400 W Garfield Street; Marshall Drive
15 12000 N Winnetka Road 12000 W Mt. Prospect Road; County Line Road
14.5 11600 N Illinois Road 11600 W Taft Avenue; Warrington Road
14 11200 N Lake Avenue 11200 W Wolf Road US 6 / IL 7
CR W22
13.5 10800 N Wilmette Avenue 10800 W Gilbert Avenue; Willow Springs Road CR W75
13 10400 N Glenview Road 10400 W Mannheim Road US 12 / US 20 / US 45
12.5 10000 N Old Orchard Road IL 83 10000 W Scott Street; West Avenue
12 9600 N Golf Road IL 58 9600 W 25th Avenue (96th Avenue) US 12 / US 20 / US 45
11.5 9200 N Church Street 9200 W 17th Avenue; Maple Avenue
11 8800 N Dempster Street US 14 / IL 58 8800 W 9th Avenue; East River Road CR W30
10+1⁄2 8400 N Main Street 8400 W 1st Avenue; Cumberland Avenue IL 171
10 8000 N Oakton Steet 8000 W Pacific Avenue CR W32
9+1⁄2 7600 N Howard Street 7600 W Oriole Avenue
9 7200 N Touhy Avenue IL 72 7200 W Harlem Avenue (72nd Avenue) IL 43 US 66
8.5 6800 N Pratt Boulevard 6800 W Oak Park Avenue; Newcastle Avenue (68th Avenue)
8 6400 N Devon Avenue CR 6 (DuPage) 6400 W Narragansett Avenue; Nagle Avenue (64th Avenue)
7+1⁄2 6000 N Peterson Avenue 6000 W Austin Avenue (60th Avenue)
7 5600 N Bryn Mawr Avenue 5600 W Central Avenue (56th Avenue)
6+1⁄2 5200 N Foster Avenue 5200 W Laramie Avenue (52nd Avenue)
6 4800 N Lawrence Avenue 4800 W Cicero Avenue (48th Avenue) US 41 / IL 50 / IL 83
5+1⁄2 4400 N Montrose Avenue 4400 W Kostner Avenue (44th Avenue)
5 4000 N Irving Park Road IL 19 4000 W Pulaski Road (40th Avenue)
4+1⁄2 3600 N Addison Street 3600 W Central Park Avenue
4 3200 N Belmont Avenue 3200 W Kedzie Avenue (32nd Avenue)
3+1⁄2 2800 N Diversey Parkway 2800 W California Avenue (28th Avenue)
3 2400 N Fullerton Avenue 2400 W Western Avenue (24th Avenue)
2+1⁄2 2000 N Armitage Avenue 2000 W Damen Avenue (20th Avenue)
2 1600 N North Avenue IL 64 1600 W Ashland Avenue (16th Avenue)
1+1⁄2 1200 N Division Street 1200 W Racine Avenue (12th Avenue)
1 800 N Chicago Avenue 800 W Halsted Street (8th Avenue) IL 1
1⁄2 400 N Kinzie Street 400 W Sedgwick Street (4th Avenue); Stewart Avenue
0 0 N/S Madison Street 0 E/W State Street (Middle Avenue) CR W55
1⁄2 600 S Harrison Street (6th Street) CR 62 400 E Martin Luther King Jr. Drive (South Parkway) CR W55
1 1200 S Roosevelt Road (12th Street) IL 38 800 E Cottage Grove Avenue
1+1⁄2 1600 S 16th Street 1200 E Woodlawn Avenue
2 2200 S Cermak Road (22nd Street) 1600 E Stony Island Avenue; Volbrecht Road
2+1⁄2 2600 S 26th Street 2000 E Jeffery Boulevard
3 3100 S 31st Street (Oak Brook Road) CR 34 (DuPage) 2400 E Yates Boulevard
3+1⁄2 3500 S 35th Street 2800 E Burnham Avenue
4 3900 S Pershing Road (39th Street) 3200 E Brandon Avenue
4+1⁄2 4300 S 43rd Street 3600 E Avenue L
5 4700 S 47th Street 4000 E Avenue C
5+1⁄2 5100 S 51st Street; Hyde Park Boulevard 4400 E Manor Avenue
6 5500 S Garfield Boulevard; 55th Street CR 35 (DuPage)
6+1⁄2 5900 S 59th Street
7 6300 S 63rd Street CR 38 (DuPage)
7+1⁄2 6700 S 67th Street; Marquette Road
8 7100 S 71st Street
8+1⁄2 7500 S 75th Street CR 33 (DuPage)
9 7900 S 79th Street CR B40
9+1⁄2 8300 S 83rd Street
10 8700 S 87th Street CR 31 (DuPage)
10+1⁄2 9100 S 91st Street
11 9500 S 95th Street US 12 / US 20
CR 89 (Will)
11+1⁄2 9900 S 99th Street
12 10300 S 103rd Street
12+1⁄2 10700 S 107th Street
13 11100 S 111th Street IL 83
CR 66 (Will)
13+1⁄2 11500 S 115th Street
14 11900 S 119th Street
14+1⁄2 12300 S 123rd Street
15 12700 S 127th Street IL 83
15+1⁄2 13100 S 131st Street
16 13500 S 135th Street;
Romeo Road		 CR 35 (Will)
16+1⁄2 13900 S 139th Street
17 14300 S 143rd Street IL 7
CR 37 (Will)
US 30
17+1⁄2 14700 S 147th Street IL 83
18 15100 S 151st Street; Lockport Street CR W32
IL 126
18+1⁄2 15500 S 155th Street CR W55
19 15900 S 159th Street IL 7 / US 6
CR 36 (Will)
19+1⁄2 16300 S 163rd Street
20 16700 S 167th Street
20+1⁄2 17100 S 171st Street CR B60
21 17500 S 175th Street CR 5 (Will)
CR 23 (Kendall)
21+1⁄2 17900 S 179th Street
22 18300 S 183rd Street
22+1⁄2 18700 S 187th Street US 6
23 19100 S 191st Street CR B65
CR 84 (Will)
23+1⁄2 19500 S 195th Street
24 19900 S Vollmer Road; Jefferson Street US 52
24+1⁄2 20300 S 203rd Street; Joe Orr Road
25 20700 S 207th Street
25+1⁄2 21100 S Lincoln Highway US 30 / Lincoln Highway
26 21500 S 215th Street
26+1⁄2 21900 S 26th Street (219th Street)
27 22300 S 30th Street; Laraway Road
(223rd Street)		 CR 74 (Will)
27+1⁄2 22700 S 34th Street (227th Street)
28 23100 S Delaney Road; Steger Road CR C12 / CR C13
29 23900 S Stuenkel Road; University Parkway
30 24700 S Bluff Road CR 77 (Will)
30+1⁄2 25100 S Manhattan Road CR 17 (Will)
31 25500 S Monee-Manhattan Road; Arsenal Road CR 6 (Will)
CR 17 (Will)
US 6
31+1⁄2 25900 S Crete-Monee Road CR 21 (Will)
32+1⁄2 26700 S Bemes Road
33 27100 S Pauling Road CR 23 (Will)
33+1⁄2 27500 S Blodgett Road; Marseilles Road CR C26 (Grundy)
US 6
34 27900 S Eagle Lake Road
34+1⁄2 28300 S Joliet Road; North Peotone Road CR 80 (Will)
US 52
CR 20 (Will)
35 28700 S Beecher Road; Indiana Avenue CR 24 (Will)
36 29500 S Wilmington Road CR 25 (Will)
37 30300 S Coal City Road; Division Street IL 113
38 31100 S Reed Road; Kennedy Road IL 113
  1. Square Barn Road in Algonquin, Swanson Road in Crystal Lake
  2. Grove Road in Oswego
  3. Pyott Road in Crystal Lake, Banbury Road in Batavia, Douglas Road near Oswego
  4. Radant Road in Batavia
  5. Harvey Road in Oswego
  6. County Line Road in Plainfield
  7. Heggs Road in Plainfield, Kress Road in West Chicago
  8. Wallin Drive in Plainfield
  9. Van Dyke Road in Plainfield
  10. Blodgett Street in Lake Bluff
  11. Essington Road in Bolingbrook Plainfield, and Joliet
  12. Shaffner Road in Wheaton; Washington Street and Modaff Road in Naperville; Kings Road in Bolingbrook
  13. Duffy Lane in Riverwoods
  14. Columbine Avenue in Lombard; Woodward Avenue in Woodridge and Downers Grove; Smith Road in Lamont
  15. Berkeley Road in Highland Park
  16. Main Street in Lombard; Brookbank Road in Downers Grove
  17. Prospect Avenue in Itasca and Wood Dale
  18. Tonne Road in Elk Grove Village; Cass Avenue in Westmont and Darien; Walker Road in Lemont
  19. Clarendon Hills Road in Willowbrook and Darien; Parker Road in Homer Glen
  20. Pine Street in Winnetka
  21. Madison Street in Hinsdale and Willowbrook; Bell Road in Lemont and Homer Glen
  22. Thomas Street in Arlington Heights
  23. Will–Cook Road south of the Calumet Sag, Will Road in Diamond
  24. Roberta Avenue in Melrose Park, Northlake, and Franklin Park
  25. Brainard Avenue in La Grange and Countryside; Flavin Road in Willow Springs
  26. Lincoln Street in Mt. Prospect
  27. 33rd Avenue in Stone Park and Melrose Park; Eastern Avenue in Bellwood
  28. Kenman Avenue in La Grange Park; Rose Street in Schiller Park; La Grange Road south of the Calumet Sag
  29. Kean Avenue south of the Calumet Sag
  30. Cork Avenue and 88th Avenue south of the Calumet Sag
  31. 84th Avenue south of the Calumet Sag
  32. Roberts Road between the Des Plaines River and the Calumet Sag; 80th Avenue south of the Calumet Sag
  33. Lathrop Avenue in Forest Park and River Forest; 76th Avenue in Elmwood Park and south of the Calumet Sag
  34. 68th Avenue in Palos Heights
  35. Ridgeland Avenue in the suburbs
  36. Skokie Boulevard in Lincolnwood and Skokie
  37. Crawford Avenue in Lincolnwood and Skokie
  38. Dodge Avenue in Evanston
  39. Asbury Avenue in Evanston
  40. Custer Avenue in Evanston
  41. Fawell Boulevard in Glen Ellyn, Mack Road in Warrenville
  42. Shields Avenue in Brookfield
  43. Chicago Avenue in Hinsdale
  44. Hobson Road in Downers Grove
  45. Bailey Road in Naperville
  46. German Church Road in Willow Springs and Burr Ridge; Montgomery Road in Aurora
  47. Oldfield Road in Darien and Downers Grove Township, Keating Drive in Aurora and Wheatland Township
  48. Hassert Boulevard in Wheatland and Bolingbrook Township
  49. Claar Boulevard in Bolingbrook and DuPage Township
  50. Rodeo Drive in Bolingbrook, Plainfield and Wheatland Township
  51. McCarthy Road in Palos Park and Palos Township, Lemont Township and Lemont
  52. Normantown Road in Romeoville, Reagan Boulevard in Bolingbrook and Plainfield
  53. Pilcher Road in Plainfield
  54. Taylor Road in Romeoville, Plainfield Township, and Lockport Township
  55. Airport Road in Romeoville, Plainfield Township, and Lockport Township
  56. Dreesen Street in Harvey, 158th Street east of the Little Calumet River
  57. 162nd Street in South Holland, Renwick Road in Plainfield, Crest Hill, and Romeoville
  58. 7th Street in Lockport
  59. Division Street in Lockport
  60. Bruce Road in Lockport and Homer Glen, Caton Farm Road in Crystal Lawns and Crest Hill
  61. 186th Street east of the Calumet Expressway, Theodore Street in Crest Hill and Joliet
  62. Ingalls Avenue in Joliet
  63. Flossmoor Road in Flossmoor; Glenwood–Lansing Road in Glenwood and Lansing, Black Road in Joliet
  64. 10th Street in Chicago Heights
  65. Schweitzer Road in Joliet
  66. Offner Road south of Monee
  67. Lorenzo Road north of Braidwood, Pine Bluff Road south of Morris, Church Road in Beecher
  68. County Line Road south of Peotone

(No part of Golf Road, Dempster Street, Oakton Street, Wolf Road, LaGrange Road or 143rd Street to 311th Street actually lies within the boundaries of Chicago. These streets are included for reference, since they are a continuation of the Chicago mile street pattern into the suburbs.)

Downtown

The density of main streets in downtown Chicago is greater than in the rest of the city, with some at half-block spacing (just 50 address numbers or one-sixteenth mile from the next parallel street), or block spacing between main streets, unlike the rest of the city where the main streets are spaced at half-mile and mile intervals:

Secondary streets

  • East/west:
    • 10000 N – (Old Orchard Road)
    • 9200 N – (Church Street)
    • 8400 N – (Main Street)
    • 7600 N – Howard Street
    • 6800 N – Pratt Avenue
    • 6000 N – Peterson Avenue
    • 5200 N – Foster Avenue
    • 4600 N – Wilson Avenue (not a half-mile)
    • 4400 N – Montrose Avenue
    • 3600 N – Addison Street
    • 2800 N – Diversey Parkway
    • 2000 N – Armitage Avenue
    • 1200 N – Division Street
    • 400 N – Kinzie Street
    • 1000 S – Taylor Street (not a half-mile)
    • 1600 S – 16th Street
    • 2600 S – 26th Street
    • 3500 S – 35th Street
    • 4300 S – 43rd Street
    • 5100 S – 51st Street (East Hyde Park Boulevard)
    • 5900 S – 59th Street
    • 6700 S – Marquette Road (67th Street)
    • 7500 S – CR 33 75th Street
    • 8300 S – 83rd Street (German Church Road in Willow Springs, Montgomery Road in Aurora)
    • 9100 S – 91st Street
    • 9900 S – 99th Street
    • 10400 S - 104th Street
    • 10700 S – 107th Street
    • 11500 S – 115th Street (Claar Boulevard in Bolingbrook)
    • 12300 S – 123rd Street (McCarthy Road in Palos Park)
    • 13000 S – 130th Street (not a half-mile)
    • 13800 S - 138th Street (boundary of Chicago)
  • North/south:
    • 9400 W – River Road (not a half-mile)
    • 8400 W – 1st Avenue (Cumberland Avenue)
    • 7600 W – Oriole Avenue
    • 6800 W – Oak Park Avenue
    • 6000 W – Austin Avenue
    • 5200 W – Laramie Avenue
    • 4400 W – Kostner Avenue
    • 3600 W – Central Park Avenue
    • 3400 W – Kimball Avenue (Homan Avenue) not a half-mile
    • 2800 W – California Avenue
    • 2000 W – Damen Avenue
    • 1200 W – Racine Avenue
    • 400 E – Martin Luther King Jr. Drive (King Drive)
    • 1200 E – Woodlawn Avenue
    • 2000 E – Jeffery Boulevard
    • 2628 E – Torrence Avenue (not a half-mile)
    • 2800 E – Burnham Avenue
    • 3000 E – Commercial Avenue (not a half-mile)
    • 3600 E – Avenue L

The half-mile numbered streets on the South Side are all secondary streets: 35th, 43rd, 51st, 59th, etc.; all are numbered aside from Marquette Road, running at 6700 S, west from King Drive (400 E) to the city's western limit at Cicero Avenue (4800 W), near Midway International Airport. East of King to near Lake Michigan at 2400 E, it is called 67th Street, and Marquette is aligned one block to the north on what would be 66th Street.

(No part of Old Orchard Road, Church Street, or Main Street actually lies within the boundaries of Chicago. These streets are included for reference, since they are a continuation of the Chicago mile street pattern into the suburbs.)

A similar numbering system is also used in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Diagonal roads

The following streets run diagonally through Chicago's grid system on all or part of their courses. These streets tend to form major 5 or 6-way intersections. In many cases they were Indian trails, or were among the earliest streets established in the city. Diagonals are numbered as north–south or east–west streets. Examples are North Lincoln Avenue and Ogden Avenue, which bends at Madison and changes from North Ogden to West Ogden.

Expressways

The city of Chicago proper contains seven major Interstate highways.

Roadway Name Numbers Description
Kennedy Expressway
(Northwest Expressway)		 I-90
I-94
I-190		 Runs from O'Hare east and south to downtown Chicago. It interchanges with the Jane Addams and the Tri-State Tollways near Cumberland Avenue on the city's far northwest side, with the Edens Expressway near Montrose Avenue on the near northwest side, and with the Dan Ryan and Eisenhower Expressways at its southern terminus downtown at the Jane Byrne Interchange. The portion from O'Hare to the Jane Addams and the Tri-State Tollways is I-190; the remainder is signed as I-90. I-94 is overlaid on I-90 south of the junction with the Edens.
Jane Addams Memorial Tollway
(Northwest Tollway)
I-90 Toll		 Runs from its complex interchange with the Kennedy Expressway and the Tri-State Tollway through the northwest suburbs towards Rockford and South Beloit.
Edens Expressway
(Skokie Highway)		 I-94
US 41		 Runs south from Park Avenue West in Highland Park to its interchange with the Kennedy Expressway near Montrose. The Edens Spur (formally part of the Tri-State Tollway) splits off near the north end to meet the Tri-State. The Edens south of the Spur is signed as I-94; the section north of the Skokie Road exit in Wilmette is signed as US 41. US 41 continues north as Skokie Highway beyond the northern terminus of the Edens.
Dan Ryan Expressway I-90
I-94		 Runs south from the Jane Byrne Interchange near the Loop to the Bishop Ford Freeway in the Far Southeast Side in Chicago. In between, the Dan Ryan interchanges with the Stevenson Expressway and the Chicago Skyway near 66th Street. The portion between the Jane Byrne Interchange and the junction with the Chicago Skyway is overlaid with I-90.
Eisenhower Expressway
(Congress Expressway)		 I-290

IL 110 (CKC)
IL 53		 Runs west from the Jane Byrne Interchange to an interchange with the Tri-State Tollway and the eastern terminus of the Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway (I-88) near Hillside, Illinois. Further west, I-290 turns northwest and becomes the "Eisenhower Extension". At the interchange with I-90 near Schaumburg, it continues as IL 53 until eventually terminating at Lake Cook Road. East of the Jane Byrne Interchange, the route continues downtown as Ida B. Wells Drive.
Stevenson Expressway
(Southwest Expressway)		 I-55 Runs southwest from Lake Shore Drive to the Tri-State Tollway in Burr Ridge. Along the way, the expressway interchanges with the Dan Ryan before heading to the south and southwestern neighborhoods of Chicago. The Stevenson then continues past Midway Airport and out of Chicago.
Veterans Memorial Tollway
(North–South Tollway)
I-355 Toll		 Runs south from an interchange with I-290 near Itasca to I-80 near New Lenox. Along the way, I-355 runs through the western suburbs to an interchange with I-88 before continuing south to the interchange with I-55. Then it continues south along 11 miles (18 km) of tollway to its southern terminus at I-80.
Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway
(East–West Tollway)
I-88 Toll

IL 56 Toll

IL 110 (CKC)		 Runs from a complex interchange with the Eisenhower Expressway and the Tri-State Tollway west to U.S. Route 30 near Rock Falls. Along the way, the tollway meets another complex interchange with I-355. Then it heads through the western suburbs into north-central Illinois.
Interstate 57
(Dan Ryan West Leg)		 I-57 Runs south from the junction of the Dan Ryan Expressway and Bishop Ford Freeway to the southern suburbs. Known originally as the "Dan Ryan West Leg", the name has since dropped from common usage. As such, it is the only freeway within the city of Chicago lacking a formal name.
Bishop Ford Freeway
(Calumet Expressway)		 I-94
IL 394		 Runs from the southern terminus of the Dan Ryan Expressway, heads east, then south through the Far Southeast Side in Chicago to the southern suburbs before ending at a junction with the Kingery Expressway and the Tri-State Tollway. South of that point, it continues as IL 394 until IL 1 in Goodenow.
Chicago Skyway
(Calumet Skyway)
I-90 Toll		 The Skyway angles off from the Dan Ryan Expressway near 66th Street and heads southeast toward Indiana. The Skyway ends after a toll bridge over the Little Calumet River and the Indiana state line, at which point it becomes the Indiana Toll Road.
Tri-State Tollway
I-80 Toll

I-94 Toll

I-294 Toll		 Serves as a toll bypass around Chicago. The tollway runs from a combination interchange with the Kingery Expressway and the Bishop Ford Freeway towards an interchange with US 41 just south of the Wisconsin state line. North of the junction with the Edens Spur the Tri-State is signed as I-94; on and south of this it is signed as I-294, the southern part of which is overlaid by I-80.
Kingery Expressway I-80
I-94
US 6		 Located entirely in Lansing, Illinois, this is a three-mile-long expressway running from the interchange with the Bishop Ford Freeway and the Tri-State Tollway to the Illinois/Indiana border.
Lake Shore Drive US 41 A major limited-access highway running along the Lake Michigan shoreline from East 67th Street in southern Chicago to Hollywood Avenue in Chicago's Edgewater neighborhood. For most of its length, Lake Shore Drive is signed as US 41. Portions of Lake Shore Drive were constructed as an expressway.
Elgin Bypass US 20 A five-mile freeway signed as US 20, bypassing Elgin, Illinois. It goes west from the Villa Street interchange, meets IL 25, crosses the Fox River, then meets State Street, McLean Boulevard, and Randall Road before continuing at-grade.
Western Algonquin Bypass IL 31 A two-and-a-half-mile bypass in Algonquin and Crystal Lake. It has two exits on IL 62 (Algonquin Road) and US 14.
Kingery Highway IL 83 From Bensenville, the Kingery Highway heads south 18 miles to just south of the Des Plaines River. It is a multi-lane divided limited-access road with grade-separated portions.
Amstutz Expressway IL 137 A two-mile expressway located entirely in Waukegan, Illinois. It has only one exit at Grand Avenue.
Elgin–O'Hare Tollway
( Elgin–O'Hare Expressway)
IL 390 Toll		 Formerly an unnumbered free expressway, it heads west from IL 83 in Bensenville through Itasca, Roselle, and Schaumburg until terminating at an interchange with U.S. Route 20. Until 2017, the expressway ended at IL 53 in Itasca. A one-mile eastern extension to I-490 is under construction.

U.S. Routes

U.S. Routes Description
US 6
US 12
US 20		 The two Routes enter through the southeastern part of the city from Indiana with U.S. Route 41, underneath the Chicago Skyway Toll Bridge. At 95th Street, they head west to an intersection with U.S. Route 45 west of the city. There they go north on LaGrange Road to Lake Street, where US 20 turns northwest through Elgin to Iowa. US 12 and US 45 continue north past O'Hare Airport to Des Plaines, where US 12 turns on Rand Road and goes northwest, then north to Wisconsin.
US 14 The route splits off from U.S. Route 41 at Bryn Mawr Avenue by Lake Michigan on the north side of the city. US 14 then recrosses US 41 and eventually exits the city as Caldwell Avenue.
US 30
US 34 The route originally began downtown and ran west on Ogden Avenue and through the suburbs, continuing through Aurora and on to Iowa. In 1970 the beginning was moved west to Harlem Avenue (Illinois Route 43), where it intersected with US 66.
US 41 The route enters through the southeastern part of the city from Indiana with U.S. Route 12 and U.S. Route 20, underneath the Chicago Skyway Toll Bridge. At 95th Street, when US 12 and US 20 turn west, it continues north along the lakefront, especially via Lake Shore Drive. US 41 then departs from Lake Shore Drive at Foster Avenue. From Foster Avenue, US 41 continues northwest on Lincoln Avenue, finally exiting Chicago at Devon Avenue into the suburb of Lincolnwood.
US 45 The route comes north from Kentucky and intersects U.S. Route 12 and U.S. Route 20 at 95th Street west of Chicago. The three routes go north on LaGrange Road, then US 12 and US 45 continue north on Mannheim Road past O'Hare Airport and into Des Plaines. Separating from US 12, it follows the Des Plaines River as Des Plaines River Road, then continues north on Milwaukee Avenue towards Wisconsin.
US 52
Historic US 66 The route started downtown and followed Ogden Avenue west out of the city, then southwest to Joliet and on to St Louis. Status as a U.S. Route in Illinois was discontinued in 1974 largely due to Interstate 55 paralleling the stretch. Some remnants are signed as historic.

County roads

Cook County has a modest amount of county roads after plans were made in 2009 to designate many roads on county ownership as a public service.

Only the designated streets in the townships of Lemont, Palos, Orland, Bremen, Lyons (south of the rivers) and Wheeling have the blue pentagon signs that are used to demarcate county roads.

Gallery

  • Interstates in Chicago Interstates in Chicago
  • The Eisenhower Expressway at the Ashland Avenue Overpass looking east towards downtown. The 'Ike' as it is known locally, runs parallel to the CTA's Blue Line. Both connect the city to the western suburbs. The Eisenhower Expressway at the Ashland Avenue Overpass looking east towards downtown. The 'Ike' as it is known locally, runs parallel to the CTA's Blue Line. Both connect the city to the western suburbs.
  • South Lake Shore Drive, looking north towards downtown. South Lake Shore Drive, looking north towards downtown.
  • Traffic going southbound on the Kennedy Expressway on a foggy day. Traffic going southbound on the Kennedy Expressway on a foggy day.
  • The intersection of Madison St and State St is regarded as the "zero-zero point" of Chicago. The intersection of Madison St and State St is regarded as the "zero-zero point" of Chicago.

See also

References

  1. McClendon, Dennis (2005). "Expressways". Encyclopedia of Chicago. University of Chicago Press. Archived from the original on January 2, 2012. Retrieved January 3, 2012.
  2. "Curious City: Unsung urban planning hero Edward Brennan made it easy to find your way around Chicago". Chicago: WBEZ-FM. May 20, 2015. Archived from the original on May 23, 2015.
  3. ^ Plan of Re-numbering City of Chicago (PDF). Chicago Directory Company. 1909. Retrieved 2022-06-08.
  4. "Address Conversion Guide" (PDF). Architecture and Building History. Chicago History Museum. 1911. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 25, 2012. Retrieved January 3, 2012.
  5. Community Development Department (May 2009). Village of Skokie Street Map (PDF) (Map). Scale not given. Village of Skokie. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 17, 2011. Retrieved March 9, 2012.
  6. "Chicago Streets Name Changes" (PDF). Architecture and Building History. Chicago History Museum. 1948. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 25, 2011. Retrieved January 3, 2012.
  7. "Arrangement of City Streets 113-1" (PDF). City of Milwaukee. November 23, 2010. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 8, 2013. Retrieved September 3, 2014.
  8. "A crash course on the names of Chicago's expressways". WGN-TV. 2022-08-16. Retrieved 2023-10-24.
  9. ^ Rand McNally (2007). Chicago 7-County Street Guide. Rand McNally. ISBN 978-0-5288-5972-4.
  10. ^ DeLorme (1996). Illinois Atlas and Gazetteer. Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme. pp. 20, 21, 28, 29. ISBN 0-89933-213-7.
  11. ^ "Google Maps". Google Maps. 2013. Retrieved March 14, 2013.
  12. ^ "Illinois State Highway Maps". Illinois Digital Archives. Retrieved March 14, 2013.
  13. "US Ends.com". 2012 Dale Sanderson. 2012. Archived from the original on April 7, 2013. Retrieved March 15, 2013.
  14. "New signs point to confusion". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 7, 2023.

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