Chicago Tribune article on I-355 "Suburbs" sign

[golden eagle]

This article was prompted by a reader who wonder why the control city for I-355 from I-55 near Lemont Road is "Suburbs":

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/autocorner/chi-getting-around-14-sep14,0,3208128.column

[Hellfighter]

I just looked at it on street view. What the hell? Isn't that violating the rules?

[thenetwork]

I like how I-DOT says that they can't use smaller cities, like Bloomington, Joliet, etc... as official control CITIES because they are too small.  Yet in other states, there are towns a fraction of the size of the aforementioned cities that are control cities...   

[Alex]

OK, better than just "Suburbs." But the general rule of signs on interstates is to list destination cities. Wouldn't listing  New Lenox for I-355 South and perhaps  Itasca or  Addison for  I-355 North be more instructional?

Why sure. But there is another rule. The destination cities (officially called "control cities") must be major cities, according to standards set by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials and the Federal Highway Administration's Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices.

This rule has been violated in many places. It seems that its cited only when its convenient, such as in this case for Interstate 355.

[corco]

It's not really a practical rule either in most applications- especially out west and in major urban areas. I'm thinking on I-80 if Bloomington and Joliet don't qualify as big cities, than the I-80 control city for I-80 East in Salt Lake City should logically be what...Omaha? Or Denver, but that doesn't give an accurate representation of what I-80 does.

In Chicago, 95% of people don't care that the Stevenson heads to St. Louis, they're more likely to be helped by navigation by knowing it's going to Joliet, or by knowing that the East-West is heading to Naperville, not the Quad Cities. And it's certainly practical to list two cities, one local and one distant, so for I-355 it should say "Joliet-St. Louis." That way everyone wins.

Do as Seattle does and select a few reference cities and consistently use them- it's not a matter of citing every single suburb as the IDOT spokeswoman says. Seattle uses Olympia, Tacoma, Bellevue, Renton, and Everett as local control cities (while using Portland, Vancouver BC, and Spokane as distant ones) and that works perfectly.


I don't know the northern suburbs that well off the top of my head, but I know Aurora, Joliet, and Elgin are all sufficiently large to be control cities. And I don't think the people of say...Batavia are going to be offended that Aurora and Elgin are listed as control cities
That's one rule that should be immediately discarded

[Chris]

Chicago has some significant suburbs, I agree you can't use places like Skokie or Elmhurst, but Naperville, Aurora, Joliet or Elgin are big enough to be a control city.

The problem is none of these cities are directly on I-355.

[corco]

Joliet is very, very close to I-355 and from the East-West Tollway north you could use any of Elgin, Schaumburg, or Rockford

[Chris]

Yeah, I think they need to sign indirect destinations (which are reached by another expressway). Like Naperville/Aurora via I-88, Chicago via I-55 and I-88, Elgin and Rockford via I-90.

That said, doesn't make it sense to extend I-355 northeast towards I-94?

[agentsteel53]

I like how I-DOT says that they can't use smaller cities, like Bloomington, Joliet, etc... as official control CITIES because they are too small.  Yet in other states, there are towns a fraction of the size of the aforementioned cities that are control cities...   

ah, good old Delaware Water Gap

control cities on three-digit interstates tend to be pretty hit-or-miss.  I-605 in Los Angeles doesn't have one at all: it just goes north.

[SSOWorld]

Think about this ISTHA - if I-80 in the Quad Cities has Chicago as a control City - you can have Elgin or Des Plaines as a control city for I-355 

[Alex]

I like how I-DOT says that they can't use smaller cities, like Bloomington, Joliet, etc... as official control CITIES because they are too small.  Yet in other states, there are towns a fraction of the size of the aforementioned cities that are control cities...   

ah, good old Delaware Water Gap

control cities on three-digit interstates tend to be pretty hit-or-miss.  I-605 in Los Angeles doesn't have one at all: it just goes north.

The residents of Thru Traffic will surely object to that statement!

[Revive 755]

So why couldn't IDOT use Indiana (as used on I-355 at I-80) and Wisconsin for controls?

Though I'd rather see the Chicago drop the use of control states and have I-355 use Toledo and Rockford, with the later changing to Milwaukee if the IL 53 tollway connection to I-94 ever gets built.

[SSOWorld]

So why couldn't IDOT use Indiana (as used on I-355 at I-80) and Wisconsin for controls?

Though I'd rather see the Chicago drop the use of control states and have I-355 use Toledo and Rockford, with the later changing to Milwaukee if the IL 53 tollway connection to I-94 ever gets built.

You mean Joliet instead of Toledo?

[Revive 755]

You mean Joliet instead of Toledo?

No, Toledo.  I'm near 100% sure Toledo was a control city for EB I-80 at I-55 in the old days.  Though if there was more left there, I could see using Gary over Toledo.

[hobsini2]

No, Toledo.  I'm near 100% sure Toledo was a control city for EB I-80 at I-55 in the old days.  Though if there was more left there, I could see using Gary over Toledo.

Actually, while the primary control city for I-80 east of I-55 is Toledo, the secondary one used at all I-80 junctions up to I-57, is Gary, Indiana.
Also, if you are traveling west on I-88 from I-290/294, the control city IS Aurora then DeKalb once you reach Eola Road. Not Quad Cities.

fixed yer quote. -Ed.

[Brandon]

No, Toledo.  I'm near 100% sure Toledo was a control city for EB I-80 at I-55 in the old days.  Though if there was more left there, I could see using Gary over Toledo.

Actually, while the primary control city for I-80 east of I-55 is Toledo, the secondary one used at all I-80 junctions up to I-57, is Gary, Indiana.
Also, if you are traveling west on I-88 from I-290/294, the control city IS Aurora then DeKalb once you reach Eola Road. Not Quad Cities.

fixed yer quote. -Ed.

However, newer signs just say "Indiana" for I-80 east.  No mention of Gary or Toledo.

[Brandon]

And it's certainly practical to list two cities, one local and one distant, so for I-355 it should say "Joliet-St. Louis."

North of I-88, the southbound controls on I-355 are "Joliet - St Louis" on the tollway itself.  South of I-88 to Boughton Rd, and for all entry points, it's just "Joliet".  Oddly, it's "Southwest Suburbs" at the entries from Boughton to 159th St (which are all clearly in the southwest suburbs), then "To {80}" for Southwest Hwy (US-6).

[Revive 755]

Plans on the IDOT website for widening I-80 have I-355 using a control city of Rockford:
http://eplan.dot.il.gov/desenv/012111/60I47-105/PLANS/012111-60I47-105-278-099-11x17.pdf

[tdindy88]

Driving down the Stevenson last December around the place mentioned at the beginning of this post I thought that I saw that the sign just said I-355, without the "Suburbs," is this the way its been or is that new. I know that it does list N.W. and S.W. Suburbs when you get right to the exit, but is there a reason the signs further up the road are just blank?

[rmsandw]

When the southern extention was open the signs without a control city on SB I-55, mostly, one I think on NB I-55 were marked "Suburbs".  About a  month after the extention opened the Chicago Tribune had an article about the general control cities.  The ISTHA then removed them.


After it opened I went and took photos of the new signs at the I-55/355 interchange.

http://www.billburmaster.com/rmsandw/illinois/interstate/55.html

[wh15395]

I like how I-DOT says that they can't use smaller cities, like Bloomington, Joliet, etc... as official control CITIES because they are too small.  Yet in other states, there are towns a fraction of the size of the aforementioned cities that are control cities...   

Same with Indiana.

[hobsini2]

No, Toledo.  I'm near 100% sure Toledo was a control city for EB I-80 at I-55 in the old days.  Though if there was more left there, I could see using Gary over Toledo.

Actually, while the primary control city for I-80 east of I-55 is Toledo, the secondary one used at all I-80 junctions up to I-57, is Gary, Indiana.
Also, if you are traveling west on I-88 from I-290/294, the control city IS Aurora then DeKalb once you reach Eola Road. Not Quad Cities.

fixed yer quote. -Ed.

However, newer signs just say "Indiana" for I-80 east.  No mention of Gary or Toledo.

The mention of "Gary, Indiana" is still on the entrance ramps to I-80 especially around the Joliet exits.

[Brandon]

No, Toledo.  I'm near 100% sure Toledo was a control city for EB I-80 at I-55 in the old days.  Though if there was more left there, I could see using Gary over Toledo.

Actually, while the primary control city for I-80 east of I-55 is Toledo, the secondary one used at all I-80 junctions up to I-57, is Gary, Indiana.
Also, if you are traveling west on I-88 from I-290/294, the control city IS Aurora then DeKalb once you reach Eola Road. Not Quad Cities.

fixed yer quote. -Ed.

However, newer signs just say "Indiana" for I-80 east.  No mention of Gary or Toledo.

The mention of "Gary, Indiana" is still on the entrance ramps to I-80 especially around the Joliet exits.

It's been removed at Larkin and Houbolt, and still exists only at Maple (US-30), Briggs, Richards, and Chicago.  IIRC, Center's been replaced with just "Indiana".  I suspect as these interchanges are rebuilt, these will also be replaced.

[hobsini2]

No, Toledo.  I'm near 100% sure Toledo was a control city for EB I-80 at I-55 in the old days.  Though if there was more left there, I could see using Gary over Toledo.

Actually, while the primary control city for I-80 east of I-55 is Toledo, the secondary one used at all I-80 junctions up to I-57, is Gary, Indiana.
Also, if you are traveling west on I-88 from I-290/294, the control city IS Aurora then DeKalb once you reach Eola Road. Not Quad Cities.

fixed yer quote. -Ed.

However, newer signs just say "Indiana" for I-80 east.  No mention of Gary or Toledo.

The mention of "Gary, Indiana" is still on the entrance ramps to I-80 especially around the Joliet exits.

It's been removed at Larkin and Houbolt, and still exists only at Maple (US-30), Briggs, Richards, and Chicago.  IIRC, Center's been replaced with just "Indiana".  I suspect as these interchanges are rebuilt, these will also be replaced.

That sucks. I am getting tired of these "general" control cities.  Indiana is a huge area to be used as a control city unless it is on the Tri-State.  And besides US 52, eventually, does go into Indiana but nowhere near Gary.  They (IDOT) should have kept Des Moines and Toledo as control cities at the 55/80 jct.

[thenetwork]

That sucks. I am getting tired of these "general" control cities.  Indiana is a huge area to be used as a control city unless it is on the Tri-State.  And besides US 52, eventually, does go into Indiana but nowhere near Gary.  They (IDOT) should have kept Des Moines and Toledo as control cities at the 55/80 jct.

True, but Toledo (or the Indiana Toll Road, for that matter) is the destination for only a fraction of the traffic.  Once in Indiana, you've got 3 Interstate choices: I-65, I-80/90 & I-94.  I don't know what the percentage is, but I gotta believe that for Eastbound I-80 traffic around the Joliet area, the percentage of traffic traveling through to the Toll Road, even to at least South Bend, is pretty low. Hence the generic Indiana moniker.  Same thing with using Wisconsin on the Tri-State -- there's a big split before the state line in which people either want to stay in Eastern Wisconsin (via I-94) or Central/Western Wisconsin (I-90).  So to avoid all the confusion, Wisconsin makes for a good destination. 

Now using Iowa on the other hand for Westbound I-80 is a different story.