Illinois notes

[Joe The Dragon]

parts of I-90 and I-294 have / had 55 or some times higher work zones.

[Revive 755]

The 2019-2020 Illinois Highway Map is available online.  http://www.idot.illinois.gov/Assets/uploads/files/Travel-Information/Maps-&-Charts/2019ILMap.pdf

Not sure why it is inconsistent with marking non-interstate freeways.  IL 255 may be the best example with part shown as freeway and part shown as just a divided highway.  There's also US 34 around Galesburg - it is shown as only a divided highway on the front, but as a freeway on the Galesburg insert.  Then's there IL 394 shown as a freeway for its whole length.

It is also not having interchange detail anymore on the city inserts and uses a white square instead  There does not appear to be any difference between the symbol for a whole interchange versus a half interchange - very displeasing when it comes to the number of half interchanges in Chicagoland.

[ilpt4u]

US 51 immediately south of I-72 @ Decatur is also shown as merely a Divided Highway. It is Freeway for the first few miles south of 72

US 20 west of I-39 south of Rockford is also not shown as a Freeway, merely Divided Highway

No part of Lake Shore Drive is marked as Freeway either

And where US 50 enters IL from IN (and across the Wabash in Vincennes) is only market Divided Highway, not the Freeway it is

In the Plus side, Old US 66 is marked on the map, tho if Decommissioned US Routes are designated, why not US 54 and US 460, while we are at it?

[edwaleni]

US 51 immediately south of I-72 @ Decatur is also shown as merely a Divided Highway. It is Freeway for the first few miles south of 72

US 20 west of I-39 south of Rockford is also not shown as a Freeway, merely Divided Highway

No part of Lake Shore Drive is marked as Freeway either

And where US 50 enters IL from IN (and across the Wabash in Vincennes) is only market Divided Highway, not the Freeway it is

In the Plus side, Old US 66 is marked on the map, tho if Decommissioned US Routes are designated, why not US 54 and US 460, while we are at it?

Using Rand McNally as a baseline:

US20 and US50 are shown as freeways where you designate.

However US41 Lake Shore Drive is not a freeway, it is a Chicago boulevard.  No semi-trucks.  School buses, CTA buses are allowed.

[ilpt4u]

LSD is a Freeway, and trucks are allowed south of I-55/Stevenson Expy, per the BGS at the north end of I-55 @ LSD

There is an Urban Boulevard section with stoplights between Soldier Field and Chicago Ave, but North and South of those, Freeway. It is not Interstate Standard, but is Freeway

[Lyon Wonder]

LSD is a Freeway, and trucks are allowed south of I-55/Stevenson Expy, per the BGS at the north end of I-55 @ LSD

There is an Urban Boulevard section with stoplights between Soldier Field and Chicago Ave, but North and South of those, Freeway. It is not Interstate Standard, but is Freeway

I wonder if DOT used a different cartographer or map publishing company since Illinois official highway maps have looked very much the same since the 1981 edition up to the 2017 edition?

[Revive 755]

parts of I-90 and I-294 have / had 55 or some times higher work zones.

The 55 mph or high work zones on the tollways seem to be the exception.  The Tri-State has several 45 mph work zones today, including some where the work area is behind a concrete barrier.  Some of the downstate IDOT districts seem better at not going below 55 unless warranted.  The overuse of the 45 mph work zones elsewhere is degrading the effectiveness of the zones where 45 mph may be warranted (such as some of the bridge projects with extremely narrow lanes). 

[Crash_It]

LSD is a Freeway, and trucks are allowed south of I-55/Stevenson Expy, per the BGS at the north end of I-55 @ LSD

There is an Urban Boulevard section with stoplights between Soldier Field and Chicago Ave, but North and South of those, Freeway. It is not Interstate Standard, but is Freeway

It's not a freeway, there are no shoulders, the speed limit is only 45 at the highest and the lanes are narrow and uneven in a couple of spots. It is a parkway at the most. Trucks are only allowed up to 31st
St then they must exit

[Revive 755]

LSD is a Freeway, and trucks are allowed south of I-55/Stevenson Expy, per the BGS at the north end of I-55 @ LSD

There is an Urban Boulevard section with stoplights between Soldier Field and Chicago Ave, but North and South of those, Freeway. It is not Interstate Standard, but is Freeway

It's not a freeway, there are no shoulders, the speed limit is only 45 at the highest and the lanes are narrow and uneven in a couple of spots. It is a parkway at the most. Trucks are only allowed up to 31st
St then they must exit

Whether a road is a freeway or not depends on the type of access control, not the speed limit (which goes down to 45 on I-90/I-94 through the loop and I-290 approaching the Circle), the presence of shoulders (something lacking on interstates in a few areas), and/or any truck restrictions.  As parts of Lake Shore Drive have access only via interchanges, they are a freeway.

[ilpt4u]

I did forget to mention there is a stoplight at MSI, so between I-55 and 57th St it's a Freeway on the South Side

[mgk920]

LSD is a Freeway, and trucks are allowed south of I-55/Stevenson Expy, per the BGS at the north end of I-55 @ LSD

There is an Urban Boulevard section with stoplights between Soldier Field and Chicago Ave, but North and South of those, Freeway. It is not Interstate Standard, but is Freeway

It's not a freeway, there are no shoulders, the speed limit is only 45 at the highest and the lanes are narrow and uneven in a couple of spots. It is a parkway at the most. Trucks are only allowed up to 31st
St then they must exit

If not for that, I-55/Stevenson would have to be cars-only east of King Dr.  With that ability to use LSD between I-55 and 31st St, big-rigs can service McCormick Place and Soldier Field as needed.

Mike

[edwaleni]

LSD is a Freeway, and trucks are allowed south of I-55/Stevenson Expy, per the BGS at the north end of I-55 @ LSD

There is an Urban Boulevard section with stoplights between Soldier Field and Chicago Ave, but North and South of those, Freeway. It is not Interstate Standard, but is Freeway

It's not a freeway, there are no shoulders, the speed limit is only 45 at the highest and the lanes are narrow and uneven in a couple of spots. It is a parkway at the most. Trucks are only allowed up to 31st
St then they must exit

All freeways are highways, but not every highway is a freeway. A freeway is a "controlled-access" highway – also known as an express highway – that's designed exclusively for high-speed vehicular traffic. Traffic flow on a freeway is unhindered because there are no traffic signals, intersections, or at-grade crossings with other roads, railways, or pedestrian paths.

The main difference between freeways and multilane highways is that in the case of freeways, these roads are separated from the rest of the traffic and can only be accessed by ramps. These ramps (slip roads) allow for speed changes between the freeway and arterial thoroughfares and collector roads. Opposing directions of traffic on a freeway are physically separated by a central reservation (median), such as a strip of grass or boulders, or by a traffic barrier. Traffic across a freeway is carried by overpasses and underpasses.

In Chicago, the boulevard system is a network of wide, planted-median boulevards that winds through the south, west, and north sides of the city and includes a ring of parks. Most of the boulevards and parks are 3—6 miles from The Loop. Trucks are not allowed on boulevards in Chicago.

[3467]

Yep LSD  is a freeway between MSI  and Roosevelt? And then Chicago and it's end at Sheridan. It's also a parkway . The New York parkway system are freeways that don't allow trucks and are not up to interstate standards.
When did the start allowing trucks to 31st.

[mgk920]

Yep LSD  is a freeway between MSI  and Roosevelt? And then Chicago and it's end at Sheridan. It's also a parkway . The New York parkway system are freeways that don't allow trucks and are not up to interstate standards.
When did the start allowing trucks to 31st.

I'm thinking that big-rigs were first allowed on the part of LSD between I-55 and 31st St in about 1964, when I-55 was completed.  As I mentioned in another reply, it allows them to easily get to McCormick Place and Soldier Field.

Mike

[SSOWorld]

Let me settle it once and for all!

It's a road!!

[ET21]

Let me settle it once and for all!

It's a road!!

It's a scenic road 

[paulthemapguy]

Let me settle it once and for all!

It's a road!!

Thank you good sir.
*spams 500 preach emojis*

[Henry]

LSD is a Freeway, and trucks are allowed south of I-55/Stevenson Expy, per the BGS at the north end of I-55 @ LSD

There is an Urban Boulevard section with stoplights between Soldier Field and Chicago Ave, but North and South of those, Freeway. It is not Interstate Standard, but is Freeway

It's not a freeway, there are no shoulders, the speed limit is only 45 at the highest and the lanes are narrow and uneven in a couple of spots. It is a parkway at the most. Trucks are only allowed up to 31st
St then they must exit

All freeways are highways, but not every highway is a freeway. A freeway is a "controlled-access" highway – also known as an express highway – that's designed exclusively for high-speed vehicular traffic. Traffic flow on a freeway is unhindered because there are no traffic signals, intersections, or at-grade crossings with other roads, railways, or pedestrian paths.

The main difference between freeways and multilane highways is that in the case of freeways, these roads are separated from the rest of the traffic and can only be accessed by ramps. These ramps (slip roads) allow for speed changes between the freeway and arterial thoroughfares and collector roads. Opposing directions of traffic on a freeway are physically separated by a central reservation (median), such as a strip of grass or boulders, or by a traffic barrier. Traffic across a freeway is carried by overpasses and underpasses.

In Chicago, the boulevard system is a network of wide, planted-median boulevards that winds through the south, west, and north sides of the city and includes a ring of parks. Most of the boulevards and parks are 3—6 miles from The Loop. Trucks are not allowed on boulevards in Chicago.

Remember what you're dealing with here. In Chicago, we call them expressways...well, except for the Bishop Ford.

[Crash_It]

Here's a time lapse that I made on the current progress of the construction of the Millburn US45 Bypass that is still underway in Lake County.

[paulthemapguy]

I found a little I-41 southern end marker posted along the Illinois-Wisconsin border.  I'm assuming it's an IDOT installation because it's a cutout shield rather than a unisign.


IL-I-94X01ASA by Paul Drives, on Flickr

[Crash_It]

I found a little I-41 southern end marker posted along the Illinois-Wisconsin border.  I'm assuming it's an IDOT installation because it's a cutout shield rather than a unisign.


IL-I-94X01ASA by Paul Drives, on Flickr

Definitely WisDOT, IDOT usually signs interstate endings as "Route Ro ends" inside a BGS.

[Brandon]

I found a little I-41 southern end marker posted along the Illinois-Wisconsin border.  I'm assuming it's an IDOT installation because it's a cutout shield rather than a unisign.


IL-I-94X01ASA by Paul Drives, on Flickr

Definitely WisDOT, IDOT usually signs interstate endings as "Route Ro ends" inside a BGS.

Right. https://goo.gl/maps/t2R54bHNRjZLMwxG6

[paulthemapguy]

Definitely WisDOT, IDOT usually signs interstate endings as "Route Ro ends" inside a BGS.

Another example of an IDOT cutout end marker:


IL-I-290NT by Paul Drives, on Flickr

The "end I-xx" written inside a BGS is more typical of ISTHA installations.  Examples I've found:


IL-I-355ST by Paul Drives, on Flickr


IL-I-355NT by Paul Drives, on Flickr


IL-I-294NTS by Paul Drives, on Flickr

(The last one isn't really an end marker, but it's typical of how ISTHA signs actual Interstate termini along their system.)

[mgk920]

I found a little I-41 southern end marker posted along the Illinois-Wisconsin border.  I'm assuming it's an IDOT installation because it's a cutout shield rather than a unisign.


IL-I-94X01ASA by Paul Drives, on Flickr

Note that that sign is in Wisconsin.  The state line is about where the pavement changes beyond it.

Mike

[SSOWorld]

I found a little I-41 southern end marker posted along the Illinois-Wisconsin border.  I'm assuming it's an IDOT installation because it's a cutout shield rather than a unisign.


IL-I-94X01ASA by Paul Drives, on Flickr

Note that that sign is in Wisconsin.  The state line is about where the pavement changes beyond it.

Mike

There's no way WisDOT would do that. That'd be self-deprecation at best. 😮😲