Illinois notes

[edwaleni]

Verifying the fact @Rick Powell shared about Kendall County growing the fastest.

[edwaleni]

Wut.  There's no reason to discount immigration when talking about population growth...and the way this assertion is written is skeevy...

Not sure what is so skeevy about it. The trend was downward until there was a large influx of immigration. It's not a discount, its simply sharing what caused the sudden uptick when the trend has been wholesale negative.

[Rothman]

Wut.  There's no reason to discount immigration when talking about population growth...and the way this assertion is written is skeevy...

Not sure what is so skeevy about it. The trend was downward until there was a large influx of immigration. It's not a discount, its simply sharing what caused the sudden uptick when the trend has been wholesale negative.

To which southern border were you referring?

[Rick Powell]

Anecdotally, I work (and worked with in my previous job) with many foreign-born co-workers who are either naturalized citizens or here on visas and work permits. There are a few from Mexico, Central and South America and the Caribbean (including Haiti and Puerto Rico) but the vast majority are from the Middle East, India and Far East. My boss is from Kenya and there are a few other African nationals at work. Immigrants come from all over, in IL and elsewhere. Not so anecdotally, the demographers who follow this stuff say that, unlike previous decades, immigrants who once almost universally landed in Chicago and slowly dispersed to the suburbs over time, are increasingly going directly to the collar counties of Chicago to live upon arrival. That would explain edwaleni's previous linked map above showing a deficit in domestic migration in all collar counties except McHenry and Kendall, even though the collars are all gaining people as a whole (with births and deaths fairly even) leaving international migration as the factor filling the gap.

[3467]

Take those between census estimates with a grain of salt . They were off between 2010 and 2020.

[mgk920]

At statehood (1817), Illinois was a very thinly populated agrarian place and what is now 'Chicagoland' was a swampy backwater, uninhabited except for a very limited few aboriginal settlements.  The central focus was in Springfield.

Mike

[quickshade]

@Rick Powell Wondering if you have heard anything from your side about 53/290/90 improvements tied to the infrastructure bill we have yet to see that is going along side the megabill being discussed for the Bears stadium project. Have seen a few posts and comments out there on the improvements to Rt 14, some speculation that 53 will get more enhancements but have been hearing a lot of talks the past 24 hours of finally giving this interchange a much needed upgrade including 2 lanes merging onto 290 from I90 East and flyover ramps for 290/53 onto I90 west. Also heard that the 53 bridge over I90 will be fully replaced with full shoulders and center median with LED lighting to match the tollway spec.

Would be about time but not holding my breath.

[Joe The Dragon]

@Rick Powell Wondering if you have heard anything from your side about 53/290/90 improvements tied to the infrastructure bill we have yet to see that is going along side the megabill being discussed for the Bears stadium project. Have seen a few posts and comments out there on the improvements to Rt 14, some speculation that 53 will get more enhancements but have been hearing a lot of talks the past 24 hours of finally giving this interchange a much needed upgrade including 2 lanes merging onto 290 from I90 East and flyover ramps for 290/53 onto I90 west. Also heard that the 53 bridge over I90 will be fully replaced with full shoulders and center median with LED lighting to match the tollway spec.

Would be about time but not holding my breath.

full shoulders they can use the shoulder as an aux lane to make small fixes in that area.

[Rick Powell]

@Rick Powell Wondering if you have heard anything from your side about 53/290/90 improvements tied to the infrastructure bill we have yet to see that is going along side the megabill being discussed for the Bears stadium project.

No news. An obvious component would be a re-do of the IL 53/I-90 interchange. Next highway program will be released in a few months and components may show up there.

[3467]

Any other interesting things planned on D3 ?

[Rick Powell]

Any other interesting things planned on D3 ?

Nothing certain except what's in the current program. I-57 Kankakee interchange exit 312, and IL 47 add-lanes north and south of Yorkville should be on lettings within FY 27. US 6 west side of Morris is starting design and land acquisition. Reconstructing I-80 between exits 105 and 112 is in planning. Hopefully at some point, we can find a way to extend the I-80 add lanes now under construction in District 1 to the west, since the current shoulders from Brisbin Road to Will County line were built to pavement standards, and it would just be a matter of adding shoulders, updating barriers, and incidental work.

[3467]

Thanks I wondered about 80 . It sure looked like that was the idea .....I noticed the shoulders on 67 reconstruction look pretty deep .
Another question . Lane width. Are 11 foot lanes OK on the Non Interstates?
District 6'added shoulders on 125 but left the land width the same .
Always enjoy your posts.
Also I think I know why IL 1 was included in the freeway system
IDOT Wanted to double interstate miles because California was .
It was in the  history of the CATS plan.

[Rick Powell]

Always enjoy your posts.
###
Another question . Lane width. Are 11 foot lanes OK on the Non Interstates?

I enjoy yours too, 3467, especially your research into long-forgotten highway studies.

On lane widths - that's a question with a lot of variables. Is it a construction on new alignment or existing? Is it a new lane or a lane to be left in place? Is it a rural or suburban section with shoulders, or a curbed urban section? If an urban section, is parking allowed? The general guidance is found in the Design & Environment Manual Section 34-2:
"The use of wider travel lanes generally increases the operational safety and efficiency of the facility. In general, 12 ft (3.6 m) wide travel lanes are preferable for most rural and high-speed urban facilities. Lane widths of 11 ft (3.3 m) are acceptable for restricted urban areas and may be considered on reconstruction projects."

There have been 11 foot lanes and narrow shoulders allowed even on interstate reconstructions in certain circumstances.  The Design Report for the I-290 reconstruction in Chicago and near western suburbs had well over 100 "design exceptions" including lane and shoulder widths.

[3467]

Fascinating
290! I noticed they seemed OK for low volume rural roads
I did my BA geography paper on old studies and why they change

I found this but of history
The Chicago Area Transportation Study
Creating the first plan 1955-1962
Andrew V Plummer
He seems to think if they had started earlier they could have paved over most of Cook county without any objection.
I found where IDOT Wanted to double the Interstate so Wilbur Smith have them IL 1

[hobsini2]

Rick, one thing that does kind of irk me though with I-80 is the use of Minooka for Exit 122 instead of using Ridge Rd since that has now become a major traffic corridor. Any chance they would actually change it?

[Rick Powell]

Rick, one thing that does kind of irk me though with I-80 is the use of Minooka for Exit 122 instead of using Ridge Rd since that has now become a major traffic corridor. Any chance they would actually change it?

Good question, maybe I can find out if it's ever been considered. The name "WiKaDuKe Trail" never caught on, which was the original study name of the proposed arterial road that would connect Ridge Road in Kendall County to Eola Road in Du Page County, and which name was a takeoff of the first two letters of Will, Kane, Du Page and Kendall counties. Ridge Road is also Kendall County Highway 11 on the north side of the interchange; it is a village street from the interchange south to Minooka Road, where it becomes Grundy County Highway V37. But Illinois isn't big on including county highway numbers on its Interstate guide signs, as many of us have noticed.

In related news, bids were just opened today on the add-lanes section of Ridge Road from Holt Road to Black Road, the section starting north of the I-80 interchange. Low bid was $32,828,299.15 by Austin Tyler Construction for about 5 miles of new pavement. When this section and another planned section between Caton Farm and Plainfield Roads are completed, the majority of the conceptual WiKaDuKe corridor will be built to 4 lanes.

[paulthemapguy]

Rick, one thing that does kind of irk me though with I-80 is the use of Minooka for Exit 122 instead of using Ridge Rd since that has now become a major traffic corridor. Any chance they would actually change it?

I agree that the road name of "Ridge Road" should definitely be written on the exit signs for Exit 122.

Good question, maybe I can find out if it's ever been considered.

In related news, bids were just opened today on the add-lanes section of Ridge Road from Holt Road to Black Road, the section starting north of the I-80 interchange. Low bid was $32,828,299.15 by Austin Tyler Construction for about 5 miles of new pavement. When this section and another planned section between Caton Farm and Plainfield Roads are completed, the majority of the conceptual WiKaDuKe corridor will be built to 4 lanes.

Is there any hope on the horizon that the connecting section between US30 and Rance Road/111th Street ever gets built? Then I MIGHT consider calling the road "Wikaduke Trail", or at least a name that governs the entire corridor from IL-56 to US6!

[3467]

The Shell station used to be a Phillips 66 and it was the only thing there and it was Minooka then because North it was an like and chip road to cornfields. Shows my age.
It looks like these counties are creating a new version of Junior Expressway.
I'm 1962 Cook county saw the lines on the CATS plan and thought Palatine Road their junior expressway and Chicago just saw improved arterial.
This looks like the county highway departments are using these to replace more grandiose plans like the Foxway and Prairie Parkway.

[Rick Powell]

The Shell station used to be a Phillips 66 and it was the only thing there and it was Minooka then because North it was an like and chip road to cornfields. Shows my age.
It looks like these counties are creating a new version of Junior Expressway.
I'm 1962 Cook county saw the lines on the CATS plan and thought Palatine Road their junior expressway and Chicago just saw improved arterial.
This looks like the county highway departments are using these to replace more grandiose plans like the Foxway and Prairie Parkway.

The state has invested a lot in arterial corridors too. Some of the money that was originally earmarked for Prairie Parkway made its way to the US 34 and IL 47 corridors, as well as the IL 47/I-88 interchange in Sugar Grove.

[Rick Powell]

Is there any hope on the horizon that the connecting section between US30 and Rance Road/111th Street ever gets built? Then I MIGHT consider calling the road "Wikaduke Trail", or at least a name that governs the entire corridor from IL-56 to US6!

Years ago, Kendall County wisely recorded a connection centerline from 111th to US 30 and it is being enforced through local planning and zoning. One recent development in Oswego skirts the alignment but stays outside the boundary of where the road would go. The county doesn't have jurisdiction of Stewart Road north of Plainfield Road and there is nothing in the county's long range plan suggesting that they will build the connector, so it may fall on the municipalities. There was a meeting in 2025 about the future of the WiKaDuKe corridor and it was mentioned that the 111th-US 30 connector will be triggered by future development. Some other interesting stuff in there. Here's a link to the meeting summary and presentation.

https://visionkendall.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/wikaduke-trail-corridor-meeting-presentation-and-summary-20250930.pdf

[edwaleni]

I just finished a trip through the Chicago western burbs for a graduation.

My rental company @ O'Hare wanted $17/day to cover tolls, I ordered my states Pro Pass for $14 and used it with no issues. I had forgotten how high ISTHA rates were on certain routes and had to up my balance.

I couldnt use the I-294 SB route because there was a massive backup at the bridge over I-290. It appears there is construction taking place there.

Instead I had to take a more circuitous route using I-90 to IL53/I-290 and then take IL-390 west and get off at Gary Ave. IL-53/I-290 between I-90 and IL-390 needs some work or reconstruction. Lots of truck rutting, and past rebar replacements under the asphalt is creating a large amount of road noise. That section probably dates back to its first buildout in 1974-75 and it is showing it.

I did see the reconstruction of Gary Ave. between Harrison Street and Jewell Road in Wheaton, which is an oddity because it is maintained by IDOT based on an agreement signed in the 1920's.

I took a peek at the future County Farm Road/IL-390 ramp zone ISTHA is looking at hoping to see some prep work, but it was still covered in large trees. Nothing going on.

Probably the biggest disappointment was the progress on I-490 around O'Hare. I don't know what is slowing the work, but other than the flyovers on I-90 and I-294, just a lot of dirt being pushed around along York Road. The fact that the old CPD K-9 Facility is still standing does makes me wonder, but it looks like they are building a shoofly for Touhy around where the I-490 bridge will cross over the current ROW.

As part of that I saw Cook County is relocating Mt Prospect Road to the east and a new routing to the O'Hare freight entrance is being built as well. Perhaps that is what is slowing it down.

The stub ramps on IL-390 are done on the DuPage side (Woodale) of York Road and waiting for the connections on the Chicago side to get built. A small patch of pavement has been laid south of Foster Avenue, but I didn't go past Irving Park Road to see what if anything has happened at the CPKC railyard.

[Revive 755]

I did see the reconstruction of Gary Ave. between Harrison Street and Jewell Road in Wheaton, which is an oddity because it is maintained by IDOT based on an agreement signed in the 1920's.

IDOT's online jurisdiction map has Gary Avenue as a municipal roadway south of Jewell Road.

[3467]

We just finished a trip to the Western suburbs . Went in on IL 71. The 4 lane is well under way. Edelman road sure looks like the mini prairie parkway . I might suggest extending the 4 lane to it and keeping the lights off it with roundabouts.
71 would benefit from a couple of passing lanes .
71 and 34 and 59 have a stunning amount of lights .
Not saving land for foxway was big mistake.
That's why I hope Kendall doesn't make same mistake with Edelman. 71 to 47 makes a good bypass to the south . 

[edwaleni]

I did see the reconstruction of Gary Ave. between Harrison Street and Jewell Road in Wheaton, which is an oddity because it is maintained by IDOT based on an agreement signed in the 1920's.

IDOT's online jurisdiction map has Gary Avenue as a municipal roadway south of Jewell Road.

Having driven it for some 30+ years, I thought it was too.

But when the City of Wheaton announced it was going to be closed to be rebuilt, I saw a bid come out of IDOT for the rebuild.

So I did some sleuthing and found that there was a public demand to connect Wheaton to the Jewell Farm Road in the 1920's, but it was expensive because of the need to cross what is now called Lincoln Marsh. The AE&C interurban had crossed the marsh around 1903 in its build out to reach Elgin, but there were no roads.

I would guess that the demand was driven by several people who lived in the Pleasant Hill community who didn't want to take the train to reach the new consolidated Wheaton Community High School that was built. The Wheaton school borders ran as far north as St Charles Road.

Anyway, The City of Wheaton reached out to the State of Illinois highway department to have the road built.

Was kind of surprised when I read that. That part of the marsh was unincorporated for many years and maybe Milton Township or DuPage County didn't have the resources, of this I don't know.

I just figured it was like the Dieterich Blacktop down in Clay and Richland County Illinois, which is listed as a county road, but is maintained by IDOT.

Once I met a woman who actually grew up on Jewell Road and said she used to run down to catch the then called Chicago, Aurora & Elgin electric to get to high school in the 1950's just before it shut down.

[Rick Powell]

We just finished a trip to the Western suburbs . Went in on IL 71. The 4 lane is well under way. Edelman road sure looks like the mini prairie parkway. I might suggest extending the 4 lane to it and keeping the lights off it with roundabouts.

The section of IL 71 east of IL 47 to IL 126 was constructed a few years ago. The section from IL 126 to Orchard is the one under construction now, and it will probably run into 2027 before it's complete. The IL 71/IL 47 intersection will be completely rebuilt as part of the IL 47 from Caton Farm to IL 71 add-lanes project which will go to letting in FY 27.

Along Eldamain Road, there are traffic signals at IL 71, River Road, US 34, and Galena Road, and a roundabout was already constructed at the north intersection of Fox Road. Not sure if any more of either are planned as of now.

71 would benefit from a couple of passing lanes.

The only initiatives I remember on the 2-lane section between I-80 and IL 47 are widening IL 71 to 4 lanes where Prairie Parkway would have crossed it (which went away with the slelving of that project) and adding a center turn lane thru Newark and Norway, which also hasn't happenned yet. IL 71 has a lot of rolling hills and no passing zones. One of my brother's school mates got killed in a head-on collision with a southbound semi as he was traveling to Naperville for work several years ago.