Illinois Route 59 is a north–south state highway in northeastern Illinois. It runs south from Illinois Route 173 in Antioch to I-55 in Shorewood, spanning the north–south width of Chicago's western suburbs. This is a distance of 71.13 miles (114.47 km).[1]
Route description
Facing south along Illinois Route 59, taken from the Illinois Prairie Path.Intersection of IL 59 and IL 132 in Fox Lake Hills. Image taken traveling southbound on 59.
IL 59 is a major four-lane arterial for most of its length, running parallel to and about five miles (8 km) east of the Fox River in Illinois, and thirty miles (48 km) west of Chicago's State Street. It is especially congested in the suburbs of Aurora and Naperville, where traffic counts average 40,000-55,000 vehicles per day. To accommodate the congestion, the 7.5-mile stretch between Ferry Road and 95th Street has been widened to six lanes. Most portions along IL 59 are zoned for commercial uses, however there are extensive stretches of residential areas along the road in West Chicago, Barrington, and Fox Lake Hills. IL 59 is the only numbered highway with a Metra station named after it: the Route 59 station on the BNSF Line, which differentiates the station from the Naperville and Aurora stations.[3]
IL 59 is called Lake Street in Antioch, Fox Lake Road in Fox Lake Hills, Grand Avenue in portions of Ingleside and eastern Fox Lake, Sutton Road from South Barrington to Bartlett, Neltnor Boulevard in West Chicago, Hough Street in Barrington, and Brook Forest Avenue and Cottage Street in Shorewood.
SBI Route 59 ran from Joliet to Antioch on the current IL 59. IL 59 was replaced by U.S. Route 66 as U.S. 66 made its way onto a new highway in 1940; by 1957, IL 59 had been returned to its original state.[2]
Southern terminus of IL 59; southbound exit and northbound entrance;I-55 exit 251; currently being rebuilt to a diverging-diamond interchange (DDI); southern end of Kerry Sheridan Memorial Highway
