| Interstate 55 | |
|---|---|
| Stevenson Expressway | |
| Route information | |
| Maintained by IDOT | |
| Length: | 17.95 mi[1] (28.89 km) |
| Existed: | Mid to late 1960s – present |
| Major junctions | |
| South end: | County Line Road in Burr Ridge, Illinois[1] |
| North end: | US 41 in Chicago |
| Highway system | |
|
Main route of the Interstate Highway System |
|
The Stevenson Expressway is the major Interstate highway leading southwest out of the city of Chicago in Illinois. It is signed as Interstate 55 for the entire length.
The eastern terminus of the Stevenson Expressway and I-55 for its full length is located at U.S. Highway 41, recognized to Chicagoans as Lake Shore Drive. According to the Illinois Department of Transportation, the "Stevenson Expressway" definition has its western terminus located at the DuPage County line in Burr Ridge. This is a distance of 17.95 miles (28.89 km).[1]
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The expressway opened on October 24, 1964 as the Southwest Expressway. It was renamed after Adlai Stevenson,[2] the former governor of Illinois, on September 1, 1965 a month and a half after his death. The Stevenson's original termini were U.S. Highway 66 in DuPage County to the west, and the Dan Ryan Expressway to the east.
In 1999–2000, the expressway was completely rebuilt from Central Avenue north to Lake Shore Drive, including the ramps to the Dan Ryan. IDOT was criticized at the time for not adding a fourth lane in each direction to the highway.[3]
| County | Location | Mile | Exit | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DuPage |
Burr Ridge | 276.43 | 276 | County Line Road | Split into exits 276A (south) and 276B (north) |
| Cook |
Indian Head Park | 277.08 | 276C | Joliet Road | Northbound exit, southbound entrance |
| Indian Head Park – Countryside |
277.64 | 277 | I-294 (Tri-State Tollway) – Indiana, Wisconsin | Split into exits 277A (north) and 277B (south) northbound; no exit 277B southbound; no access from southbound I-55 to southbound I-294 or from northbound I-294 to northbound I-55 | |
| Countryside– Hodgkins |
278.99 | 279 | US 12 / US 20 / US 45 (La Grange Road) to I-294 south (Tri-State Tollway) | Split into exits 279A (east/south) and 279B (west/north) | |
| Summit | 282.32 | 282 | IL 171 (1st Avenue) | Split into exits 282A (south) and 282B (north) northbound | |
| Summit– Chicago |
283.19 | 283 | IL 43 (Harlem Avenue (7200 West)) | ||
| Chicago | 285.93 | 285 | Central Avenue (5600 West) | ||
| 286.96 | 286 | IL 50 (Cicero Avenue (4800 West)) – Chicago Midway Airport | |||
| 287.98 | 287 | Pulaski Road (4000 West) | |||
| 289.00 | 288 | Kedzie Avenue (3200 West) | Southbound exit and northbound entrance | ||
| 289.52 | 289 | California Avenue (2800 West) | Northbound exit and southbound entrance | ||
| 290.05– 290.07 |
290 | Damen Avenue (2000 West) | |||
| 291 | Ashland Avenue (1600 West) | Northbound exit and southbound entrance | |||
| 292.63 | 292, 293B | I-90 / I-94 (Dan Ryan Expressway) – Indiana, Wisconsin | Split into exits 292A (east) and 292B (west) northbound; split into exits 292 (west) and 293B (east) southbound | ||
| 293.00 | 293A | Cermak Road – Chinatown (2200 South) | Northbound exit and southbound entrance | ||
| 293.22 | 293A | State Street (0 East/West) | Southbound exit and northbound entrance | ||
| 293.67 | 293B | Martin L. King Drive (400 East) | Northbound exit and southbound entrance | ||
| 294.38 | 294 | US 41 (Lake Shore Drive) | Freeway ends; northbound exit to and southbound entrance from Lake Shore Drive; split into exits 294A (north) and 294B (south) northbound; roadway continues north to Fort Wilkins State Park, Michigan via Lake Shore Drive | ||
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi Concurrency terminus • Closed/Former • Incomplete access • Unopened |
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Because the Stevenson Expressway section serves an urban area, the northernmost rest area on I-55 is in Livingston County, Illinois, approximately the midpoint between Chicago and Springfield.