Illinois Route 38

Illinois Route 38
Route information
Maintained by IDOT
Length: 89.28 mi[2] (143.68 km)
Existed: 1918[1] – present
Major junctions
West end: US 52 in Dixon
East end: US 12 / US 20 / US 45 in Westchester
Location
Counties: Lee, Ogle, DeKalb, Kane, DuPage, Cook
Highway system

Illinois state highway system
Illinois Tollway system

IL 37 I-39

Illinois Route 38 is an east–west state road that runs across northern Illinois. It runs from U.S. Route 52 in downtown Dixon to U.S. Highways 12, 20, and 45 (Mannheim Road) in Westchester. This is a distance of 89.28 miles (143.68 km).[2] As Roosevelt Road it continues through Forest Park and into Cicero and Chicago before terminating at U.S. Route 41 (Lake Shore Drive).

Contents

Route description

Illinois 38 runs along the historical Lincoln Highway for much of its length, and parallels Interstate 88 as well. Illinois 38 serves numerous cities that have no interchanges on Interstate 88. It enters the Chicago metropolitan area at Elburn, as this border is pushed west with the extension of the Metra rail system. Except in cities, Illinois 38 has two lanes west of Geneva.

Through DeKalb, Route 38 continues to be known as the Lincoln Highway. From Kirk Road in Geneva to Hinsdale, Illinois 38 is called Roosevelt Road.

Illinois 38 generally has two lanes west of the Fox River, except in cities, and four lanes east of the river. From Villa Park to Interstate 294, Illinois 38 expands to six lanes and becomes a limited access freeway with exits to Illinois Route 56, Illinois Route 83, Interstate 290 and Interstate 294. The ramp to Interstate 290 has an automated gate system that closes during high-volume periods, such as rush hour.

History

The Lincoln Highway was routed along modern-day Route 38 between Geneva and Dixon. When numbered US Highways began to replace named cross-country roads (like US 30 for the Lincoln Highway), this stretch of highway was signed as Alternate US 30. As traffic patterns shifted, these alternates to US highways became unnecessary and fell out of favor; in 1972 [1] Alt US 30 was re-signed as Illinois Route 38. The number 38 was chosen because of the similar pronunciation to "30-A".

U.S. Route 330

U.S. Highway 330 was a federal highway located in Illinois that ran from Galt to Lynwood, and was commissioned from 1926 to 1942. It has since been replaced in its entirety by Illinois Route 38 west of Bellwood, and by other local roads east of Bellwood to Lynwood.

U.S. Route 330 branched off at Geneva, Illinois, where US 30 ran along present Illinois Route 38 and Illinois Route 31, and ran east to Chicago. After several extensions on the west end, it became part of U.S. Route 30 Alternate ca. 1942 and Illinois 38 ca. 1971.

Major intersections

County Location Mile Destinations Notes
Lee
Dixon US 52 / Lincoln Highway west (Chicago Avenue) West end of Lincoln Highway concurrency
Ogle
Rochelle IL 251 south (7th Street)
Lincoln Highway east
Western end of IL 251 concurrency; eastern end of Lincoln Highway concurrency; access from IL 38 east to IL 251 south is via 8th Street and 4th Avenue
IL 251 north (7th Street) Eastern end of IL 251 concurrency
Lincoln Highway west Western end of Lincoln Highway concurrency
  I-39 / US 51 – Rockford, LaSalle, Peru
DeKalb
DeKalb IL 23 (4th Street)
Kane
Elburn IL 47 (Main Street)
Geneva IL 31 / Lincoln Highway east (1st Street) Eastern end of Lincoln Highway concurrency
IL 25 (Bennett Street)
DuPage
West Chicago IL 59 (Neltnor Boulevard)
Glen Ellyn To IL 53
Glen EllynLombard I-355 (Veterans Memorial Tollway) – Joliet, Northwest Suburbs
Oakbrook Terrace IL 83 (Kingery Highway)
IL 53 (Butterfield Road) Eastbound access is via IL 83 south
Elmhurst York Road
Hillside I-290 east (Eisenhower Expressway) – Chicago Loop Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
I-294 south (Tri-State Tollway) – Indiana
Cook
Westchester US 12 / US 20 / US 45 (Mannheim Road)
Roosevelt Road
Roosevelt Road continues east
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
     Concurrency terminus     Closed/Former     Incomplete access     Unopened

References

  1. ^ Carlson, Rick. Illinois Highways Page: Routes 21 thru 40. Last updated March 15, 2006. Retrieved March 28, 2006.
  2. ^ a b Illinois Technology Transfer Center (2006). "T2 GIS Data". http://www.dot.state.il.us/gist2/select.html. Retrieved 2007-11-08. 

External links