Illinois Route 23

Illinois Route 23
Route information
Maintained by IDOT
Length:	126.17 mi[1] (203.05 km)
Existed:	November 5, 1918[2] – present
Major junctions
South end:	Historic US 66 / IL 116 in Pontiac
	Historic US 66 in Pontiac I-55 in Pontiac US 6 / IL 71 in Ottawa I-80 in Ottawa US 52 in Serena US 34 in Leland US 30 in Waterman US 20 in Marengo
North end:	US 14 in Harvard
Location
Counties:	Livingston, LaSalle, DeKalb, McHenry
Highway system
Illinois State Highway System Interstate U.S. State Tollways ← IL 22 I-24 →

Illinois Route 23 is a north–south state highway in northern Illinois. It runs from Illinois Route 116 in Pontiac north to U.S. Route 14 south of Harvard. This is a distance of 126.17 miles (203.05 km).^[1]

Route description

Illinois 23 is a major arterial route in rural central and north-central Illinois. It is a parallel to the Interstate 39/U.S. Route 51 combination approximately 20 miles (32 km) to the west.

The road starts near downtown Pontiac and runs as the main highway north, intersecting with Interstate 55 and former U.S. Route 66. It is a two lane highway at this point. Illinois 23 then turns west and runs through Cornell, and turns back north to travel through the middle of Streator. At Ottawa, the road grows to six lanes (across two different roads) when concurrent with Illinois Route 71—Illinois 71 joins with it to cross the Illinois River.

North of Ottawa, Illinois 23 has a full diamond interchange with Interstate 80. This is the last full interchange Illinois 23 has south of its terminus at Harvard. Illinois 23 has two additional concurrencies with U.S. Route 34 and U.S. Route 52, though no notable cities are present between Ottawa and DeKalb. Illinois 23 runs under Interstate 88 with no intersection, though access is available via Fairview Drive to two parallel roads with interchanges (Peace Road and Annie Glidden Road). Between DeKalb and Sycamore, Illinois 23 has four lanes. In Sycamore, Illinois 23 briefly overlaps Illinois Route 64. After one final concurrency at Illinois Route 72 near Genoa, Illinois 23 travels over Interstate 90 with no interchange and no nearby access. It runs through Marengo and terminates south of Harvard at U.S. Route 14.

History

Illinois 23 was established in 1918 as one of the original 46 SBI routes. The routing of Illinois 23 has not changed since its establishment.

Future

Plans are in the works to build an interchange where Illinois Route 23 crosses the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (Interstate 90). The overpass is scheduled to be replaced in 2017, and the ramps could follow.^[3] Building a interchange at IL-23 would open up a faster route to Marengo and Genoa, as well as close a 17 mile gap on I-90 between the Genoa Road and US 20 exits.

Major intersections

County	Location	mi	km	Destinations	Notes
Livingston	Pontiac			IL 116 (Howard Street) / Historic US 66 south	South end of Historic US 66 overlap
				Historic US 66 north	North end of Historic US 66 overlap
	​			I-55 – Joliet, Bloomington
	​			IL 170 north
	​			IL 17
La Salle	Streator			IL 18 (Bridge Street, Main Street)
	Ottawa			IL 71 west (Hitt Street)	South end of IL 71 overlap
	Illinois River			Ottawa Bridge
	Ottawa			US 6 / IL 71 east (Norris Drive)
				I-80 – Joliet, Moline, Rock Island
	​			US 52 west (North 37th Road)	South end of US 52 overlap
	​			US 52 east (North 38th Road)	North end of US 52 overlap
	​			US 34 west (Walter Payton Memorial Highway)	South end of US 34 overlap
	​			US 34 east (Walter Payton Memorial Highway)	North end of US 34 overlap
DeKalb	Waterman			US 30 (Lincoln Street)
	DeKalb			IL 38 (Lincoln Highway)
	Sycamore			IL 64 (State Street)
	Genoa			IL 72 west (Main Street)	South end of IL 72 overlap
	​			IL 72 east	North end of IL 72 overlap
McHenry	Marengo			US 20 (General Grant Highway)
				IL 176 (Telegraph Street)
	Harvard			US 14 (Division Street)
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus

Notes

• In downtown De Kalb, Route 23 (the main north–south street) intersects as 4th Street with Illinois Route 38 (the main east–west street) at a railroad crossing, as two Union Pacific tracks pass through the crossing. Trains routinely bring traffic in De Kalb to a halt.

References

1. Illinois Technology Transfer Center (2007). "T2 GIS Data". Retrieved 2007-11-08.
2. Carlson, Rick. Illinois Highways Page: Interstates in Illinois. Last known update March 15, 2006. Retrieved March 21, 2006.
3. Craver, Kevin. "McHenry County Board adds I-90/Route 23 interchange in Marengo to transportation plan". Northwest Herald. Retrieved 13 April 2016.

External links

Route map: Bing / Google

• Illinois Highway Ends: Illinois Route 23