Illinois Route 178 is a minor north–south state highway in north central
Illinois. It runs north from the unincorporated area of
Lowell to
Interstate 80
Interstate 80 (I-80) is an east–west transcontinental freeway that crosses the United States from downtown San Francisco, California, to Teaneck, New Jersey, in the New York metropolitan area. The highway was designated in 1956 as one o ...
about north of
North Utica, which is better known as simply Utica. This is a distance of .
Route description
Illinois 178 is a short state road that connects two of Illinois' more popular state parks to Interstate 80;
Starved Rock State Park and
Matthiessen State Park. Starting at Interstate 80, Illinois 178 intersects
U.S. Route 6 at a rural intersection, and then descends into the
Illinois River
The Illinois River ( mia, Inoka Siipiiwi) is a principal tributary of the Mississippi River and is approximately long. Located in the U.S. state of Illinois, it has a drainage basin of . The Illinois River begins at the confluence of the D ...
valley to the town of Utica.
South of Utica, Illinois 178 crosses the Illinois River via a
cantilever bridge, where it meets a western entrance into Starved Rock State Park. About south of
Illinois Route 71 is the entrance to Matthiesen State Park. The route terminates at rural intersection in Lowell.
History
SBI Route 178 ran along the existing Illinois 178, and southwest from Lowell to what was then
U.S. Route 51 in
Tonica
Tonica is a village in LaSalle County, Illinois, United States. The population was 749 at the 2020 census, down from 768 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Ottawa Micropolitan Statistical Area.
History
Tonica was originally a small haml ...
. This was dropped in the 1950s.
[
]
Reconstruction through Utica
In accordance with the village of North Utica's United Recovery Plan, which was enacted following the 2004 tornado, a re-routing of Illinois 178 west of the current business district was constructed. This project, completed in summer of 2012, eliminated two sharp bends in the former alignment and diverts local truck traffic and through traffic away from the downtown area.
The Illinois River bridge is currently under construction and is expected to be completed by late 2018. The existing cantilever bridge will be removed and replaced by a new highway bridge with decorative lighting and an added pedestrian and bicycle multi-use path.
Major Intersections
References
External links
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178
Year 178 ( CLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Scipio and Rufus (or, less frequently, year 931 ''Ab urbe cond ...
Transportation in LaSalle County, Illinois