Illinois Route 178 is a minor north–south state highway in north central
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...
. 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
Starved Rock State Park is a state park in the U.S. state of Illinois, characterized by the many canyons within its . Located just southeast of the village of Utica, in Deer Park Township, LaSalle County, Illinois, along the south bank of the ...
and
Matthiessen State Park
Matthiessen State Park is an Illinois state park located a few miles south of the more famous Starved Rock State Park. The main entrances to both parks are located on Illinois State Route 178.
History
The park is near Oglesby, in LaSalle Count ...
. Starting at Interstate 80, Illinois 178 intersects
U.S. Route 6
U.S. Route 6 (US 6), also called the Grand Army of the Republic Highway, honoring the American Civil War veterans association, is a main route of the U.S. Highway system. While it currently runs east-northeast from Bishop, California, to P ...
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
A cantilever bridge is a bridge built using structures that project horizontally into space, supported on only one end (called cantilevers). For small footbridges, the cantilevers may be simple beam (structure), beams; however, large cantilever ...
, where it meets a western entrance into Starved Rock State Park. About south of
Illinois Route 71
Illinois Route 71 is a southwest-to-northeast state highway in north central Illinois. It runs from the end of Interstate 180 in Hennepin to U.S. Route 34 in Oswego. This is a distance of .
Route description
Outside of Hennepin, the road ...
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
U.S. Route 51 or U.S. Highway 51 (US 51) is a major south-north United States highway that extends from the western suburbs of New Orleans, Louisiana, to within of the Wisconsin–Michigan state line. As most of the United States Numbered Highw ...
in
Tonica. 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
*{{ccat-inline
178
Transportation in LaSalle County, Illinois