U.S. Route 12 in Illinois
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U.S. Route 12 (US 12) in the U.S. state of
Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...
is an arterial highway that runs northwest to southeast through the
Chicago metropolitan area The Chicago metropolitan area, also colloquially referred to as Chicagoland, is a metropolitan area in the Midwestern United States. Encompassing 10,286 sq mi (28,120 km2), the metropolitan area includes the city of Chicago, its suburbs and h ...
. It enters Illinois at the
Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
border north of Richmond, and exits into Hammond, Indiana from
Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...
near the foot of the onramp to the
Indiana Toll Road The Indiana Toll Road, officially the Indiana East–West Toll Road, is a tolled freeway that runs for east–west across northern Indiana from the Illinois state line to the Ohio state line. It has been advertised as the "Main Street of the ...
( Interstate 90, I-90); as it exits Illinois, the route is also concurrent with US 20 and US 41. Within Illinois, US 12 runs for a distance of .


Route description


Richmond to Des Plaines

The westernmost portion of US 12 in Illinois runs south from the Wisconsin border, between
Genoa City, Wisconsin Genoa City is a village located in Kenosha and Walworth counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, south-southwest of Milwaukee, located on the Illinois–Wisconsin border. The population was 2,982 at the 2020 census. It was named after Genoa, New ...
and Richmond. North of Genoa City, US 12 is a four-lane limited-access
freeway A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway and expressway. Other similar terms ...
. In Illinois, it reverts to a two-lane, undivided surface road prior to a traffic light with
Illinois Route 173 Illinois Route 173 (IL 173) is a east–west state highway that runs from Illinois Route 251 in the Rockford suburb of Machesney Park east to Illinois Route 137 (Sheridan Road/Buckley) in Zion near the Illinois-Wisconsin border. Illinois ...
(IL 173) north of Richmond. South of Richmond, through traffic on US 12 must turn left at IL 31 to continue. Until the Fox Lake area; at that point it becomes a four-lane divided highway, with occasional interchanges. US 12 runs concurrently with IL 59 south of Fox Lake at an access-controlled interchange, and then intersects with IL 134 at a traffic light. In Volo, there is a traffic light with IL 120, but then reverts to an expressway, with interchanges for IL 176 (Liberty Street) and IL 59. From the state line to this point, US 12 is also marked as the main route for the Fox River Valley, which continues south on IL 59. In
Lake Zurich __NOTOC__ Lake Zurich (Swiss German/ Alemannic: ''Zürisee''; German: ''Zürichsee''; rm, Lai da Turitg) is a lake in Switzerland, extending southeast of the city of Zürich. Depending on the context, Lake Zurich or ''Zürichsee'' can be used to ...
, US 12 picks up the name Rand Road, named so for a former name of the city of
Des Plaines Des Plaines is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 60,675. The city is a suburb of Chicago and is located just north of O'Hare International Airport. It is situated on and is named after the ...
. There is also an intersection with IL 22 (Main Street). US 12 proceeds towards Deer Park and Kildeer before entering
Cook County Cook County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Illinois and the second-most-populous county in the United States, after Los Angeles County, California. More than 40% of all residents of Illinois live within Cook County. As of 20 ...
in
Palatine A palatine or palatinus (in Latin; plural ''palatini''; cf. derivative spellings below) is a high-level official attached to imperial or royal courts in Europe since Roman times.
. US 12 then briefly overlaps IL 53 between Hicks Road and IL 68 (Dundee Road) in northeast Palatine. At the expressway portion of IL 53, US 12 traffic can only access southbound IL 53. From IL 53, US 12 travels through the heavily populated areas of Arlington Heights and Mount Prospect, intersecting with IL 83 (Elmhurst Road) in Mount Prospect. US 12 enters the Des Plaines area at IL 58 (Golf Road), and joins with US 45 (Des Plaines River Road) north of downtown at a complex intersection. Westbound US 12 traffic is required to cross US 45 twice (on Elk Boulevard) to access Rand Road, as all turns are prohibited from US 45 to US 12. Eastbound US 12 joins with southbound US 45. In Des Plaines, US 12/US 45 separates, as southbound traffic travels on Graceland Avenue, while northbound traffic runs one block east. In downtown Des Plaines, US 12/45 has a major intersection with US 14 (Miner Street) at a busy at-grade crossing with the Harvard Subdivision of the
Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Paci ...
.


Des Plaines to Hickory Hills

After turning south from Des Plaines, US 12/US 45 forms a major north–south artery through the western suburbs. North of
Cermak Road Cermak Road, also known as 22nd Street, is a 19-mile, major east–west street on Chicago's near south and west sides and the city's western suburbs. In Chicago's street numbering system, Cermak is 2200 south, or twenty-two blocks south of the ...
the route is known as Mannheim Road, while south of Cermak Road it is known as La Grange Road. The distance from the intersection of US 12/US 45 and US 14 in Des Plaines to the US 12/US 20/US 45 split in Hickory Hills is . US 12/US 45 runs through various streets in Des Plaines before following Mannheim Road north of O'Hare International Airport. This routing also closely parallels the north–south orientation of the Canadian National Railway rail line. US 12/US 45 intersects IL 72 (Higgins Road) at the northeast corner of the airport, and then travels south along the eastern border of the airport. There is a full interchange with
I-190 Interstate 190 may refer to the following Interstate Highways in the United States related to Interstate 90: * Interstate 190 (Illinois), a spur into Chicago's O'Hare International Airport *Interstate 190 (Massachusetts), a spur from Worcester to L ...
for passenger airport traffic. At the southeast corner of the airport, a signalized intersection terminates a brief expressway portion of IL 19 (Irving Park Road). South of Irving Park Road, US 12/US 45 travels beneath the Bensenville Bridge on
I-294 Interstate 294 (I-294) is a tolled auxiliary Interstate Highway in northeastern Illinois. It forms the southern portion of the Tri-State Tollway in Illinois. I-294 runs from South Holland at I-80/ I-94 and Illinois Route 394 (IL 394) to ...
(
Tri-State Tollway The Tri-State Tollway is a toll highway in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Illinois. It follows: *Interstate 80 from I-94/I-294/IL 394 in South Holland to I-294 in Hazel Crest; *Interstate 294 from I-80/I-94/IL 394 in South Holl ...
) while also crossing over the Franklin Park
rail yard A rail yard, railway yard, railroad yard (US) or simply yard, is a series of tracks in a rail network for storing, sorting, or loading and unloading rail vehicles and locomotives. Yards have many tracks in parallel for keeping rolling stock or u ...
; however, there is no interchange with I-294 at this point. This rail line also carries Metra Milwaukee District West trains. In Melrose Park, US 12/US 45 has a grade-separated intersection with IL 64 (North Avenue), a major east–west artery west of Chicago. About a mile (1.6 km) south, US 20 joins with US 12/US 45 to form a triple concurrency over the Union Pacific Railroad's Proviso Yard as well as the mainline tracks of the Geneva Subdivision. US 12/US 20/US 45 continues south and becomes the eastern endpoints of two state routes: IL 56 in Bellwood and IL 38 in Westchester. In between lies a full intersection with
I-290 Interstate 290 may refer to the following Interstate Highways in the United States: *Interstate 290 (Illinois), a highway from Chicago, Illinois, to Rolling Meadows, Illinois * Interstate 290 (Massachusetts), a highway in Massachusetts that connects ...
(Eisenhower Expressway). In downtown La Grange, US 12/US 20/US 45 intersects with US 34 (Ogden Avenue), making it the only location in the Chicago area (and possibly the state of Illinois) where four U.S. Routes intersect. In addition, there is a level-grade crossing with BNSF Railway tracks very near the intersection, which leads to frequent traffic backups and delays. South of La Grange, US 12/US 20/US 45 has a full interchange with
I-55 Interstate 55 (I-55) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, connecting the Gulf of Mexico to the Great Lakes. The h ...
(Stevenson Expressway). It then crosses the
Des Plaines River The Des Plaines River () is a river that flows southward for U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed May 13, 2011 through southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois''American Her ...
and Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal before a complex interchange with IL 171 (
Archer Avenue Archer Avenue, sometimes known as Archer Road outside the Chicago, Illinois city limits, and also known as State Street only in Lockport, Illinois and Fairmont, Illinois city limits, is a street running northeast-to-southwest between Chicago's ...
). A ramp from I-294 to US 12/US 20/US 45 formerly existed, but was removed in the late 1990s due to safety concerns. Just south of the Tri-State Tollway, US 12/US 20/US 45 becomes southbound 96th Avenue, passing through
Cook County Forest Preserves The Forest Preserve District of Cook County is a governmental commission in Cook County, Illinois, that owns and manages a network of open spaces, containing forest, prairie, wetland, streams, and lakes, that are mostly set aside as natural areas ...
for nearly before US 12/US 20 split from US 45 onto eastbound 95th Street.


Hickory Hills to Chicago

After turning off the US 45 routing in Hickory Hills, US 12/US 20 runs east on 95th Street for —combined with a concurrency with US 41, this segment runs for an additional into the state of
Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...
. The 95th Street portion of US 12/US 20 is a four-lane undivided arterial surface street through the southern suburbs of Palos Hills, Bridgeview, Oak Lawn and Evergreen Park. It serves the main commercial areas of these communities and the Chicago south side neighborhoods of Beverly, Washington Heights, Roseland, Burnside, Pullman, Calumet Heights, South Deering and East Side. In Bridgeview, US 12/US 20 has interchanges with I-294 and IL 43 (Harlem Avenue). In Oak Lawn, it intersects IL 50 (Cicero Avenue). Further east, in Chicago, US 12/US 20 nearly intersects IL 1 ( Halsted Street); IL 1 technically terminates at
I-57 Interstate 57 (I-57) is a north–south Interstate Highway in Missouri and Illinois that parallels the old Illinois Central Railroad for much of its route. It runs from Sikeston, Missouri, at I-55 to Chicago, Illinois, at I-94. I-57 ess ...
a half mile (0.8 km) south. US 12/US 20 then has an interchange with I-94 (
Dan Ryan Expressway The Dan Ryan Expressway is an expressway in Chicago that runs from the Circle Interchange with Interstate 290 (I-290) near Downtown Chicago through the South Side of the city. It is designated as both I-90 and I-94 south to 66th Street, ...
) just north of the I-57/I-94 split. Shortly after bridging the
Calumet River The Calumet River is a system of heavily industrialized rivers and canals in the region between the south side of Chicago, Illinois, and the city of Gary, Indiana. Historically, the Little Calumet River and the Grand Calumet River were one, the ...
, US 12/US 20 joins with US 41. The concurrent US 12/US 20/US 41 combination runs south on Ewing Avenue beneath the
Chicago Skyway Interstate 90 (I-90) in the US state of Illinois runs roughly northwest-to-southeast through the northern part of the state. From the Wisconsin state line at South Beloit, it heads south to Rockford before heading east-southeast to the ...
, narrowing from two northbound and southbound lanes to one northbound and one southbound lane before turning onto Indianapolis Boulevard, a six-lane divided highway. At 104th Street, there is a traffic light for a relocated offramp (from 106th Street) from the Chicago Skyway to Indianapolis Boulevard. The southbound onramp to the
Indiana Toll Road The Indiana Toll Road, officially the Indiana East–West Toll Road, is a tolled freeway that runs for east–west across northern Indiana from the Illinois state line to the Ohio state line. It has been advertised as the "Main Street of the ...
is still located at 106th Street. The Illinois portion of US 12/US 20/US 41 terminates beneath the I-90 bridge over Indianapolis Boulevard; this is also where the Chicago Skyway becomes the Indiana Toll Road.


History

In 1928, US 12 followed its current route south from Wisconsin into Richmond. It then continued straight on what is now IL 31 to
Crystal Lake Crystal Lake or Crystal Lakes may refer to: Lakes Canada * Crystal Lake (Saskatchewan) * Crystal Lake (Ontario), drain into the Lynn River, which drains into Lake Erie United States * Crystal Lake, California, a mountain lake in Nevad ...
, and then ran along what is now US 14 into Chicago. This route began to be depicted on Chicago maps in 1932 along the Northwest Highway,
Foster Avenue Foster Avenue (5200 N) is a major east-west street on the North Side of Chicago as well as the northwestern suburbs. Foster Avenue separates the Chicago lakefront neighborhoods of Edgewater to the north and Uptown to the south. Foster Avenue ...
, Lake Shore Drive, South Parkway (now most likely the 57th Street / Cornell Avenue combination),
Stony Island Avenue Stony Island Avenue is a major street on South Side of the city of Chicago, designated 1600 East in Chicago's street numbering system. It runs from 56th Street south to the Calumet River. Stony Island Avenue continues sporadically south of the Ca ...
and 95th Street. From 1928 to 1929, the section between the Wisconsin state line to Crystal Lake was being constructed; this segment was designated Temporary U.S. Route 12 at the time. In 1938, US 12 was moved north off the US 14 routing to the current routing to
Des Plaines Des Plaines is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 60,675. The city is a suburb of Chicago and is located just north of O'Hare International Airport. It is situated on and is named after the ...
. In addition, US 12 was moved to what is now Mannheim Road, La Grange Road and 95th Street. The former US 12 became City US. Route 12. In 1939, US 12 was moved to a bypass around
Lake Zurich __NOTOC__ Lake Zurich (Swiss German/ Alemannic: ''Zürisee''; German: ''Zürichsee''; rm, Lai da Turitg) is a lake in Switzerland, extending southeast of the city of Zürich. Depending on the context, Lake Zurich or ''Zürichsee'' can be used to ...
and widened to four lanes. Old Rand Road was the name given to the former US 12 alignment. The original 1939 E.J.& E. RR. 4 span concrete bridge over the US 12 bypass remains in Lake Zurich with telegraph poles visible on the bridge. The original pot hole full 1939 asphalt pavement has since been resurfaced including replacing with concrete lanes and widening from through lanes to six through lanes between IL 22 and Ela Road in a project in 2007. In the early 1950s, US 12 was moved to a bypass around Wauconda and widened to four lanes extending to IL 120 in Volo. Old Rand Road was the name given to the former US 12 alignment. The original pothole-full 1950s asphalt pavement with double yellow lines visible in the west bound lanes between Old McHenry Road and Old Rand Road has since been resurfaced in 2013. Mature trees in the interchange grassy areas and 1950s style motels remain in Wauconda. In the late 1950s, US 12 was widened to four lanes extending to Fox Lake. Mature trees lining the frontage roads and 1950s style motels and diners remain in Fox Lake. US 12 in Illinois has not been widened further northwest since then. There were no further changes to the US 12 routing until 1960, when City US 12 became Business U.S. Route 12. In 1963, US 12 was moved onto the Chicago Skyway and became Toll Business U.S. Route 12 until 1968, when all Business US 12 designations were dropped. In Illinois, the highway has been designated as the Iron Brigade Memorial Highway to honor the Civil War Union Army unit, a designation it also has in Michigan, Indiana, and Wisconsin.


Major intersections


References


External links

* {{state detail page browse, type=US, route=12, state=Illinois, stateafter=Indiana, statebefore=Wisconsin 12 Illinois Transportation in Chicago Transportation in Cook County, Illinois Transportation in Lake County, Illinois Transportation in McHenry County, Illinois