Illinois Route 173 (IL 173) is a east–west state highway that runs from

Illinois Route 251 Illinois Route 251 is a north–south state highway that runs on the former alignment of U.S. Route 51 before Interstate 39 was built in north central Illinois. It runs from U.S. 51 at the border with Wisconsin to I-39 and U.S. 51 south of Kap ...

in the Rockford suburb of Machesney Park east to

Illinois Route 137 Illinois Route 137 (IL 137) is a state highway in northeast Illinois. It runs from the Wisconsin Border north of Winthrop Harbor, Illinois, Winthrop Harbor south to North Chicago, Illinois, North Chicago, west to Libertyville, Illinois, Libertyvi ...

(Sheridan Road/Buckley) in

Zion Zion ( he, צִיּוֹן ''Ṣīyyōn'', LXX , also variously transliterated ''Sion'', ''Tzion'', ''Tsion'', ''Tsiyyon'') is a placename in the Hebrew Bible used as a synonym for Jerusalem as well as for the Land of Israel as a whole (see Names ...

near the Illinois-

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. Illinois Route 173 is also one of the northernmost east-west state highways in Illinois. On

Interstate 94 Interstate 94 (I-94) is an east–west Interstate Highway connecting the Great Lakes and northern Great Plains regions of the United States. Its western terminus is just east of Billings, Montana, at a junction with I-90; its eastern ter ...

(

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 Hol ...

) traveling south from

, it is the second road seen which has an interchange at that location. Similarly, when traveling south/east from Wisconsin on Interstate 39/90 (

Jane Addams Memorial Tollway 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 ...

), Illinois Route 173 is only the third exit into Illinois. In 2008, the entirety of Illinois 173 has been designated the

173rd Airborne Brigade The 173rd Airborne Brigade ("Sky Soldiers") is an airborne infantry brigade combat team (IBCT) of the United States Army based in Vicenza, Italy. It is the United States European Command's conventional airborne strategic response force for Eu ...

Highway

Route description

Illinois 173 travels across relatively hilly northern Illinois from the Rockford area to Zion. This area is more densely populated than other portions of rural Illinois. It is two lanes for over 90% of its length. In July 2007, a new interchange was constructed at Illinois 173, Interstates 39/ 90, and

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 ...

(

History

SBI Route 173 originally ran from near downtown Rockford (along Forest Hills Road) to Zion. During the 1980s, when the village of Machesney Park was heavily developed and incorporated, Illinois Route 173 was scaled back and its western terminus moved to Illinois Route 251 (North 2nd Street). From 1972 to 1994 the highway also assumed a portion of what is now Illinois Route 137 north to the Wisconsin border.

Major intersections

References

External links

* {{Attached KML, display=inline,title 173 Transportation in Lake County, Illinois Transportation in McHenry County, Illinois Transportation in Boone County, Illinois Transportation in Winnebago County, Illinois