SBI Route 41 was Galesburg to Macomb. There have been no changes since.

US-41 runs from the WI line to IN. It comes into IL from WI along with I-94 at Russell. It breaks free from I-94 just a mile or so into IL from WI, heads south on a road known as Skokie Highway (named for the river, not the town). When the Eden's Expressway was built in 1952 a portion of it was built on the original US-41, and US-41 was moved to the new expressway from Highland Park south to Wilmette, where US-41 resumes as Skokie Highway, then on various streets until it becomes Lake Shore Drive in Chicago. For a time part of Lake Shore Drive was designated as I-494, but when for several reasons plans to build the parts that were to connect LSD to I-94 at either end were dropped, so was I-494. US-41 eventually runs into IN at the south end of Lake Michigan.

The freeway portion of US-41/Lake Shore Drive opened in 1937 and was extended north slightly in 1953.

Parts of US-41 are part of the Lake Michigan Circle Tour, a collection of roads that circles Lake Michigan.

LMCT marker courtesy Christopher Bessert, used by permission
For a while in the early 1960's the Tri-State Tollway was marked on some maps as "Toll-US-41" It is unknown whether signs supporting this were ever posted. AASHTO had a rule prohibiting the use of a US Highway number on a tollway unless a free route under the same number was also provided. The only other known use of this style of route number in Illinois is "Toll-US-30" used on the East-West Tollway for a couple years.
I-41

Starting in September 2015 I-41 will be posted on I-94 from the US-41 split just south of the Wisconsin state line north to Green Bay WI, via I-94, I-894 and current US-41. US-41 will become an unsigned multiplex. US-41 will remain on the rest of the Illinois sections. (Dec2014)

SBI Route 42 was the Indiana Line at Gary to the WI line near Winthrop Harbor. WI-42 continued to Door County, but most of that route was changed to WI-32 after W.W.II. This was Sheridan Road north of Chicago, and Lake Shore Drive and South Shore Drive in Chicago. It followed the historic Green Bay Trail for much of the way. In 1972 this was eliminated from Chicago to Zion as part of the Great Purge. The portion north of Zion was changed to IL-173 as a short extension of that route.

In the early 1990's IL-137 was extended north on portions of the old IL-42 from North Chicago to the WI line as part of a freeway project thru Waukegan. This portion should have been numbered IL-42 since now IL-137 is a unique "J" shaped highway. Some old maps show Torrance Av. south from Chicago to Glenwood as IL-42 as well.

Parts of what were IL-42 are part of the Lake Michigan Circle Tour, a collection of roads that circles Lake Michigan.

LMCT marker courtesy Christopher Bessert, used by permission
IL-42A was Waukegan Road north of Niles, and Harlem Avenue south. 1937 Extended from Highland Park to Waukegan replacing US-41 when US-41 was moved to a new road. 1967 Changed in its entirety to IL-43.
SBI Route 43 was Havana to Mason City on the current US-136 (Havana to IL-10) and IL-10 from US-136 to Mason City. In the 1930's this was used to designate a highway from US-66 near Staunton to near Steeleville that had been IL-150. This was changed to IL-4 in 1964. In 1967 it was used on the former IL-42A from Tinley Park to Waukegan. South of Niles this is Harlem Av., and north it is Waukegan Road.
SBI Route 44 was Joliet to Andres. It became US-52 in 1940. It has not been used since.

SBI Route 45 was on a road from IL-89B (Now IL-18) south to Dana. This was pulled in 1934 and replaced with IL-179 which was removed about 1980.
US-45 runs from a magnificent bridge over the Ohio River at Paducah KY north thru the eastern part of IL to the WI line east of Antioch. It had at one time ended at Des Plaines, but was pushed north in the 1930's along IL-21 from Des Plaines to Half Day, then on a new road northwest and north to WI. A few changes were made since then, including a new routing near Kankakee in 1953, and in 1969 from Kankakee to Ashkum. US-45 is the longest highway in IL, at about 440 miles.
At Norris City there was a Bypass-US-45, a short bypass of a low bridge that carried a now abandoned NYC Railroad line across the highway. The bridge was removed in 1997, as well as the signs for the Bypass US-45. The Bypass Route followed IL-1 north about a mile, then headed west back into town to meet up with US-45 again.

SBI Route 46 was on 71st Street in the Chicago area, from IL-4A (Now IL-171) to IL-7 (Now unnumbered).

IL-46 went north on Cicero (witlh IL-50) starting at IL-7 then turned west on 75th St, crossing the Des Plaines River and going north on Willow Springs Road to 5th Av/LaGrange Road. It went north along with US-45 to Des Plaines and ended at Northwest Highway (Then IL-19, now US-14). IL-46 was pulled in 1938 and not used since.

11-22-14
SBI Route 47 was Hebron to Seymour. 1937 Extended Seymour to Decatur over what was then IL-10 and is now IL-105 south of Monticello. 1945 Rerouted to Decatur from Monticello, with the old route becoming IL-105. In 1980 it was pulled back to Jct. IL-10 west of Champaign after I-72 was built.
SBI Route 48 was Onarga to Raymond via the current IL-54 Onarga to Fullerton, and IL-48 Fullerton to Raymond. 1942 Onarga to Fullerton was changed to US-54 when US-54 was extended to Chicago from Pittsfield. 1972 US-54 was pulled back to Pittsfield, and IL-54 replaced Springfield to Onarga. IL-48 still runs from Raymond to Fullerton.
Business IL-48 was a portion of the old alignment of IL-48 thru Decatur after IL-48 was rerouted around the west side of town. It was removed about 1980. Business-IL-121 also ran here. It ran on Water Street (NB) and Main St (SB) along with US-51. This is now Business-US-51, and US-51 runs around the west side of town on a freeway bypass, partly with I-72.
SBI Route 49 was Willow Hill (Near Jasper) to Chicago over the following routes:
  • IL-50, Chicago to Kankakee,
  • US-45/US-52, Kankakee to Ashkum,
  • IL-49, Ashkum to Willow Hill.
  •  
  • In 1942 US-54 was extended to Chicago on a variety of routes, including IL-49 north from Kankakee.
  • In 1972 this portion was changed to IL-50 as an extension of that route when US-54 was pulled back to Pittsfield.
  • In 1969 IL-49 was pulled back to Ashkum and US-45/US-52 rerouted on this portion after the building of I-57 thru here.
  • IL-49 currently runs Ashkum to Willow Hill.
SBI Route 50 was Skokie to Richton Park on the current IL-50 (Cicero Av./Skokie Blvd.). After the Eden's Expressway was built to the Wilmette area US-41 was moved to it for a short time and IL-50 was extended to repace US-41 on Skokie Blvd. from Skokie to Wilmette just north of Lake Ave. US-41 was returned to Skoke Blvd. after I-94 was applied to the Eden's. In 1972 IL-50 was extended south along Governors Highway to replace US-54 which was pulled back to Pittsfield. This portion had been IL-49 prior to 1942.
US-50 runs from the IN line at Vincennes to St. Louis, The eastern 10 miles in IL are a freeway that serves the bustling megalopolis of Lawrenceville. The western 30 miles or so are carried on I-64 into St. Louis. Portions of the road have been replaced and the old road from Lawrenceville to Sumner and from Olney to Noble are now IL-250
Alternate US-50 was the current sections of IL-250 from the west end of Lawrenceville to Sumner and east of Olney to Noble. This was US-50 until 1947, then became Alternate US-50. In 1961 US-50 was rerouted, and these sections had no number until 1965 when they were numbered IL-250.
Business US-50 is the old route of US-50 thru Lawrenceville. This had been US-50 until 1962. After a freeway east of town was completed in the late 1970's Business US-50 was shortened to only 3 miles, and the rest of the old route was then unnumbered

 

Bypass US-50 was IL-159 (North of Belleville) to a bridge over the Mississippi River into MO near Columbia, but that too is long gone.
SBI Route 51 was the current US-45, Justice to near Andres, at the junction with US-52. IL-51 has not been used since.

US-51 runs with I-90 (the Northwest Tollway) and I-39 from the WI line near S. Beloit to south of Rockford with the US-20 bypass, then south with I-39 to Bloomington where it picks up with I-55. South of Bloomington it goes for a short while with I-74 to its own alignment to Decatur, where it joins with I-72 southwest to its own alignment as a freeway back to its original heading south of town. It then goes clear down to Dongola on it's own roadway, where it now joins I-57 for the ride into Cairo. At Cairo it returns to it's old routing into Kentucky. From Dongola to Cairo it had run on it's own roadway until June 1999 when it was switched to the Interstate. From Mound City to Urbandale IL-37 was applied on the old US-51.

The original route of US-51 from the WI line to north of Bloomington is now IL-251, and a different alignment near LaSalle is IL-351. During the late 1970's and the 1980's US-51 was upgraded north of Macon (near Decatur). North of Bloomington it became I-39 (US-51 was on the freeway by itself for a couple years before I-39 was applied) and the old route became IL-251. At Rockford, US-51 was moved to the I-90 NW Tollway about 1982 as IL-251 started to replace US-51 after it was moved off the old road to the newer freeway south of Rockford. US-51 comes into IL from WI at Beloit/S. Beloit and takes IL-75 east a bit to join I-90.

South of Bloomington US-51 remained on the original route, but was upgraded to a 4 lane divided highway. This will likely be expanded and improved at least to Centralia.

Bloomington-Normal: This is Main Street, which had been US-51 until the mid 1960's It became Business-US-51 after the freeway around the north end of the area was completed, and US-51 was moved to the freeway. Part of this route had been Business-US-66 during the 1960's. This version of Business US-51 uses unique markers like the above image, with the "BUSN" within the shield.

Decatur: This is Main and Water Streets. This had been US-51 until a freeway had been built during the 1970's and US-51 was relocated. This route was also Business-IL-121 and Business-IL-48 during the 1960's as well.
Clinton: The old route thru town became Business US-51 when US-51 was relocated west of town during the late 1980's and early 1990's.
LaSalle: In 1963 US-51 was relocated to a new route thru the LaSalle area. The old route became Business-US-51, and this was changed to IL-351 in 1966.
SBI Route 52 was Lemont to Lynwood on the current IL-83. 1938 IL-52 was changed to IL-54, which wasused for the Chicago Bypass Route at the time, from Indiana to Wisconsin. In 1941 All of IL-54 was changed to IL-83 due to the impending extension of US-54 to Chicago. This included the portion that had been IL-52. IL-52 has not been used since.
US-52 runs from the IN line at Sheldon to the IA line at Savanna. Outside of a few changes around Joliet it remains the same as it was in 1938. It is co-located with IL-64 into Iowa.

SBI Route 53 was Lansing to near Romeoville on what is now US-6 and IL-7 (159th St) and Romeoville to Long Grove on the current IL-53 except for the portions now on a freeway. The old road is Hicks Road north of Rolling Meadows, and Rowling Road south.

After US-6 was applied about 1929 to 159th St. IL-53 remained. It disappeared from the maps on 159th St after 1934.

In 1967 IL-53 was extended south to Gardner replacing Alternate-US-66. In 1995 IL-129, another former route of US-66 was rerouted onto IL-53 south of Braidwood, and then dropped altogether south of Braidwood in 1996.

From 1963 thru 1970 IL-53 was rerouted onto a new freeway, sometimes called the "Lake-Will Freeway", north of what is now Addison to what is now Arlington Hts., then as a second number on IL-68 west to US-12, and a second number on US-12 to near Deer Grove and picks up the original route a couple miles east near Long Grove. In 1990: I-355 (The North-South Tollway) was built, parallel to IL-53 south of Army Trail Road. IL-53 was removed from the freeway north of Army Trail Road to Biesterfield Rd (Elk Grove Village/Itasca) and reposted onto Rohlwing Road, where it had been prior to when the freeway was built.

IL-53 still leaves the freeway at IL-68 (Dundee Rd.) and follows IL-68 then US-12 to the old road into Long Grove even though the freeway was extended to Lake Cook Road in 1989. The freeway north of Dundee Road is not numbered, but guide signs say "To IL-53".

This is currently under hearings for an extension of the current IL-53 freeway north to Grayslake and then to I-94 along IL-120, and a leg west to Richmond to meet with the US-12 freeway in WI that ends at the IL line. Click here for a ".jpg" copy of the proposed routing map of the IL-53 Extension.
SBI Route 54 was Antioch to Lemont on a portion of the current IL-83.
  • 1938: Extended to the IN line, replacing IL-52.
  • 1940: Rerouted from thru Mundelien to the current route around Mundelien when US-45 was extended north and took the old route.
  • Also rerouted from IL-72 south to IL-64 to the current route from what is now York Road.
  • 1941: Entire route changed to IL-83 due to the impending extension of US-54 to Chicago from Pittsfield.
  • 1972: Used on the former US-54 from south of Springfield to Onarga when US-54 was pulled back to Pittsfield.
  • 1980: pulled from thru Springfield to the current end at the east edge of town.
US-54 currently runs from the MO line at the bridge near Louisiana MO to north of Pittsfield. Prior to the Great Purge it ran to Chicago via the former US-36 (Now IL-106 in part since US-36 moved to a freeway) into Springfield. From Springfield to Onarga it ran on the current IL-54, then to Chicago on US-52, US-45, and IL-50, then Governors Highway. Except for the touching of US-60/US-62 at Cairo, US-54 is the shortest US route in IL, at about 24 miles. In 1995 US-54 was actually extended a few miles north from Pittsfield on a route that had been IL-107 when the new US-36 (now I-72) freeway was built. It seems to be logical to extend US-54 up to Mt. Sterling (at US-24) replacing IL-107 in its entirety.
Business US-54 was used on the old route of US-54 thru Kankakee on Kinzie Av., Indiana Av., and Schuyler Av. This was only used for a few years during the 1960's.
SBI Route 55 was Chicago to Oak Brook on Cermak Road (in Chicago) and 22nd Street (In and around Oak Brook).
  • By 1953 IL-55 was extended west to North Aurora
  • In 1959 it was extended west again to Sugar Grove.
  • In 1965 IL-55 west of Oak Brook was changed to IL-56 due to the proximity of I-55, and the portion east of Oak Brook was unnumbered.
  • The portion from North Aurora to Sugar Grove was routed onto the East-West Tollway ("Toll-US-30" then IL-190) until the tollway was extended to the Quad Cities and rerouted east of Sugar Grove. This portion of the road was left at IL-56.

I-55 runs from US-41 (Lake Shore Drive) in Chicago to St. Louis, then to New Orleans via Memphis. This is the road that killed off US-66 in IL. As this road was being built, US-66 was moved to the new highway until it was complete from Chicago to St. Louis, and US-66 was decommissioned in IL.

I-55 was built in stages between 1956 and 1966. The first section completed was Garder to Darien, the last was from the Ryan to Lake Shore Drive.

Major cities along the way are Joliet, Bloomington-Normal, and Springfield. There are 2 spurs and 1 loop to I-55 in IL
There are 3 Business Loop I-55's along I-55,
  • Bloomington/Normal
  • Lincoln
  • Springfield.

These generally take the old US-66 route thru the above cities.
SBI Route 56 was Oak Brook to Bellwood on Butterfield Road.
  • In 1965 IL-55 was changed to IL-56 west from Oak Brook, making IL-56 Chicago to Sugar Grove.
  • In 1972 IL-56 was removed east of US-12/US-45 at Bellwood as part of the Great Purge.

IL-56 is now Bellwood to Sugar Grove. A portion west of North Aurora is on the East-West Tollway, and west of where the EWT splits to DeKalb, IL-56 continues on to Sugar Grove on the former alignment of the tollway to meet US-30 and IL-47.
SBI Route 57 was Highland Park to Chicago on the current US-41. In 1949 IL-57 was applied to a new highway from Quincy to Hull. In 1999 it was removed southeast from Fall Creek to Hull after the US-36/I-72/I-172 freeway system was completed in the area.

I-57 runs from I-94 at Chicago south to a junction with I-55 at Sikeston MO, exiting IL near Cairo. Total miles in IL is about 358, making it by far the longest Interstate in IL. (The longest highway in IL is US-45 at about 440 miles.) I-57 is an alternate to I-55, and perhaps could have received a number like I-255 had it not been so long. I-57 is the main route to Memphis from Chicago, which explains its use of Memphis as its control city. There were plans to use this on what is now I-43 from Milwaukee to Green Bay WI, but that obviously never happened.

I-57 in the Chicago area was built from 1963 to 1970.
SBI Route 58 was Evanston to Elgin on Golf Road, also known appropriately enough as Evanston-Elgin Road. IL-58 was removed east of US-41 in Skokie in 1972 as part of the Great Purge.
SBI Route 59 was Antioch to Joliet on the current route IL-59. In 1940 the portion from Plainfield into Joliet was made part of US-66 as that route was upgraded. In 1957 that part of US-66 was relocated to a new highway and IL-59 returned to it's original state.
IL-59A was Volo to Lake Forest. It was changed to IL-60 in 1967.
SBI Route 60 was Richmond to Chicago on the current route of US-12. 1938: US-12 moved to this route, and IL-60 removed. 1967: IL-60 applied on the former IL-59A. 1972: IL-60 removed east of US-41 to the former IL-42 as part of the Great Purge.

US-60 crosses into IL from KY on one bridge, then scoots into MO on another at Cairo, along with US-62. It is only in IL for a matter of a few hundred feet. (It will take you longer to read this sentence than to drive the entire sections of US-60 and 62 in IL.) US-51 is also here. This number was proposed to be used on the road that eventually became US-66, and was shown on that route in some maps that were printed before the signs were posted.

Route overview and markers
Send updates to n9jig@n9jig.com
Updated 04-11-2018