Lake Street (Chicago)

Lake Street is an east–west street in Chicago and its suburbs. Part of Lake Street is designated as U.S. Route 20. Lake Street begins in the city of Chicago and travels west and slightly north to the Chicago suburbs. It ends at the eastern terminus of the Elgin Bypass around Elgin, where U.S. 20 once was routed west through downtown Elgin onto Villa Street. This is a distance of about 34.4 miles (55.4 km).[1]

This article is about the section of U.S. Route 20 in Chicago. For the entire route, see U.S. Route 20.
Lake Street
200 North (in the Loop)
General Ulysses S. Grant Highway
Length34.4 mi[1] (55.4 km)
East endDowntown Chicago at Upper Stetson Avenue
West end US 20 / Elgin Bypass at Villa Street in Elgin

Route description
The Green Line elevated tracks run above Lake Street in Chicago. April 2002

Lake Street begins (or, rather, ends, in the case of motor traffic) at Stetson Avenue in the Illinois Center area of the Chicago Loop (middle and lower levels extend one block further east to Columbus Drive on a multi-level structure, with a pedestrian mall on the upper level) and then runs to the west as a one-way eastbound street. From the first two-way traffic segment at Canal Street, it continues to the west through the city of Chicago before heading into the western suburbs. For most of the first 7 miles (11 km) between Wabash Avenue and Laramie Avenue, Lake Street runs beneath the elevated Green Line CTA tracks and the Union Pacific (former Chicago and Northwestern) railroad tracks near Central Avenue.

Chicago Transit Authority control tower 18 guides elevated Chicago 'L' north and southbound Purple and Brown lines intersecting with east and westbound Pink and Green lines and the looping Orange line above the Wells and Lake street intersection in the loop.

In Stone Park, Lake Street runs concurrent with U.S. 20 at Mannheim Road. Eastbound U.S. 20 turns south with U.S. Routes 12 and 45. Westbound U.S. 20 follows Lake Street westbound to the western terminus of Lake Street for 20.7 miles (33.3 km).[1] A portion of Lake Street in Elmhurst has been replaced by the Eisenhower Expressway; at this point, U.S. 20 runs on the Eisenhower for 0.97 mi (1.56 km).[2] Lake Street parallels the Eisenhower until the interchange with Interstate 355.

Continuing west, Lake Street becomes a six lane divided highway while passing through the western suburbs; at Roselle, it becomes a four-lane divided highway. At the current western terminus of the Elgin-O'Hare Expressway41.9819°N 88.13957°W / 41.9819; -88.13957, Lake Street becomes six lanes once again through Hanover Park. Just west of the Villa Olivia Country Club, Lake Street ends at the eastern terminus of the Elgin Bypass.

History

Most of Lake Street was once marked as U.S. 20.[3] In 1938, U.S. 20 was moved onto Mannheim Road and La Grange Road. The remaining segment of Lake Street became City U.S. 20.[4] In 1960, it was renamed to Business U.S. 20.[5] In 1968, all designations were dropped from Lake Street east of Mannheim Road.[6][7]

Major intersections
CountyLocationmi[8][9]kmDestinationsNotes
CookChicago0.00.0North Upper Stetson AvenueEastern terminus
1.11.8 I-90 / I-94 east (Kennedy Expressway)Westbound I-90/I-94 exit; eastbound I-90/I-94 entrance
6.310.1 IL 50 (North Cicero Avenue)
Oak Park–River Forest line9.415.1 IL 43 (Harlem Avenue)
Maywood10.917.5 IL 171 (1st Avenue)
Stone Park13.521.7 US 20 east / US 12 / US 45 (Mannheim Road)Eastern end of US 20 concurrency
Northlake15.424.8
I-294 north (Tri-State Tollway)		Northbound I-294 entrance only
DuPageElmhurst15.625.1 IL 64 east (North Avenue)Eastbound US 20 (Lake Street) entrance only
15.725.3 I-290 (Eisenhower Expressway) / US 20 westEastbound US 20 (Lake Street) entrance only; western end of US 20 concurrency (eastern segment)
Gap in route
17.428.0 US 20 east / I-290 (Eisenhower Expressway)Interchange; eastern end of US 20 concurrency (western segment)
Elmhurst–Addison line18.529.8 IL 83 (Kingery Highway) to I-290 (Eisenhower Expressway)Interchange
Medinah22.536.2 IL 53 (Rohlwing Road)
Addison22.736.5
I-355 (Veterans Memorial Tollway) to I-290 (Eisenhower Expressway)		Interchange
Hanover Park28.646.0 IL 390 east (Elgin-O'Hare Tollway)I-PASS only interchange; current IL 390 terminus
CookBartlett32.752.6 IL 59 (Sutton Road)Interchange
Elgin34.455.4Shales ParkwayWestern terminus
US 20 west (Elgin Bypass)Continuation beyond Shales Parkway
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References
  1. Google Maps estimate.
  2. Illinois Technology Transfer Center (2006). "T2 GIS Data". Archived from the original on August 10, 2007. Retrieved November 8, 2007.
  3. Illinois Secretary of State; Rand McNally (1936). Road Map Illinois (Map). [c. 1:950,000 and c. 1:1,110,000]. Springfield: Illinois Secretary of State – via Illinois Digital Archives.
  4. Illinois Secretary of State; Rand McNally (1939). Illinois Road Map (Map) (1939–1940 ed.). c. 1:918,720. Springfield: Illinois Secretary of State – via Illinois Digital Archives.
  5. Illinois Division of Highways; H.M. Gousha (1960). Illinois Official Highway Map (Map). [1:790,00]. Springfield: Illinois Division of Highways – via Illinois Digital Archives.
  6. Carlson, Rich (May 29, 2007). "Routes 1 thru 20:". Retrieved September 19, 2007.
  7. Illinois Division of Highways (1968). Illinois Official Highway Map (Map). [1:772,500]. Springfield: Illinois Division of Highways – via Illinois Digital Archives.
  8. "Lake Street (Chicago-Elmhurst)".
  9. "Lake Street (Elmhurst-Elgin)".
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