Illinois Route 31 - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Illinois Route 31 is a north–south state road in northeastern Illinois

Illinois

Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. It runs from U.S. Highway 34 in Oswego

Oswego, Illinois

Oswego is a village in Kendall County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2010 census, the village population was 30,355. Its population has more than doubled since the 2000 census count of 13,326...

north to U.S. Highway 12, near the Wisconsin

Wisconsin

Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...

border, just south of Richmond

Richmond, Illinois

Richmond is a village in McHenry County, Illinois, United States, 44 miles south-southwest of Milwaukee, Wisconsin and 55 miles northwest of Chicago, Illinois. The population was 1,091 at the 2000 census. The current village president is Lauri Olson.-History:...

. Illinois 31 is 58.41 miles (94 km) long.

Route description

Illinois 31 follows the Fox River

Fox River (Illinois River tributary)

The Fox River is a tributary of the Illinois River in the states of Wisconsin and Illinois in the United States. There are two other "Fox Rivers" in southern Illinois: the Fox River and a smaller "Fox River" that joins the Wabash River near New Harmony, Indiana.-Wisconsin:The Fox River rises near...

along the western bank. It parallels Illinois Route 25

Illinois Route 25

Illinois Route 25 is a state road in northeast Illinois. It runs north from U.S. Highway 34 in Oswego to Illinois Route 62 in Algonquin. Illinois 25 is in length.- Route description :...

, which travels along the eastern bank of the Fox River. It overlaps Illinois Route 120

Illinois Route 120

Illinois Route 120 is a major east–west state highway in northeastern Illinois. It runs from U.S. Route 14 near Woodstock to Illinois Route 131 in Waukegan. It travels a distance of and is one of the few roads that provides direct access from McHenry County to Interstate 94 in Lake County...

in McHenry.

Illinois 31 is called Richmond Road north of Illinois 120 and Front Street south of Illinois 120 in McHenry

McHenry, Illinois

McHenry is a city in McHenry County, Illinois, United States. In 2005, its population was estimated to be 24,631. McHenry was at one time the county seat of McHenry County...

, Main Street in Algonquin

Algonquin, Illinois

Algonquin is a village in Illinois located in both McHenry and Kane counties. It is a northwest suburb of Chicago, located approximately 40 miles from the Loop...

, Western Avenue in Carpentersville

Carpentersville, Illinois

Carpentersville is a village in Kane County, Illinois, United States. The population was 30,586 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Carpentersville is located at ....

, Eighth Street in West Dundee

West Dundee, Illinois

West Dundee is a village in Kane County, Illinois, United States. The population was 7,975 as of July 2008.West Dundee lies across the Fox River from East Dundee and Carpentersville.-Geography:West Dundee is located at ....

, State Street in Elgin

Elgin, Illinois

Elgin is a city in northern Illinois located roughly northwest of Chicago on the Fox River. Most of Elgin lies within Kane County, Illinois, with a portion in Cook County, Illinois...

, La Fox Street in South Elgin

South Elgin, Illinois

South Elgin is a village in Kane County, Illinois, United States. The population was 16,100 at the 2000 census, and estimated to be 20,758 as of 2005. In July 2007, Money magazine named South Elgin as 82 of 100 entries in its "America's Best Places To Live" edition.- Geography :South Elgin is...

, Second Street in St. Charles, First Street in Geneva

Geneva, Illinois

Geneva is the county seat of Kane County, Illinois. It is located on the western fringe of the Chicago suburbs. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 26,652. Geneva is part of a tri-city area, along with St. Charles and Batavia...

, Batavia Avenue in Batavia

Batavia, Illinois

Batavia was founded in 1833, and is the oldest city in Kane County, Illinois, with a small portion in DuPage County. During the Industrial Revolution, Batavia became known as ‘The Windmill City’ for being the largest windmill producer of the time...

, Lincolnway

Lincoln Highway

The Lincoln Highway was the first road across the United States of America.Conceived and promoted by entrepreneur Carl G. Fisher, the Lincoln Highway spanned coast-to-coast from Times Square in New York City to Lincoln Park in San Francisco, originally through 13 states: New York, New Jersey,...

in North Aurora

North Aurora, Illinois

North Aurora is village in Kane County, Illinois, United States. A suburb of Chicago, its population was 15,848 at the 2009 census.In its early history, North Aurora was known as "Schneider's Mill" or "Schneider's Crossing" after John Peter Schneider, a German immigrant who established a mill and...

, Lake Street (Southbound) and River Street (Northbound) in Aurora

Aurora, Illinois

Aurora is the second most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois, and the 112th largest city in the United States. A suburb of Chicago, located west of the Loop, its population in 2010 was 197,899. Originally founded within Kane County, Aurora's city limits have expanded greatly over the past...

. It is also, along with Illinois 25, signed as part of the Fox River Valley

Fox Valley (Illinois)

The Fox Valley—also commonly known as the Fox River Valley—is a rural, suburban, and exurban region within Illinois and Wisconsin along the western edges of the Chicago and Milwaukee metropolitan areas. This region centers on the Fox River of Illinois and Wisconsin...

area. Illinois Route 31 between Aurora and Geneva was considered part of the Lincoln Highway

Lincoln Highway

transcontinental route.

History

SBI Route 31 ran from Quincy

Quincy, Illinois

Quincy, known as Illinois' "Gem City," is a river city along the Mississippi River and the county seat of Adams County. As of the 2010 census the city held a population of 40,633. The city anchors its own micropolitan area and is the economic and regional hub of West-central Illinois, catering a...

to Canton

Canton, Illinois

Canton is the largest city in Fulton County, Illinois in the United States. The population was 18,288 as of the 2000 Census. The Canton Micropolitan Statistical Area covers all of Fulton County; it is in turn part of the wider Peoria-Canton, IL Combined Statistical Area .-Geography:Canton is...

along various routes. This was dropped in 1935. In 1937, it was reapplied along other routes on its modern routing. There have been no changes to the routing since.

U.S. Route 430

U.S. Route 430 was commissioned from 1926 to 1934 in the U.S. state of Illinois

Illinois

, and ran from Aurora

Aurora, Illinois

to Crystal Lake

Crystal Lake, Illinois

Crystal Lake is a city located in southeastern McHenry County in northeastern Illinois, in the Chicago suburbs. It is named after Crystal Lake, a lake located west-southwest of downtown. Crystal Lake is also a suburb of the city of Chicago. The population was 38,000 at the 2000 census, but as of...

. It ran with US 30 from Aurora to Geneva

Geneva, Illinois

at present-day Illinois Route 38

Illinois Route 38

Illinois Route 38 is an east–west state road that runs across northern Illinois. It runs from U.S. Route 52 in downtown Dixon to U.S. Highways 12, 20, and 45 in Westchester. This is a distance of . As Roosevelt Road it continues through Forest Park and into Cicero and Chicago before...

. US 430 was dropped in 1934 and replaced in its entirety with IL 31.

Future

There have long existed plans for a four-lane limited access bypass

Bypass (road)

A bypass is a road or highway that avoids or "bypasses" a built-up area, town, or village, to let through traffic flow without interference from local traffic, to reduce congestion in the built-up area, and to improve road safety....

to be constructed west of downtown Algonquin

Algonquin, Illinois

Algonquin is a village in Illinois located in both McHenry and Kane counties. It is a northwest suburb of Chicago, located approximately 40 miles from the Loop...

. This would alleviate traffic at what is currently the most congested intersection in McHenry County

McHenry County, Illinois

McHenry County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 308,760, which is an increase of 18.7% from 260,077 in 2000. Its county seat is Woodstock. This county is part of the Chicago metropolitan area. It is the sixth largest county, in...

, and divert through traffic. Widening the existing roadway isn't an option due to the close proximity of the buildings of downtown Algonquin to the road.

The bypass would start on the south at Route 31's intersection with Huntington Drive and would loop west of downtown Algonquin northward to the northern village limits. An interchange with Algonquin Road

Illinois Route 62

Illinois Route 62 is an east–west state road in northeast Illinois. It runs from downtown Algonquin at Illinois Route 31 to the intersection with Illinois Route 83 by industrial Mount Prospect. This is a distance of ....

would also be constructed.

The bypass was even featured on the front cover of IDOT (Illinois Department of Transportation)'s Capital Improvements Plan during the Republican

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

George Ryan

George Homer Ryan, Sr. was the 39th Governor of the U.S. state of Illinois from 1999 until 2003. He is a member of the Republican Party. Ryan became nationally known when in 2000 he imposed a moratorium on executions and "raised the national debate on capital punishment"...

years but was completely taken off the project list under Democrat

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

Rod Blagojevich

Rod R. Blagojevich is an American politician who served as the 40th Governor of Illinois from 2003 to 2009. A Democrat, Blagojevich was a State Representative before being elected to the United States House of Representatives representing parts of Chicago...

's administration. McHenry County is heavily Republican, and partisan politics may have been involved in the decision. The construction cost continues to go up as time goes by, and is now estimated at around $80 million. Even after U.S. Congressman Donald Manzullo secured millions in federal funding for the project, the State of Illinois has failed to match the funding, further delaying the project. A coalition of elected officials in McHenry County has recently made aggressive pushes to get the State to fund and build the Bypass, including a number of news conferences and a trip to the Illinois State Capitol

Illinois State Capitol

The Illinois State Capitol, located in Springfield, Illinois, is the building that houses the executive and legislative branches of the government of the U.S. state of Illinois. The current building is the sixth capitol of the state since its admission as a state of the United States in 1818. The...

in Springfield

Springfield, Illinois

Springfield is the third and current capital of the US state of Illinois and the county seat of Sangamon County with a population of 117,400 , making it the sixth most populated city in the state and the second most populated Illinois city outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area...

Major Junctions

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!Location
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|Kendall

Kendall County, Illinois

Kendall County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois, about 40 miles southwest of Chicago. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 114,736, which is an increase of 110% from 54,544 in 2000. It was the fastest-growing county in the United States between the years 2000 and...

|Oswego

Oswego, Illinois

Oswego is a village in Kendall County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2010 census, the village population was 30,355. Its population has more than doubled since the 2000 census count of 13,326...

Kane County, Illinois

Kane County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 515,269, which is an increase of 27.5% from 404,119 in 2000. Its county seat is Geneva, and its largest city is Aurora.- Geography :...

|Montgomery

Montgomery, Illinois

Montgomery is a village in Kane and Kendall County, Illinois. The population was 5,471 at the 2000 census, and was 14,407 in a 2006 special census...

North Aurora, Illinois

Geneva, Illinois

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|St. Charles

St. Charles, Illinois

St. Charles is a Chicago suburb in Kane and DuPage counties of Illinois, United States, and is roughly west of Chicago on Illinois Route 64. According to a 2004 census estimate, the city has a total population of 32,134. The official city slogan is Pride of the Fox, after the Fox River that runs...

Elgin, Illinois

Elgin is a city in northern Illinois located roughly northwest of Chicago on the Fox River. Most of Elgin lies within Kane County, Illinois, with a portion in Cook County, Illinois...

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|West Dundee

West Dundee, Illinois

McHenry County, Illinois

|Algonquin

Algonquin, Illinois

Algonquin is a village in Illinois located in both McHenry and Kane counties. It is a northwest suburb of Chicago, located approximately 40 miles from the Loop...

Crystal Lake, Illinois

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|rowspan=2|McHenry

McHenry, Illinois

McHenry is a city in McHenry County, Illinois, United States. In 2005, its population was estimated to be 24,631. McHenry was at one time the county seat of McHenry County...

External links

Illinois Highway Ends: Illinois Route 31

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