Portal:U.S. roads/Selected article/April 2010



Illinois Route 22, also known as Half Day Road for part of its length, is an east–west state highway in northeastern Illinois. It runs from U.S. Route 14 (US 14, Northwest Highway) in Fox River Grove to US 41 (Skokie Highway) in Highland Park. It travels a distance of 19.7 mi and is one of the few roads that runs almost entirely across southern Lake County while also providing access to southeastern McHenry County. Throughout its length, it shifts between two and four lanes as it passes through a frequently changing setting of scenic forestry and smaller populations, as well as busy intersections and larger developments.

It originally started as State Bond Issue Route 22, a massive loop around the Chicago area in 1918, similar to the path of the modern Interstate 294. The roadway was later shortened in 1935, and it has retained its current, much shorter route ever since 1937. During the 1990s, it became the subject of much concern for local residents regarding expansion which slowed down any progress for capacity improvement. By the late 2000s, the delays have come and gone and it has emerged as a state route that has been largely modernized to deal with heavy traffic. Recent construction projects have rebuilt the Route 22 bridge over the Tri-State Tollway to accommodate a widening of the latter, while future improvements are planned that would widen the remaining two-lane sections to four lanes.

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