Illinois Route 50 (IL 50) is a north–south state highway in northeastern

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

. It runs from the junction with U.S. Route 45 (US 45) and U.S. Route 52 (US 52) in West Kankakee north to US 41 in Skokie. In

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

and the suburbs, it is known as Cicero Avenue. Before this, Cicero Avenue was previously known as 48th Avenue, owing to its City of Chicago address of 4800 West.

Route description

IL 50 begins in Kankakee at an intersection with Southeast Avenue ( US 45/ US 52) and heads north as Schuyler Avenue. The four-lane road crosses the Kankakee River and then turns east onto East River Street before turning north onto a one-way pair of Harrison Avenue northbound and Indiana Avenue southbound. While on this one-way pair, IL 50 crosses two railroads, then turns east onto Fair Street and crosses a third. After crossing the railroads, the roadway curves in a northerly direction and becomes Hobbie Avenue before it enters Bradley. In Bradley, the road is known as Kinzie Avenue, and it continues due north, meeting a diamond interchange with Interstate 57 (I-57), then leaving the city. North of the city, IL 50 begins to parallel a railroad. It bends to the northeast, crosses the southern branch of Rock Creek, and passes through Manteno. Northeast of Manteno, the highway leaves Kankakee County and crosses into Will County. Still paralleling the railroad and I-57, IL 50 passes through Peotone and heads toward Monee. In Monee, the route dips to the north and crosses the railroad, then crosses into University Park. Here the route is known as Governors Highway. It curves north before leaving the city and Will County, crossing into urban Cook County. Upon crossing into Cook County, IL 50 enters Richton Park. From here northward the road is known as Cicero Avenue. It passes straight through Richton Park and into Matteson. In Matteson, IL 50 meets Lincoln Highway ( US 30). The route then continues due north through the remainder of Matteson, through the Southern Green Belt Forest Preserve, and into Country Club Hills. Continuing north through Country Club Hills, IL 50 crosses under I-80, then under I-57, without access to either highway. Just north of I-57, IL 50 curves slightly to the northwest, leaves Country Club Hills and enters Oak Forest. The route continues northward in Oak Forest, intersecting 159th Street ( US 6). North of the US 6 intersection, the highway crosses into Midlothian, where it intersects IL 83 south at 149th Street. IL 50 at Pink Line

IL 50 and IL 83 head north and enter Crestwood. In the northern part of this city, IL 83 splits off to the northwest at an intersection with Cal Sag Road, while IL 50 continues heading north and crosses the Little Calumet River into Alsip. Here, the highway shares an interchange with I-294 (Tri-State Tollway), then continues due north into Oak Lawn. In Oak Lawn, IL 50 meets US 12 and US 20 at 95th Street, then continues north and leaves the city. Around 79th street, It begins to parallel Illinois Route 171 and Illinois Route 43 to the west. It parallels Illinois 171 until its terminus at Illinois Route 72 and Illinois Route 43 for the duration of the route. Continuing north, the highway enters Chicago entirely and serves Chicago Midway International Airport, then meets I-55 (Stevenson Expressway) at a diamond interchange. North of the interchange with I-55, IL 50 crosses the Chicago Ship and Sanitary Canal, leaving Chicago and entering Cicero. The route re-enters Chicago a short distance later, meeting I-290 (Dwight D. Eisenhower Expressway) just north of the boundary. Heading north through the western portion of the city, the highway intersects IL 64 and IL 19 before crossing under I-90 (Kennedy Expressway) without access. Continuing north, IL 50 meets I-94 (Edens Expressway) at an interchange in which IL 50 has no access to I-94, and only traffic travelling eastbound on I-94 can access IL 50 southbound. The route then crosses the north branch of the

Chicago River The Chicago River is a system of rivers and canals with a combined length of that runs through the city of Chicago, including its center (the Chicago Loop). The river is one of the reasons for Chicago's geographic importance: the related Chic ...

and intersects US 14 at Peterson Avenue. North of this intersection, the highway leaves Chicago and passes through Lincolnwood. It then continues north to its northern terminus at Lincoln Avenue ( US 41) in Skokie.

Transportation

In Chicago and its near suburbs, Cicero Avenue is primarily served by three bus routes. 54 Cicero runs from 24th Place near Cicero station to Montrose Avenue near Mayfair station. 54A North Cicero/Skokie Blvd runs from Irving Park station to Skokie Courthouse. 54B South Cicero runs from Cermak Road to Ford City Mall.

Major intersections

References

External links

Illinois Highway Ends: Illinois Route 50
{{Streets in Chicago 050 Transportation in Kankakee County, Illinois Transportation in Will County, Illinois Transportation in Cook County, Illinois Kankakee, Illinois Oak Forest, Illinois Oak Lawn, Illinois Transportation in Chicago