STEVENSON EXPRESSWAY

The 'Stevenson Expressway' is the major Interstate freeway leading southwest out of the city of Chicago in Illinois. It is signed as Interstate 55 for the entire length.
The eastern terminus of the Stevenson Expressway is located at U.S. Highway 41 (Lake Shore Drive). Its western terminus is a matter of opinion — prior to the opening of Interstate 355 (North-South Tollway), Interstate 294 (Tri-State Tollway) was commonly held as the starting point to the Stevenson. One could also argue the end of Illinois Route 126 as the beginning of the Stevenson, as the last few hundred feet of 126 is an east-west highway, running in a similar direction as the Stevenson. As of 2006, Interstate 55 has six lanes all to Weber Road in Bolingbrook. Taking Weber Road as the southwestern terminus, the Stevenson Expressway is 35 miles (53 km) from start to finish.
The expressway opened on October 24, 1964 as the 'Southwest Expressway'. It was renamed after Adlai E. Stevenson II, the former governor of Illinois, on September 1, 1965 a month and a half after his death. The Stevenson's original termini were U.S. Highway 66 in DuPage County to the west, and the Dan Ryan Expressway to the east.
In 1999-2000, the expressway was completely rebuilt from Central Avenue north to Lake Shore Drive, including the ramps to the Dan Ryan. IDOT was criticized at the time for not adding a fourth lane in each direction to the highway.^[1]

Contents

External resources

References

External resources

★ Chicago Public Library: Timeline

★ Illinois Highways

References

1. Hilkevitch, John. Buckle up, it looks like a long ride. ''Chicago Tribune''. Published March 26, 2006. Retrieved March 26, 2006.