Illinois Route 7 (IL 7, Illinois 7) is a northeast–southwest state route in northeastern Illinois. Currently, IL 7 runs from U.S. Route 6 (US 6) at Rockdale north through Joliet, and Crest Hill into Lockport, and then east to Orland Park before terminating at IL 43 in Worth. IL 7 runs for about 28.06 miles (45.16 km).

Route description

IL 7 northbound past US 52 in Joliet

IL 7 follows large portions of the Southwest Highway, one of the original routes from Chicago to Joliet.

IL 7 runs along many major streets and overlaps several other routes. It joins with IL 53 in Crest Hill, US 30 (Plainfield Road) in Crest Hill and with US 6 at 159th Street between Lockport and Orland Park. Between Rockdale and Worth, IL 7 runs via old US 66, 159th Street, 143rd Street, Wolf Road, Southwest Highway, and Larkin Avenue, among many others.

History

SBI Route 7 originally ran from East Moline to Chicago, mostly on current US 6 and IL 7. When US 6 was designated, IL 7 was dropped west of what is now Orland Park. In 1967, it was dropped in the city limits of Chicago (terminating in Oak Lawn, and also extended to IL 53 in Lockport. Two years later, it was extended to Rockdale. In 1970, the eastern end was cut back to its current terminus.

Major intersections

CountyLocationmikmDestinationsNotes
WillRockdale0.00.0US 6 (Grand Army of the Republic Highway)Southern terminus
Joliet1.01.6I-80Moline, Rock Island, GaryI-80 Exit 130
1.82.9US 52 (Jefferson Street)
4.06.4US 30 / Lincoln Highway (Plainfield Road)
Crest Hill5.79.2IL 53 south (Broadway Street) / Historic US 66 west / I&M Canal Passage west – JolietSouthwest end of IL 53/Historic US 66/I&M Canal Passage overlap
Romeoville8.714.0IL 53 north (Independence Boulevard) / Historic US 66 eastNortheast end of IL 53/Historic US 66 overlap
Lockport9.715.6IL 171 (State Street) / I&M Canal Passage eastNortheast end of I&M Canal Passage overlap
12.420.0I-355 Toll (Veterans Memorial Tollway) – Southwest Suburbs, West SuburbsI-355 exit 4
CookOrland Park18.629.9US 6 (Wolf Road, 159th Street) – Joliet, Indiana
22.736.5US 45 (La Grange Road, 96th Avenue)Access via 135th and 143rd Streets
Palos Park25.340.7123rd Street, McCarthy RoadInterchange
26.242.2IL 83 (Cal Sag Road, College Drive) / CR W32 south (80th Avenue)
Worth28.245.4IL 43 (Harlem Avenue) Southwest HighwayNorthern terminus; roadway continues as Southwest Highway
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi Concurrency terminusElectronic toll collection

External links