In the
U.S. stateA U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of
IllinoisIllinois 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,...
,
U.S. Route 41U.S. Route 41 is a north–south United States Highway that runs from Miami, Florida to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Until 1949, the part in southern Florida, from Naples to Miami, was U.S...
runs north from the Indiana border beneath the
Chicago SkywayThe Chicago Skyway, also known as Chicago Skyway Toll Bridge System, is a toll road in Chicago, Illinois, United States, carrying Interstate 90 from the Indiana Toll Road to the Dan Ryan Expressway on Chicago's South Side leading into the Chicago Loop....
on Indianapolis Boulevard to the Wisconsin border north of the northern terminus of the
Tri-State TollwayThe Tri-State Tollway is a U.S. toll road maintained by the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority in northeastern Illinois which is considered one of the most heavily traveled highways in the country...
with
Interstate 94Interstate 94 is the northernmost east–west Interstate Highway, connecting the Great Lakes and Intermountain regions of the United States. I-94's western terminus is in Billings, Montana at a junction with Interstate 90; its eastern terminus is the U.S...
. It is the only north–south U.S. Route to travel through a significant portion of the city of
ChicagoChicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, carrying
Lake Shore DriveLake Shore Drive is a mostly freeway-standard expressway running parallel with and alongside the shoreline of Lake Michigan through Chicago, Illinois, USA. Except for the portion north of Foster Avenue , Lake Shore Drive is designated as part of U.S...
through the central portion of the city along the lakefront. U.S. 41 in Illinois is 64.81 miles (104.3 km) in length.
Route description
U.S. 41 enters Illinois concurrent with U.S. Routes
12U.S. Route 12 or US 12 is an east–west United States highway, running from Grays Harbor on the Pacific Ocean, in the state of Washington, to downtown Detroit, for almost . As a thoroughfare, it has mostly been supplanted by I-90 and I-94, but remains an important road for local travel.The...
and
20U.S. Route 20 is an east–west United States highway. As the "0" in its route number implies, US 20 is a coast-to-coast route. Spanning , it is the longest road in the United States, and the route sparsely parallels Interstate 90...
on the far southeast side of
ChicagoChicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. They run together until the junction of 95th Street and Ewing Avenue. U.S. 41, now South Mackinaw Avenue, then zig-zags along other local South Chicago roads. From East 87th Street, South Burley Avenue, South Baker Avenue and South Shore Drive, U.S. 41 continues through South Shore Neighborhood's section of South Shore Drive before reaching the southern terminus of Lake Shore Drive.
The Lake Shore Drive section of U.S. 41 is a six-to-eight lane highway along the shores of
Lake MichiganLake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron...
through Chicago's lakefront park system. It is a limited access highway except for five signalized intersections near downtown Chicago.
Just short of the northern terminus of Lake Shore Drive, U.S. 41 exits at Foster Avenue. It follows Foster Avenue west for over two miles (3 km) and then heads northwest on
Lincoln AvenueLincoln Avenue is a major diagonal thoroughfare of the north side of city of Chicago. It runs from Clark Street on the western border of Lincoln Park largely to the northwest, ending in Morton Grove, Illinois...
into neighboring
LincolnwoodLincolnwood is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 12,359 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Lincolnwood is located at ....
. Between Lake Shore Drive and Lincolnwood, U.S. 41 intersects
U.S. Route 14In the U.S. state of Illinois, U.S. Route 14 is a major arterial that runs southeast from the Wisconsin state line north of Harvard, Illinois to the north side of Chicago at U.S. Route 41....
twice; once at its terminus at Foster Avenue and Broadway, and once again at the intersection of Peterson Avenue and Lincoln Avenue.
U.S. 41 is named Skokie Boulevard through Skokie, then its name changes to Skokie Road north of Skokie. Traveling north, it joins
Interstate 94Interstate 94 is the northernmost east–west Interstate Highway, connecting the Great Lakes and Intermountain regions of the United States. I-94's western terminus is in Billings, Montana at a junction with Interstate 90; its eastern terminus is the U.S...
(
Edens ExpresswayThe Edens Expressway is the main major expressway north from the city of Chicago. For most of its length, the Edens carries Interstate 94; it also carries U.S. Route 41 from Wilmette to its northern terminus. Only the short portion from the Spur Ramp to the expressway's end in Highland Park does...
) westbound just north of the Old Orchard Shopping Center; they split a few miles north when U.S. 41 becomes the
Skokie HighwayThe Skokie Highway is a major arterial highway running north of Chicago through the far northeastern portion of the U.S. state of Illinois. It runs from the intersection of Illinois Route 50 in Skokie north to the Wisconsin state line at Interstate 94 near Wadsworth. All of the Skokie Highway is...
. The highway serves as a major north–south arterial expressway for much of its routing through Chicago's northern suburbs, as well as an oft-used alternate for truckers avoiding the cost of tolls on the
Tri-State TollwayThe Tri-State Tollway is a U.S. toll road maintained by the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority in northeastern Illinois which is considered one of the most heavily traveled highways in the country...
. Before reaching the Wisconsin border, U.S. 41 rejoins
Interstate 94Interstate 94 is the northernmost east–west Interstate Highway, connecting the Great Lakes and Intermountain regions of the United States. I-94's western terminus is in Billings, Montana at a junction with Interstate 90; its eastern terminus is the U.S...
at the northern terminus of the Tri-State Tollway; these two roads continue, toll-free, north 1 mile (2 km) to the Wisconsin border.
Major intersections
| County |
Location |
Mile |
Destinations |
Notes |
CookCook County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois, with its county seat in Chicago. It is the second most populous county in the United States after Los Angeles County. The county has 5,194,675 residents, which is 40.5 percent of all Illinois residents. Cook County's population is larger than...
|
ChicagoChicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
|
0.01 |
|
Interchange |
| 1.71 |
|
North end of US 12/US 20 overlap |
| 6.41 |
Jeffery Drive, Marquette Drive |
|
| See Lake Shore Drive |
| 20.51 |
Lake Shore DriveLake Shore Drive is a mostly freeway-standard expressway running parallel with and alongside the shoreline of Lake Michigan through Chicago, Illinois, USA. Except for the portion north of Foster Avenue , Lake Shore Drive is designated as part of U.S...
north |
Interchange; northbound exit and southbound entrance |
| 21.01 |
|
|
|
|
|
| Skokie |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Wilmette |
|
|
South end of I-94 overlap; interchange; southbound exit and northbound entrance |
| See I-94 |
| Northbrook |
|
– Milwaukee |
North end of I-94 overlap; interchange; northbound exit and southbound entrance |
| 37.8 |
Lake Cook Road |
Interchange |
LakeLake County is a county in the northeastern corner of the state of Illinois, on the shore of Lake Michigan. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 703,462, which is an increase of 9.2% from 644,356 in 2000. Its county seat is Waukegan. The county is part of the Chicago metropolitan area...
|
Highland Park |
| 38.4 |
Clavey Road, Skokie Valley Road |
Interchange |
| 38.8 |
Chantilly Road |
Northbound exit and entrance |
| 40.0 |
Central Avenue, Deerfield Road – Highland Park |
Interchange |
| North end of freeway |
| 40.7 |
Park Avenue West |
Stoplight |
| 41.5 |
|
Stoplight; separate ramps for traffic exiting onto IL-22 |
| Lake Forest |
42.9 |
Old Elm Road |
Stoplight; separate ramp for northbound traffic exiting east |
| 44.0 |
Westleigh Road |
Stoplight |
| 44.7 |
|
Stoplight |
| 45.2 |
Deerpath Road |
|
| Lake Bluff |
47.5 |
|
Southbound traffic exits via Washington Avenue/Shagbark Road; Northbound traffic exits via Skokie Valley Road |
| North Chicago |
49.6 |
|
Stoplight |
| 50.4 |
Martin Luther King Drive |
Stoplight |
| 51.0 |
Amherst Parkway |
Stoplight |
| Waukegan |
51.6 |
Northpoint Boulevard |
Ramp; only accessible for southbound traffic |
| 52.0 |
Old Skokie Highway |
Ramp; only accessible for northbound traffic |
| 52.4 |
|
Interchange |
| 52.7 |
|
Northbound traffic from IL-43 merges onto northbound U.S. Route 41; southbound traffic from U.S. 41 to IL-43 South and IL-120 West use the same ramp |
| Gurnee |
53.2 |
Washington Street |
Interchange; Northbound ramp also goes to Old Skokie Highway |
| 54.0 |
|
Northbound ramp also goes to Grandville Avenue |
| 54.7 |
Delany Road |
Stoplight |
| 56.1 |
|
Stoplight; IL 21Illinois Route 21 is an arterial north–south state highway in northeastern Illinois. It runs from Illinois Route 43 in Niles to U.S. Route 41 north of Gurnee. Illinois 21 is 28.13 miles long....
reaches its northern terminus at U.S. Route 41 |
| 56.4 |
Stearns School Road |
Stoplight |
| Wadsworth |
59.0 |
Wadsworth Road |
Stoplight |
| 61.6 |
|
Stoplight |
| Zion |
62.8 |
– Milwaukee |
U.S. Route 41 north joins Interstate 94; continues toll-free |