Illinois Route 120

State Bond Issue (SBI) Route 120 originally ran from Havana to Mason City in west-central Illinois. In 1939 this became IL 119, and in 1951, U.S. Route 136. In the meantime, in 1941 Illinois 120 replaced Illinois Route 20 to avoid confusion with nearby U.S. Route 20.[2] In 1972, the designation was removed east of IL 131.[11] During the early 1990s, plans came about to widen 5.7 miles of roadway in McHenry and Lake counties. The project extended from River Road in McHenry to east of Illinois 60. These plans also included the construction of a short southern bypass around the town of Volo.[12][13] By 1994,[14] the work had concluded which resulted in four concrete travel lanes. In 2000, a $4.6 million construction project was completed at the intersection of US-45. The changes that took place to Illinois 120 were: expanding to two lanes in each direction and adding a right turn lane to the eastbound approach.[15] The most recent major construction that has taken place was between August 2007 and July 2008 at the interchange with I-94. The work consisted of demolishing the two bridge structures that travel over the tollway and replacing them with new ones.[16]

In recent years there has been much discussion on how to improve the east–west traffic flow throughout north-central Lake County. IL 120 enters Lake County from the west as a four-lane highway and then becomes a two-lane highway less than three miles east,[5] just past IL 60 and later becomes a four lane divided highway west of Hunt Club Road.[3] Since there is heavy traffic from nearby Interstate 94 to the east as well as traffic traveling to and from McHenry County in the west, some believe this gap should become four lanes. As part of this expansion plan, a 7-mile southern bypass in Grayslake would be constructed.[17] This has since become known as the "120 bypass".[18]

This project is closely related to another long delayed Lake county transportation project; the IL 53 extension.[17] The currently stalled project has been planned to extend the limited-access expressway, which carries IL 53 and terminates at Lake-Cook Road, north to connect to the 120 bypass, and then branch off toward U.S. Route 12 to the west and Interstate 94 to the east.[19] If the project were ever built, the east–west 120 bypass would likely be built as a limited-access expressway to connect with the proposed north–south Illinois 53 extension which is also limited-access.[17] The entire scope of this project; starting on Illinois 120 at Interstate 94, continuing west on the 120 bypass, and connecting with the Illinois 53 extension would provide a direct route for commuters in northern Lake County to gain access to the western and southwestern Chicago suburbs.[3] Since there have been many delays over the decades on how to proceed with this extension, the 120 bypass project moved forward on its own as an independent project.[20]

In 2006,[21] a feasibility study got underway by a special corridor planning council which was composed of groups from nearby communities and local government officials and took public input.[22] Initially, the main focus for the public was to provide feedback for the road character or type of road. The alternatives considered were: a four lane roundabout boulevard, four lane signalized boulevard, six lane signalized arterial, and six lane expressway.[23] In December 2008, it was revealed that the four lane boulevard option was selected in an 11–2 vote over an expressway, however it still remained open whether or not roundabouts would be used in place of traffic signals at intersections.[23] The cost of the project was estimated at $521 million.[23] In May 2009, the preferred roadway alignment was selected.[24]

On October 14, 2009, the Route 120 Corridor Planning Council Governance Board came to a consensus and approved a vision for the project which recommends that the bypass be built as a four lane arterial highway with limited-access. The next step is for the Illinois Department of Transportation to begin a Phase I Preliminary Engineering Study.[25]

In 2012, the Blue Ribbon Advisory Council revived the 120 expressway alternative as a tollway,[26] rather than a roundabout or signalized boulevard, and proposed the Route 53/120 expressway plan to IDOT as a four-lane, completely below grade tollway with a speed limit of 45 mph. The proposed roadway would include such features as a multi-use path, bioswale grassy median, landscaped raised berms, in-pavement lighting, all electronic tolling, and innovative interchange designs.[27][28]

In 2016, Lake County Board Chairman Aaron Lawlor withdrew his support for the project, issuing a statement indicating his belief that "financial and political realities have become insurmountable" and would prevent the extension from happening in the environmental way envisioned in the 2012 report.[29] Despite the withdrawn support, the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority made no changes to the plan to conduct an environmental impact study, with Chairman Bob Schillerstrom stating "many of the questions that Chairman Lawlor raised would be answered" by such a study.[30]

On May 25, 2017, the Illinois Tollway board unanimously approved a $25 million expenditure for an environmental impact study of the proposed northward extension of Illinois Route 53 into Lake County. Opponents continued to criticize the project as expensive and harmful to the environment, while supporters believe it will provide congestion relief and a boon to the economies of Lake and McHenry counties. The U.S. Public Interest Research Group, a consumer advocacy organization, included the Route 53 extension in a list of "nine wasteful highway boondoggles," pegging the cost at $2.3 billion and saying it "would jeopardize the environment and lacks a viable funding plan."[31]

[32]

County	Location	mi[5]	km	Destinations	Notes
McHenry	Woodstock	0.0	0.0	US 14 (Northwest Highway)	Western terminus
		3.0	4.8	IL 47 (Seminary Avenue)
	McHenry	13.3	21.4	IL 31 south (Front Street)	West end of IL 31 overlap
		13.6	21.9	IL 31 north (Richmond Road)	East end of IL 31 overlap
Lake	Lakemoor–Volo village line	19.3	31.1	US 12 / IL 59
	Volo	19.9	32.0	IL 60	Western terminus of IL 60
	Hainesville	24.4	39.3	IL 134 (Main Street)	Eastern terminus of IL 134
	Grayslake	26.4	42.5	IL 83 (Barron Boulevard)
		27.8	44.7	US 45
	Gurnee	30.9	49.7	IL 21 (Milwaukee Avenue)	Grade separated; partial cloverleaf interchange
		32.0	51.5	I-94 Toll east (Tri-State Tollway) – Chicago	No access from or to I-94 west; I-94 exit 11
	Waukegan	33.1	53.3	Fountain Square Place / Greenleaf Street to IL 43 south	Grade separated; Diamond interchange
	Park City	33.7	54.2	US 41 (Skokie Highway) – Chicago, Milwaukee	Grade separated
	Waukegan	34.6	55.7	IL 131 (Green Bay Road)	Eastern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus       Incomplete access

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Illinois Route 120.

• 120Now – Route 120 Corridor Planning Council