Illinois Route 178 marker

Illinois Route 178

East 8th Road
IL 178 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by IDOT
Length8.49 mi[1] (13.66 km)
Existed1924[2]–present
Major junctions
South end CR 14 / CR 44 in Lowell
Major intersections US 6 in North Utica
North end I-80 in North Utica
Location
CountryUnited States
StateIllinois
CountiesLaSalle
Highway system
← IL 177→ IL 179

Illinois Route 178 is a minor north–south state highway in north central Illinois. It runs north from the unincorporated area of Lowell to Interstate 80 about 3 miles (4.8 km) north of North Utica, which is better known as simply Utica. This is a distance of 8.49 miles (13.66 km).[1]

Route description

Illinois 178 is a short state road that connects two of Illinois' more popular state parks to Interstate 80; Starved Rock State Park and Matthiessen State Park. Starting at Interstate 80, Illinois 178 intersects U.S. Route 6 at a rural intersection, and then descends into the Illinois River valley to the town of Utica.

South of Utica, Illinois 178 crosses the Illinois River via a cantilever bridge, where it meets a western entrance into Starved Rock State Park. About one mile (1.6 km) south of Illinois Route 71 is the entrance to Matthiesen State Park. The route terminates at rural intersection in Lowell.

History

SBI Route 178 ran along the existing Illinois 178, and southwest from Lowell to what was then U.S. Route 51 in Tonica. This was dropped in the 1950s.[2]

Reconstruction through Utica

In accordance with the village of North Utica's United Recovery Plan, which was enacted following the 2004 tornado, a re-routing of Illinois 178 west of the current business district was constructed. This project, completed in summer of 2012, eliminated two sharp bends in the former alignment and diverts local truck traffic and through traffic away from the downtown area.[3]

The Illinois River bridge is currently under construction and is expected to be completed by late 2018. The existing cantilever bridge will be removed and replaced by a new highway bridge with decorative lighting and an added pedestrian and bicycle multi-use path.[4]

Major Intersections

The entire route is in LaSalle County.

Locationmi[5]kmDestinationsNotes
Lowell0.00.0


 CR 14 west (Ed Lambert Road) to I-39 / US 51

 CR 44 south (East 8th Road)
​4.36.9 IL 71
North Utica8.012.9 US 6 – LaSalle, Ottawa
LaSalle8.4913.66 I-80 – Moline, Rock Island, JolietI-80 exit 81
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

  1. 1 2 Illinois Technology Transfer Center (2007). "T2 GIS Data". Retrieved 2007-11-08.
  2. 1 2 Carlson, Rich. Illinois Highways Page: Routes 161 thru 180. Last updated April 15, 2005. Retrieved April 16, 2006.
  3. ↑ http://newstrib.com/articles/news/local/default.asp?article=CE7A27D72D1EF096B3B7EBEC6154C422CD33364369E2E734%5B%5D
  4. ↑ "Say goodbye to the old Utica bridge". Archived from the original on 2017-10-19. Retrieved 2017-01-10.
  5. ↑ Google (March 12, 2017). "Overview Map of IL 178" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
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