Illinois Route 7 | ||||
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IL 7 highlighted in red
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| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by IDOT | ||||
| Length | 28.06 mi[1] (45.16 km) | |||
| Existed | November 5, 1918 (November 5, 1918)[2]–present | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| Southwest end |  US 6inRockdale | |||
| Major intersections |
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| Northeast end |  IL 43inWorth | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | Illinois | |||
| Counties | Will, Cook | |||
| Highway system | ||||
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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 43inWorth. IL 7 runs for about 28.06 miles (45.16 km).[1]
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.
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 53inLockport. Two years later, it was extended to Rockdale. In 1970, the eastern end was cut back to its current terminus.[2]
| County | Location | mi[1][3] | km | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Will | Rockdale | 0.0 | 0.0 | US 6 (Grand Army of the Republic Highway) | Southern terminus |
| Joliet | 1.0 | 1.6 |  I-80 – Moline, Rock Island, Gary | I-80 Exit 130 | |
| 1.8 | 2.9 |  US 52 (Jefferson Street) | |||
| 4.0 | 6.4 |   US 30 / Lincoln Highway (Plainfield Road) | |||
| Crest Hill | 5.7 | 9.2 |     IL 53 south (Broadway Street) / Historic US 66 west / I&M Canal Passage west – Joliet | Southwest end of IL 53/Historic US 66/I&M Canal Passage overlap | |
| Romeoville | 8.7 | 14.0 |   IL 53 north (Independence Boulevard) / Historic US 66 east | Northeast end of IL 53/Historic US 66 overlap | |
| Lockport | 9.7 | 15.6 |  IL 171 (State Street) / I&M Canal Passage east | Northeast end of I&M Canal Passage overlap | |
| 12.4 | 20.0 |   I-355 Toll (Veterans Memorial Tollway) – Southwest Suburbs, West Suburbs | I-355 exit 4 | ||
| Cook | Orland Park | 18.6 | 29.9 | US 6 (Wolf Road, 159th Street) – Joliet, Indiana | |
| 22.7 | 36.5 |  US 45 (La Grange Road, 96th Avenue) | Access via 135th and 143th Streets | ||
| Palos Park | 25.3 | 40.7 | 123rd Street, McCarthy Road | Interchange | |
| 26.2 | 42.2 |    IL 83 (Cal Sag Road, College Drive) / CR W32 south (80th Avenue) | |||
| Worth | 28.2 | 45.4 | IL 43 (Harlem Avenue) Southwest Highway | Northern terminus; roadway continues as Southwest Highway | |
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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