Illinois Route 173
| ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by IDOT | ||||
| Length: | 66.20 mi[1] (106.54 km) | |||
| Existed: | 1924[2] – present | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| West end: |
 IL 251 in Machesney Park | |||
   I-39 / I-90 / US 51 in Loves Park US 14 in Harvard US 12 in Richmond US 45 in Antioch I-94 in Zion US 41 in Zion | ||||
| East end: |
 IL 137 in Zion | |||
| Location | ||||
| Counties: | Lake, McHenry, Boone, Winnebago | |||
| Highway system | ||||
| ||||
Illinois Route 173 is an east–west state road that runs from Illinois Route 251 in the Rockford suburb of Machesney Park east to Illinois Route 137 (Sheridan Road/Buckley) in Zion near the Illinois-Wisconsin border; this is a distance of 66.20 miles (106.54 km).[1] Illinois Route 173 is also one of the northernmost east-west state highways in Illinois. On Interstate 94 (Tri-State Tollway) traveling south from Wisconsin, it is the second road seen which has an interchange at that location. Similarly, when traveling south/east from Wisconsin on Interstate 39/90 (Jane Addams Memorial Tollway), Illinois Route 173 is only the third exit into Illinois. In 2008, the entirety of Illinois 173 has been designated the 173rd Airborne Brigade Highway
Route description
Illinois 173 travels across relatively hilly northern Illinois from the Rockford area to Zion. This area is more densely populated than other portions of rural Illinois. It is two lanes for over 90% of its length.
In July 2007, a new interchange was constructed at Illinois 173 and Interstates 39/90 (Jane Addams Memorial Tollway).
Local Road Names
From east to west, Illinois Route 173 is known by local road names through the towns it traverses.
- 21st Street, Bethlehem Avenue, Rosecrans Road in Zion
- Kenosha Street in Richmond
- Maple Avenue in Hebron
- Diggins Street, Division Street, Brink Street in Harvard
- Main Street in Capron
- Grove Street in Poplar Grove
- West Lane Road in Machesney Park
History
SBI Route 173 originally ran from near downtown Rockford (along Forest Hills Road) to Zion. During the 1980s, when the village of Machesney Park was heavily developed and incorporated, Illinois Route 173 was scaled back and its western terminus moved to Illinois Route 251 (North 2nd Street). From 1972 to 1994 the highway also assumed a portion of what is now Illinois Route 137 north to the Wisconsin border. 3[2]
Major intersections
| County | Location | mi | km | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winnebago | Machesney Park | IL 251 | |||
| I-39 / I-90 / US 51 (Jane Addams Memorial Tollway) – Chicago, Madison, Rockford | |||||
| Boone | Caledonia |  IL 76 | |||
| McHenry | Harvard | US 14 east | West end of US 14 overlap | ||
| US 14 west | East end of US 14 overlap | ||||
| Hebron |  IL 47 | ||||
| Richmond | US 12 | ||||
| Lake | Antioch |  IL 59 south | |||
 IL 83 | |||||
| Antioch | US 45 | ||||
| Old Mill Creek | I-94 east (Tri-State Tollway) | ||||
| Rosecrans | US 41 | ||||
| Zion |  IL 131 | ||||
| IL 137 | |||||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
| |||||
References
- 1 2 Illinois Technology Transfer Center (2006). "T2 GIS Data". Retrieved 2007-11-08.
- 1 2 Carlson, Rich (2005-04-15). "Illinois Highways Page: Routes 161 thru 180". Retrieved 2006-08-15.