[ Search ] [ Legislation ]
[ Home ] [ Back ] [ Bottom ]
91_HJ0055
LRB9113659CBcb
1 HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, It is the intent of the Illinois General
3 Assembly, representing the people of the Great State of
4 Illinois, to officially recognize various portions of the
5 original location of the Lincoln Highway in Illinois as
6 possessing significant, intrinsic historical qualities; and
7 WHEREAS, The Lincoln Highway was conceived in 1912 as an
8 early automobile industry pioneer's visionary, radical idea
9 of creating a gravel transcontinental highway from New York's
10 Times Square to San Francisco's Lincoln Park; and became, in
11 1913, the goal of a national voluntary membership
12 association, the Lincoln Highway Association; and
13 WHEREAS, The Lincoln Highway Association's activities in
14 promoting the concept of the route as a memorial to Illinois'
15 most prominent historical figure, President Abraham Lincoln,
16 have been credited as the most effective of the many private
17 sector organizations that composed the "Good Roads" Movement
18 of the early 20th Century which called for more and better
19 publicly financed American roads; and
20 WHEREAS, In 1919, a young U. S. Army Lt. Colonel named
21 Dwight D. Eisenhower participated in a military
22 transcontinental motor convoy journey along the Lincoln
23 Highway that took sixty-two days to travel from Washington,
24 D. C. to San Francisco, motivating and strengthening his
25 support for better American roads; and
26 WHEREAS, Later, as U. S. President, Dwight D. Eisenhower
27 proposed, promoted and signed the Federal Aid Highway Act of
28 1956 which outlined and funded a 41,000 mile "National System
29 of Interstate and Defense Highways," commonly known today the
30 Interstate Highway System; and
31 WHEREAS, The Lincoln Highway, as the nation's first
-2- LRB9113659CBcb
1 transcontinental roadway, was the pioneering model, the
2 forerunner for the Interstate Highways that today link all
3 other American transportation systems together into the
4 largest and most efficient intermodal transport system in the
5 world; and
6 WHEREAS, In the great American tradition of volunteerism,
7 a volunteer-based organization, the Illinois Lincoln Highway
8 Coalition proposed that a continuous route containing most
9 remaining segments of the original historic route of the
10 Lincoln Highway in Illinois, from the Indiana Border in
11 Lynwood to the East bank of the Mississippi River in Fulton,
12 be designated a Federal and State Scenic Byway by the Federal
13 Highway Administration on the basis of the Highway's historic
14 significance; and
15 WHEREAS, The Lincoln Highway Coalition's proposed Scenic
16 Byway received the required, unanimous, formal support of all
17 thirty-nine county and municipal government executives along
18 the entire 179-mile proposed route; and, as a result, has
19 been selected by the Illinois Department of Transportation as
20 a candidate for Federal Scenic Byway designation; and
21 WHEREAS, If designated a Federal Scenic Byway, the route
22 and the communities along it will be eligible for previously
23 unavailable Federal grant funding for a variety of historic
24 preservation, tourism promotion, highway improvement and
25 economic development initiatives; thus, in part, reducing the
26 current imbalance between the monies that Illinois sends to
27 and receives back from our Federal government; therefore, be
28 it
29 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
30 NINETY-FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE
31 SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that the following route from the
32 Illinois/Indiana border in Lynwood to the East bank of the
-3- LRB9113659CBcb
1 Mississippi River in Fulton be designated as the Historic
2 Lincoln Highway:
3 Beginning on US Route 30 at the Cook County, Illinois -
4 Indiana border the route would proceed west through
5 Lynwood to the intersection of US 30 and East Sauk Trail.
6 The roadway follows East Sauk Trail through Sauk Village
7 to South Chicago Heights to its intersection with IL 1,
8 or the Dixie Highway. The Lincoln Highway then traverses
9 north along IL 1 into Chicago Heights to its intersection
10 with US 30. The route then follows US 30 west through
11 Chicago Heights, Olympia Fields, Park Forest, and
12 Matteson to the Will-Cook County line. In Will County,
13 the route follows US 30 west through Frankfort and Mokena
14 to its intersection with Prairie Street in New Lenox. It
15 then follows Prairie Street south to West Haven Road. At
16 this point, the route follows West Haven Road west to
17 North Cedar Road, then north on North Cedar Road to US
18 30. The route then proceeds west on US 30 through New
19 Lenox, Joliet, Crest Hill and Plainfield to 135th Street
20 (Pilchers Road). [Within Joliet, due to one-way streets,
21 eastbound route traffic follows Center Street from its
22 intersection with US 30 / Cass Street south to Jefferson
23 Street, and Jefferson Street east to Collins (Richards)
24 Street, and on Collins (Richards) Street north to rejoin
25 US 30 / Cass Street at its intersection with Collins
26 (Richards) Street.] At US 30 and 135th Street, the
27 Highway follows 135th Street west to Heggs Road, then
28 proceeds north on Heggs Road to 111th Street (Rance
29 Road). The route then follows 111th Street west to the
30 Will-Kendall County line. In Kendall County, the route
31 continues west on 111th Street to Harvey Road and
32 traverses Harvey Road north through Oswego to rejoin US
33 30 just south of US 34. The Lincoln Highway then
34 traverses north on US 30 over US 34 to where the roadway
-4- LRB9113659CBcb
1 becomes Hill Avenue. The route then follows Hill Avenue
2 north to the Kendall-Kane County line. In Kane County,
3 the route continues north on Hill Avenue into Aurora to
4 its intersection with East Benton Street. The Lincoln
5 Highway follows East Benton Street west to its
6 intersection with State Street. It then proceeds north on
7 State Street to its intersection with East Downer Place.
8 The route then follows East Downer Place and West Downer
9 Place west to its intersection with Northbound IL 31
10 (River Street) on the west side of the Fox River. The
11 Highway then follows Northbound IL 31 (River Street)
12 north to New York Street, then New York Street west to
13 its intersection with Southbound IL 31. [Within Aurora,
14 due to one-way streets, eastbound route traffic follows
15 Southbound IL 31 south from its intersection with New
16 York Street to West Benton Street and then follows West
17 Benton Street and East Benton Street east to State Street
18 to rejoin the route on East Benton Street east of State
19 Street.] The Lincoln Highway then follows IL 31 from New
20 York Street in Aurora north through North Aurora,
21 Mooseheart and Batavia to IL 38 in Geneva. The route then
22 proceeds west on IL 38 in Geneva to Kaneville Road and
23 then west on Kaneville Road to Keslinger Road. The route
24 follows Keslinger Road (County Highway 41) through Elburn
25 to Schrader Road, southeast of Maple Park. The Lincoln
26 Highway then traverses north on Schrader Road to IL 38.
27 It then follows IL 38 to the DeKalb-Kane County line. In
28 DeKalb County, the route follows IL 38 west through Maple
29 Park, Cortland, DeKalb and Malta to the DeKalb-Ogle
30 County line. In Ogle County, the route follows IL 38 west
31 to its intersection with Woodlawn Road (East Street) in
32 Creston. The Lincoln Highway then turns south and follows
33 Woodlawn Road to Cederholm and Cederholm west to Main
34 Street. The route then follows Main Street south to North
-5- LRB9113659CBcb
1 Street and then follows North Street west to Ridge
2 Street. The Highway then proceeds north on Ridge Street
3 back to Cederholm, and then west on Cederholm to Beck
4 Street (or West Street). Then, it traverses Beck Street
5 north back to IL 38. The road then follows IL 38 to
6 Lincoln Highway in Rochelle. The road follows Lincoln
7 Highway in Rochelle south to Lincoln Avenue, and then
8 Lincoln Avenue west to IL 38. The route then proceeds
9 west and south on IL 38 to the Ogle-Lee County line. In
10 Lee County, the Lincoln Highway follows IL 38 south and
11 west to Ashton to its intersection with Brown Street. It
12 traverses Brown Street south to Main Street, west on Main
13 Street to South Richardson Avenue, then South Richardson
14 Avenue to Track Road, and then Track Road west back to IL
15 38 west of Ashton. The route then follows IL 38 west to
16 Elm Street in Franklin Grove, turns south on Elm Street
17 to Lahman, west on Lahman to Franklin Road, continuing on
18 Franklin Road to Gap Road, and then west on Gap Road back
19 to IL 38. Lincoln Highway then proceeds west on IL 38
20 through Dixon to its intersection with US 52, west on US
21 52 to its intersection with IL 26, then north on IL 26 /
22 US 52 (Galena Avenue) to IL 2 (Everett Street), then west
23 on IL 2 to Palmyra Road at the west edge of Dixon. The
24 route then follows Palmyra Road through Gap Grove and
25 Prairieville back to IL 2, just west of the Whiteside-Lee
26 County line. In Whiteside County, the Lincoln Highway
27 follows Palmyra Road to IL 2, and then west on IL 2
28 through Sterling on East 4th Street to IL 40 (1st
29 Avenue). The route then follows IL 40 north to 5th Street
30 and then 5th Street west to its intersection with Avenue
31 C. The highway then traverses Avenue C south to 4th
32 Street, and 4th Street west to its intersection with
33 Emerson Road. [Within Sterling, due to one-way streets,
34 eastbound route traffic follows 4th Street from its
-6- LRB9113659CBcb
1 intersection with Emerson Road east to Avenue M, and
2 Avenue M south to 3rd Street. It then proceeds east on
3 3rd Street to rejoin the route near Freeport Road.] The
4 Lincoln Highway then traverses Emerson Road through
5 Emerson to US 30 just west of Agnew. The route then
6 follows US 30 west through Morrison to its intersection
7 with Union Street, west of Morrison. It then proceeds
8 north on Union Street to Harmony Road. The route then
9 traverses Harmony Road west back to its intersection with
10 US 30. It then proceeds west on US 30 to its intersection
11 with IL 136 just east of Fulton. The route then proceeds
12 on IL 136 west to IL 84 in Fulton. It then traverses
13 south on IL 84 to its intersection with 16th Avenue.
14 Lincoln Highway follows 16th Avenue west to its
15 intersection with 15th Avenue and 15th Avenue west to its
16 intersection with 4th Street. It then proceeds north on
17 4th Street to 10th Avenue, west on 10th Avenue to First
18 Street, north on First Street to its intersection with
19 9th Avenue, and then on 9th Avenue to the eastern
20 shoreline of the Mississippi River (where, in the past,
21 it formerly crossed the River to Iowa on what was the
22 Lyons-Fulton Bridge).; and be it further
23 RESOLVED, That the Illinois Department of Transportation
24 and local agencies in the respective jurisdictions along the
25 Historic Lincoln Highway be requested to erect appropriate
26 signs marking the route, consistent with State and federal
27 regulations; and be it further
28 RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
29 presented to the U.S. Secretary of Transportation and the
30 Illinois Secretary of Transportation; and be it further
31 RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution also be
32 presented to the organizations that prepared, compiled and
33 sponsored the Lincoln Highway Federal Scenic Byway
-7- LRB9113659CBcb
1 nomination: Dixon Main Street and the Lincoln Highway
2 Coalition.