Chicago expressways - North and Northwest

Kennedy Expressway	Edens Expressway	Northwest Tollway
Elgin-O'Hare Expressway	I-190	Lake Shore Drive

JOHN F. KENNEDY EXPRESSWAY Route number: Interstate 90/94 from Chicago downtown to Foster Ave. The road splits into I-94 (northbound) Edens Expy. and I-90 (Kennedy Expy.) Direction: Northwest from downtown Chicago to O'Hare International Airport Length: 16 miles Opened: 1960 Original name: Northwest Expressway Renamed: 1963 to honor President Kennedy Alternate routes: Elston Ave., Milwaukee Ave., Higgins Rd., Northwest Highway. Trivia Bits: On November 29, 1963, the Chicago City Council unanimously voted to change the name of the Northwest Expressway to the John Fitzgerald Kennedy Expressway. The act came at 12:37 p.m., one week almost to the minute from the time that President Kennedy had been struck down by an assassin's bullets in Dallas. The Kennedy's route number was originally IL-194. It has held the I-90 designation since 1973. The Kennedy also has two reversible lanes in its center. Automated gates control the traffic access so that the extra lane is available for inbound traffic in the morning and outbound traffic in the afternoon.   Top of page Exit guide*

EDENS EXPRESSWAY Route number: I-94 Direction: North from the Kennedy to Northbrook and the Tri-State Tollway Alternate routes: Cicero/Skokie Blvd.   Top of page Exit guide*

NORTHWEST TOLLWAY Route number: I-90 Direction: Northwest from O'Hare Airport to Schaumburg, Rockford, and the Wisconsin state line Alternate routes: Higgins Rd., Golf Rd.   Top of page Exit guide*

ELGIN-O'HARE EXPRESSWAY Route number: none (yet) Direction: West from the Eisenhower Extension (I-290, Rt. 53) to Lake St. Length: 5 miles Opened: 1993 Alternate route: Consider Irving Park Rd., or Lake St.   Top of page Exit guide*

I-190 Route number: I-190 Direction: West from the Kennedy Expressway into O'Hare Airport. Length: 3 miles Trivia Bits: I-190 is the shortest interstate in Illinois.   Top of page Exit guide*

LAKE SHORE DRIVE Route number: US 41 Direction: Along Chicago's lakefront - south from Hollywood St. to 67th St. Route 41 designation begins at Foster Ave. Alternate routes: Sheridan Rd., "Inner" Lake Shore Drive - the street, Cannon Drive. South L.S.D: Drexel Blvd, Lake Park, or even the Dan Ryan Expressway.   Top of page Exit guide*

* Exit guides are from Brandon Gorte's site. The links open in a new browser window.

Sources: Chicago Public Library, the Illinois Highways Page, and the Chicago Area Interstates Page.

Note: Length refers to total Illinois length. Direction is specific to the Chicago area.

Expressways are grouped by general direction from the Loop:  
North and Northwest, West, South, Southeast and Southwest,  and Perimeter/Outlying.