^Northbound trailblazer at Banta Road in the northwestern corner of Woodford County, early November 2021.
Illinois Route 26 connects Peoria to points north along the east side of the Illinois River, and to even more points northward to the Wisconsin border. It passes through Freeport, Dixon, Princeton, Hennepin, and Lacon, before ending just northeast of Peoria at Illinois 116, which brings travelers from Illinois 26 into the inner Peoria area.
Illinois 26 begins at its northern terminus as Wisconsin Highway 69 crosses into Illinois, at Orangeville:
Illinois 26 begins at its northern terminus as Wisconsin Highway 69 crosses into Illinois, at Orangeville:
Illinois 26 meets an interchange with the main (bypass) alignment of US Route 20, on the north side of Freeport:
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Shortly after, Illinois 26 meets Illinois 75's western end in the heart of Freeport:
East of Shannon, Illinois 72 joins Illinois 26 south:
At Forreston, Illinois 72 splits from Illinois 26 to continue east:
East of Brookville, Illinois 64 comes from the east to join Illinois 26 south:
After only a half of a mile, Illinois 64 splits from Illinois 26 to continue east...
Near Polo, Illinois 26 is joined by US Route 52 which comes from the northwest:
In Dixon, Illinois 2 comes from the west to join both US Route 52 and Illinois 26 across the Rock River:
In downtown Dixon, Illinois 2 splits to head northeast, as US Route 52 and Illinois 26 both continue south:
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Only five blocks later, Illinois 26 splits from US Route 52, which heads southeasterly:
Leaving Dixon, Illinois 26 meets a trumpet-spur connection to Interstate 88:
South of Dixon, Illinois 26 crosses US Route 30:
Illinois 26 crosses Illinois 92 at the Illinois town of Ohio:
As Illinois 26 is reaching Princeton, it encounters a diamond interchange with Interstate 80:
In Princeton, Illinois 26 is joined by US Route 34 from the east...
In the center of Princeton, Illinois 26 turns east onto US Route 6, as US Route 34 turns west onto US Route 6:
On the east side of Princeton, Illinois 26 gets the chance to leave town to the southeast, by deviating from US Route 6:
Illinois 26 has a diamond interchange with Interstate 180 after four more miles:
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At Bureau Junction, Illinois 26 joins Illinois 29 south for a mile:
After that single mile, Illinois 26 and Illinois 29 split, with Illinois 26 heading southeast:
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A partial interchange with Interstate 180's east-west portion allows Illinois 26 to join that freeway east across the Illinois River:
At a diamond interchange in Hennepin, Illinois 26 turns southerly onto a new road, as Interstate 180 ends and becomes Illinois 71:
From here, Illinois 26 follows the east side of the Illinois River as Illinois 29 follows the west side, and Illinois 26 soon joins Illinois 18 west:
Across the Illinois River from Henry, Illinois 26 splits from Illinois 18 to resume its southerly course:
In Lacon, next to the Marshall County Courthouse, Illinois 26 crosses Illinois 17:
Near Germantown Hills, a town just northeast of Peoria, Illinois 26 ends at Illinois 116, which can take travelers further toward Peoria:
