^Looking north on US Route 41 just north of the Interstate 55 interchange in Chicago, April 2023.
While in Illinois, US Route 41 is never more than five miles from the Lake Michigan shoreline; in fact, the waters of Lake Michigan are visible from several sections of the highway. It cuts through northeastern Illinois from the Wisconsin border to the Indiana border, and while in Chicago, it follows the famous Lake Shore Drive.
US Route 41 crosses into Illinois from Wisconsin along Interstate 94; this border crossing is the southern end of Interstate 41:
US Route 41 crosses into Illinois from Wisconsin along Interstate 94; this border crossing is the southern end of Interstate 41:
US Route 41 isn't on Interstate 94 in Illinois for long, as it splits from the expressway only one mile into the state:
US Route 41 is now a wide four-lane surface highway with a median, and soon it crosses Illinois 173:
As US Route 41 makes its way into Gurnee, it meets the northern end of Illinois 21:
US Route 41 acts as an expressway passing over Illinois 132, where a newly-rebuilt single-point interchange provides access:
A partial interchange in Waukegan allows US Route 41 to split into the creation of Illinois 43:
The partial interchange with Illinois 43 is practically integrated into a subsequent full-access interchange with Illinois 120:
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At North Chicago, US Route 41 crosses Illinois 137...
By Lake Bluff, US Route 41 passes under Illinois 176, but the city blocks to the northwest and northeast provide a sort of fountain interchange:
Near Lake Forest, US Route 41 meets the eastern end of Illinois 60...
US Route 41 then catches the eastern extent of Illinois 22 near Highwood and Fort Sheridan:
Near Northbrook, Interstate 94 comes from the west via the Edens Spur, and joins US Route 41 south, forming the Edens Expressway:
Less than a mile after the union of Interstate 94 and US Route 41, a partial interchange marks the eastern end of Illinois 68 (Interstate 94 and US Route 41 are only accessible to/from the south):
At a partial interchange, US Route 41 splits from Interstate 94 to head southeast independently:
In Skokie, US Route 41 meets the eastern end of Illinois 58:
More toward the south end of Skokie, US Route 41 meets the northern end of Illinois 50:
US Route 41 now reaches the far north side of Chicago, where it crosses US Route 14:
After US Route 41 turns easterly onto Foster Avenue, it meets the southeastern end of US Route 14 (which, yes, it did just cross):
US Route 41 now turns onto the expressway portion of Chicago's Lake Shore Drive, and an exit provides access to the eastern extent of Illinois 19:
After about three more miles, US Route 41 has another exit to access Illinois 64's eastern end:
US Route 41 passes by Navy Pier, the downtown skyline, and the museum campus, and then subsequently meets the northeastern end of Interstate 55 at a terminal stack interchange:
US Routes 41, 12, and 20 all meet the Indiana border under Interstate 90, where a bunch of scattered ramps provide a full interchange:
