Interstate 94 in Illinois
section of Interstate Highway in Lake and Cook counties in Illinois, United States
Interstate 94 (I-94) generally runs north–south through the northeastern portion of the US state of Illinois, in Lake and Cook counties. It is signed east–west in Illinois in accordance with its general alignment across the country, with west signage aligned with northbound travel and east signage aligned with southbound travel. I-94 in Illinois is 61.53 miles (99.02 km) long.
The William G. Edens Expressway (also known as the Edens Parkway and the Edens Superhighway) is the main major expressway north from the city of Chicago to Northbrook. Only the short portion from the spur ramp to the expressway's end in Highland Park does not carry I-94. It was the first expressway in Chicago and was opened on December 20, 1951. It has three lanes in each direction. The original name of the expressway was the Edens Parkway, named after William Grant Edens (1863–1957), a banker and early advocate for paved roads. He was a sponsor of Illinois's first highway bond issue in 1918.
From the southern terminus of the Edens, I-94 follows part or all of several other named highways; joining I-90 on the Kennedy Expressway and the Dan Ryan Expressway through the center of Chicago, following the Bishop Ford Freeway through the southside of Chicago to I-80, where it joins the Kingery Expressway before entering Indiana.
“Interstate 94 in Illinois” enters the record as section of Interstate Highway in Lake and Cook counties in Illinois, United States. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Interstate, Illinois and section can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Interstate 94 in Illinois” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Interstate, Illinois and section provides the most credible route into that argument.
The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 2, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1072355. Authority coordinates are 42.041, -87.763. 2 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1951, 1863, 1957 and 1918.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Interstate 94 in Illinois”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Interstate 94 in Illinois primary sources, Interstate 94 in Illinois archive and Interstate research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Interstate 94 in Illinois”?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Interstate 94 in Illinois” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.