Lake Cook Road (alternatively referred to as County Line Road or Main Street in some areas) is a major east–west highway in Cook, Lake, McHenry, and Kane Counties in Illinois. For much of its length, it marks the border between Cook and Lake Counties, hence the name of the road. In its western stretch, it marks the border between McHenry and Cook Counties, and further west, McHenry and Kane Counties. The road is approximately in length, from its western terminus at Illinois Route 62 in Algonquin to its eastern terminus at Sheridan Road in Highland Park and Glencoe, near Lake Michigan. The road is notable for its cross-section of Chicago's northern suburbs, balancing densely developed commercial, industrial, and residential land uses, with open space areas such as forest preserves, parks, golf courses, creeks, rivers, gardens, and Lake Michigan.
Municipalities served
Lake Cook Road goes through, or runs adjacent to, sections of the following municipalities from west to east: Algonquin, Barrington Hills, Barrington, Deer Park, Palatine, Long Grove, Arlington Heights, Buffalo Grove, Wheeling, Riverwoods, Northbrook, Deerfield, Highland Park, and Glencoe.
Roadway jurisdiction
The majority of the road, from Rand Road in Palatine to US 41 (Skokie Highway) in Northbrook is maintained by the Cook County Highway Department designated Cook County Trunk Highway A50. The Cook County-maintained stretch is four lanes wide, with the exception of the stretch between Lexington Drive and Wilmot Road where it is six lanes wide. The far western segment of the roadway (which is called Lake Cook Road in Algonquin and County Line Road in Barrington Hills) from Illinois Route 62 to Ridge Road in Algonquin and Barrington Hills is maintained by the McHenry County Division of Transportation designated McHenry County Highway A50. Other segments, such as the segment between Ridge Road and Quentin Road in Barrington and the eastern segment from Skokie Highway to Sheridan Road in Highland Park and Glencoe are maintained by the Illinois Department of Transportation without any route number.
Route description
Barrington area (Algonquin Road to Quentin Road) At its western terminus at Illinois Route 62 (Algonquin Road), the roadway begins as a two-lane road called Lake Cook Road near a residential neighborhood and commercial area in Algonquin. Further east, the road's name changes to County Line Road at Haegers Bend Road and the road travels through largely rural and sparsely developed sections in Barrington Hills, with a significant amount of dense wooded areas and estate-style development, making for a very scenic drive. However, wildlife is also prevalent in this area, due to the presence of Spring Creek (a popular migratory route for animals in the area), which can make for hazardous nighttime driving conditions. As the road enters the town of Barrington, the road's name changes to Main Street and has an at-grade crossing at the Canadian Pacific Railroad formerly the Elgin, Joliet, and Eastern Railway and traffic notably increases, particularly in downtown Barrington at the intersections of Illinois Route 59 (Hough Street), U.S. Route 14 (Northwest Highway), and the at-grade Union Pacific/Northwest Line, especially during weekday rush periods, when Metra trains stop frequently at the nearby station. As the road continues east through the remainder of Barrington and Deer Park, it runs adjacent to more estate-style development and residential neighborhoods as well as another forested area near Deer Grove Forest Preserve in Palatine.