# Illinois Route 71

Illinois Route 71 is a 66-mile-long (106 km) southwest-to-northeast state highway in north central Illinois. It runs from the end of Interstate 180 in Hennepin to U.S. Route 34 in Oswego. This is a distance of 69.37 miles (111.64 km).

## Route description

Outside of Hennepin, the road stretches east to an intersection with Interstate 39 near Oglesby, paralleling I-39 to the north for several miles on a concurrency with Illinois Route 351 before turning eastward again near LaSalle-Peru.
Between LaSalle-Peru and Ottawa, Route 71 parallels the south bank of the Illinois River and passes Starved Rock State Park. It then crosses the Illinois River on a simple four-lane girder bridge. It overlaps Illinois Route 23 through downtown Ottawa and U.S. Route 6 east from Route 23 before intersecting with Interstate 80. From here it continues to the northeast, passing through Norway, Newark, and Yorkville. Its eastern terminus is near downtown Oswego at an intersection with U.S. Highway 34 and Wolf's Crossing Road.
The now-defunct Prairie Parkway project, a limited-access highway, would have had an interchange with Route 71 southwest of High Point Road near Yorkville.
The stretch between US 34 and Orchard Road in Oswego was widened to four lanes in each direction, with the addition of center turn lane, in which the project was completed in the fall of 2015. There are also current plans to build a silica sand mine off of IL 71 near Starved Rock State Park, pending final approval by the City of Ottawa. The plan is currently opposed by environmental groups due to the intended use of the sand in fracking practices and the potential damage caused by airborne dust and blasting operations.

## History

Before 1938, Illinois Route 71 originally connected from US 51 (now IL 251) at Twelvemile Corner to US 30 at Aurora. In 1938, IL 71 moved onto a new route as US 30 was rerouted through Twelvemile Corner. It traveled from IL 29 near Bureau Junction to IL 23 at Ottawa. Before that, it was part of Illinois Route 89 as well as Illinois Route 7A, and Illinois Route 89A. In 1939, a ferry that crossed the Illinois River was replaced by a truss bridge. In 1942, IL 71 was extended towards US 34 in Oswego. In 1947, the road between Norway and Yorkville was finished and then opened to traffic. In 1969, IL 71 was truncated from Bureau Junction to Hennepin after IL 26 was extended to Peoria.

## Points of interest

Just south of Norway, there is a memorial dedicated to Norwegian immigrants who settled in the area, with a small park, a cemetery, and a plaque from King Olav V. This memorial commemorates the Fox River Settlement. Dating from 1834, this was the location of the first permanent Norwegian-American immigrant settlement in the Midwest.
Near E. 26th Road, south of Norway, Illinois, there is also a crashed airplane that serves as a "memorial" of sorts to commemorate the 1980s agricultural crash, which affected the rural farming county.

## Major intersections

| County | Location | mi | km | Exit | Destinations | Notes |
| Putnam | Hennepin | 0.00 | 0.00 | | I-180 north (IL 26 north) | Continuation beyond western terminus |
| Putnam | Hennepin | 0.00 | 0.00 | 14 | IL 26 south / Illinois River Road – Hennepin, Lacon | Exit number based on I-180 mileage; west end of Illinois River Road overlap |
| Putnam | Granville | 6.6 | 10.6 | | IL 89 – Spring Valley, Metamora | |
| LaSalle | Oglesby | 13.1 | 21.1 | | I-39 / US 51 – Bloomington, Normal, Rockford | I-39 exit 51 |
| LaSalle | Oglesby | 13.5 | 21.7 | | IL 251 – Peru, Tonica IL 351 begins | Southern terminus of IL 351; western end of IL 351 concurrency |
| LaSalle | Jonesville | 16.8 | 27.0 | | IL 351 north – LaSalle | Eastern end of IL 351 concurrency |
| LaSalle | Deer Park Township | 20.2 | 32.5 | | IL 178 – Utica, Lowell | |
| LaSalle | Ottawa | 30.5 | 49.1 | | IL 23 south (State Street) | Western end of IL 23 concurrency |
| LaSalle | Ottawa | 30.9 | 49.7 | | Illinois River Road south / I&M Canal Passage (Main Street) | Western branch of Illinois River Road merges; western end of I&M Canal Passage concurrency |
| LaSalle | Ottawa | 31.6 | 50.9 | | US 6 west (Norris Drive west) / IL 23 north (Columbus Street north) | Eastern end of IL 23 concurrency; western end of US 6 concurrency |
| LaSalle | Ottawa | 33.1 | 53.3 | | Illinois River Road north / I&M Canal Passage | Eastern end of Illinois River Road / I&M Canal Passage concurrency |
| LaSalle | Ottawa | 33.8 | 54.4 | | US 6 east – Marseilles | Eastern end of US 6 concurrency |
| LaSalle | Rutland Township | 35.1 | 56.5 | | CR 4 east (Jerry Hicks Road) | |
| LaSalle | Rutland Township | 35.8 | 57.6 | | I-80 – Joliet, Moline, Rock Island | I-80 exit 93 |
| LaSalle | Rutland Township | 36.2 | 58.3 | | CR 18 west (Dayton Road) | |
| LaSalle | Rutland Township | 38.7 | 62.3 | | CR 21 west (East 2153rd Road) | |
| LaSalle | Rutland Township | 40.5 | 65.2 | | CR 15 south (Nate Fleming Road) | |
| LaSalle | Mission Township | 44.3 | 71.3 | | CR 3 north (East 2603rd Road) | |
| LaSalle | Mission Township | 46.0 | 74.0 | | US 52 – Mendota, Joliet | |
| Kendall | Newark | 51.5 | 82.9 | | CR 4 east (Newark Road) / East Main Street | |
| Kendall | Fox Township | 54.5 | 87.7 | | CR 17 east (Walker Road) | |
| Kendall | Fox Township | 57.7 | 92.9 | | CR 7 north (Eldamin Road) / CR 5 south (Lisbon Road) | |
| Kendall | Yorkville | 60.4 | 97.2 | | IL 47 (Bridge Street) – Yorkville, Morris | |
| Kendall | Yorkville | 61.6 | 99.1 | | IL 126 (Schoolhouse Road) – Yorkville, Plainfield | |
| Kendall | Yorkville | 66.9 | 107.7 | | CR 24 west (Van Emmon Road) / Reservation Road | |
| Kendall | Oswego | 66.9 | 107.7 | | CR 20 north (Orchard Road) / Minkler Road | |
| Kendall | Oswego | 69.37 | 111.64 | | US 34 (Walter Payton Memorial Highway) / Wolf's Crossing Road | Eastern terminus; highway continues as US 34 east |
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi Concurrency terminus Route transition |||||||