1910
1930
1950
2013 marks the
Lake County Division
of Transportation's
100 years of service
to Lake County.
A transportation
system that started
as dirt roads is
now an impressive
network of safe and
efficient roadways,
intersections,
roundabouts and
bike paths.
Getting Illinois "Out of the Mud"
Prior to 1913, roads within the State of Illinois were the responsibility of the individual townships. Under the Tice Act of 1913,
the state legislature created the County
Superintendent of Highways position, now
known as the County Engineer. The Superintendent of Highways has to meet specific
criteria and pass selective tests before being appointed by the state. Ultimately, this
legislative action shifted the responsibility
for building the road system in Illinois from
townships to counties.
At the time, most of the roads in Illinois
were dirt roads and inclement weather
made them impossible to navigate. There
was a growing movement to develop a
hard roads system to “get Illinois out of the
mud.” Working closely with the State Highway Commission, County Highway Departments began building, and in some cases
maintaining, state roads until 1959.
Birth of the County Highway
System
The County Highway System of roadways
began with the adoption of the Illinois
Highway Code on July 1, 1959. This gave the
Lake County Highway Department complete
jurisdiction over any state-aid road which it
constructed and maintained, selected highways which were improved and maintained
as Federal Aid Secondary Highways, and
any county highways which were constructed after July 1, 1959. During this period of
expansion, Lake County constructed new
sections of roads to connect to existing segments, completing roads such as Washington Street.
Coming Of Age
Prior to 1985, the Lake County Highway
Department was primarily focused on the
county road system. That changed with the
adoption of Public Act 84-756 which mandated that counties with a population over