Illinois Route 117 is a rural north–south state road in north central Illinois

Illinois

Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...

. It travels from Interstate 74

Interstate 74

Interstate 74 is an Interstate Highway in the Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Its western end is at an intersection with Interstate 80 in Davenport, Iowa; the eastern end of its Midwest segment is at an intersection with Interstate 75 in Cincinnati, Ohio...

 in the small community of Goodfield

Goodfield, Illinois

Goodfield is a village in Tazewell and Woodford Counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. The population was 686 at the 2000 census and. Goodfield is part of the Peoria, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area....

 to Illinois Route 17

Illinois Route 17

Illinois Route 17 is a rural, arterial east–west state road that runs east from a former ferry crossing in New Boston along the banks of the Mississippi River to State Road 2 west of Lowell, Indiana. It is long.- Route description :...

 in Toluca

Toluca, Illinois

Toluca is a city in Marshall County, Illinois. The population was 1,339 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Peoria, Illinois, Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Toluca is located at ....

. Illinois 117 covers a distance of about 33.85 miles (54.48 km).

Route description

Illinois 117 is a rural, two lane surface road for its entire length. The main cities of service on Illinois 117 are Eureka

Eureka, Illinois

Eureka is a city in Woodford County, Illinois, United States. The population was 5,295 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Woodford County. The city was founded in the year 1855. Eureka is part of the Peoria, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area....

 and Roanoke

Roanoke, Illinois

Roanoke is a village in Woodford County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,994 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Peoria, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area.-2004 Tornado:...

. In Eureka, Illinois 117 is known as Main Street, and intersects with U.S. Route 24

U.S. Route 24

U.S. Route 24 is one of the original United States highways of 1926. It originally ran from Pontiac, Michigan, in the east to Kansas City, Missouri, in the west. Today, the highway's eastern terminus is west of Clarkston, Michigan, at an intersection with I-75 and its western terminus is near...

 (Center Street).

Illinois 117 then overlaps Illinois Route 116

Illinois Route 116

Illinois Route 116 is a cross-state rural state highway that runs from U.S. Route 34 by Gladstone east to the intersection of U.S. Route 45 and Old U.S. Route 45, on the north side of Ashkum...

 from four miles (6 km) west of Roanoke to Benson

Benson, Illinois

Benson is a village in Woodford County, Illinois, United States. The population was 408 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Peoria, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...

, a distance of about nine miles (14 km). Through Roanoke, Illinois 117 is called Front Street. Northeast of Roanoke, Illinois 116/117 runs on top of an abandoned rail line until it turns north towards Toluca.

History

Though Illinois 117 now connects to Illinois 17, they were originally unconnected, and each were separately planned in State Bond Issue sequence. SBI Route 117 originally ran from U.S. Route 150

U.S. Route 150

U.S. Route 150 is a 571 mile long northwest-southeast United States highway, signed as east–west. It runs from U.S. Route 6 outside of Moline, Illinois to U.S. Route 25 in Mount Vernon, Kentucky .-Illinois:In the state of Illinois, U.S. 150 runs from the Quad City International Airport at U.S...

 (just north of current I-74) in Goodfield to Illinois 116 north of Eureka. In 1994, it was extended north through Roanoke and north to Toluca to renumber Illinois Route 116A, the last surviving letter route in Illinois.