Illinois Route 98 - Route Description

Route Description

Route 98 begins at an intersection with Route 29 on the border of Pekin and North Pekin; Worley Lake and the Illinois River lie to the west. The route heads east as a divided two-lane road called Edgewater Drive, passing a group of houses which lie between two small lakes. After entering North Pekin, the highway becomes undivided and runs through a business district. It intersects County Route 25, known locally as Parkway Road, before crossing into Pekin. Route 98 enters a forested area in Pekin and passes to the north of John T. McNaughton Park near the city's eastern border.

After leaving Pekin, Route 98 passes through farmland in unincorporated Groveland Township. The highway meets Cole Hollow Road and California Road at successive intersections in a residential area. Past a creek, the road heads into a rural area with sections of farmland and forest. As it enters Groveland, the highway intersects County Route 1, which runs south through the community. Route 98 leaves Groveland to the east, running through another farmed area. The route curves into Morton and takes the name Birchwood Street, traversing a creek before entering an industrial district. In this area, Route 98 briefly becomes a divided highway before terminating at exit 31 on I-155. The road continues past the terminus as a local street, still carrying the name Birchwood Street.

Route 98 is maintained by the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), an Illinois state agency responsible for maintaining highways and other transport infrastructure in the state. IDOT is responsible for collecting traffic data on Illinois state highways; this data is measured in terms of annual average daily traffic, an estimate of the number of vehicles which use a road on any given day in a particular year. In 2009, IDOT estimated that 4400 vehicles used the western portion of Route 98, 3900 used the central portion, and 3700 used the eastern portion. No part of Route 98 is included in the National Highway System, a network of roads considered significant to the nation's economy, defense, and mobility.