Tuesday, November 10, 2026 · 3 to 7 p.m. · Grayslake
Tell IDOT: no bypass.
Fix the Route 120 we already have.
Five bypass routes on new land south of Route 120 are still on IDOT’s list. Show up on November 10 and tell IDOT to drop them. Comments close December 10.
IDOT is narrowing its options for Route 120 between Volo and Grayslake right now. Its next round of screening counts the homes and property each option would take, and IDOT says public comment can still change which alternatives move on. Showing up and speaking out is how residents stopped the Route 53/120 tollway. It takes two minutes to send your comment.
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On this page What to expect Why it matters What to say How to comment
IDOT’s Illinois Route 120 study: Public Meeting #2
When Tuesday, November 10, 2026, 3 to 7 p.m. It’s an open house, so come any time.
Where University Center of Lake County, 1200 University Center Drive, Grayslake, IL 60030. Directions
Comments due Thursday, December 10, 2026
Hosted by the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT). IDOT’s meeting page
When and where
What to expect
The meeting is an open house, so there is no need to arrive at 3. A five-minute presentation introduces the study, what has happened since the first public meeting in April 2024, and the alternatives IDOT is weighing. After that you can walk the room at your own pace: exhibit boards, corridor maps of the alternatives, and members of IDOT’s study team to answer questions. You can leave a written comment before you go.
Look before you go
IDOT has posted draft versions of the meeting materials. If you live south of Route 120, start with the bypass map and look for your street.
- Map of the bypass (“off-alignment”) alternatives
- Exhibit boards, including the screening results
- Presentation
- All maps, including the plans for widening the existing road, section by section
Can’t make it on November 10? The same materials are online, and IDOT takes comments by email or mail until December 10. If you need an accommodation to attend, write to the study team at [email protected] ahead of time.
9.3 miles, two rail crossings at grade, 1,263 crashes from 2017 to 2021 by IDOT’s count. Tap a road, a rail crossing or the bypass line to see what is there.
IL 60, Volo, mile 0. IDOT’s IL 120 study starts here and runs 9.3 miles east to Almond Road in Grayslake.
Rail crossing near IL 134. Trains cross Route 120 at grade here. We are asking for a fix at this crossing as part of improving the road we have.
IL 134, Hainesville, mile 4.5. The Route 120/134/Hainesville Road junction is a bottleneck. We are asking IDOT to rework it, with roundabouts where they fit.
CN crossing, just west of IL 83. Canadian National freight trains cross Route 120 at grade, and a stopped train can block several Grayslake crossings at once. In August 2026 one held up paramedics on their way to a woman in labor. An underpass or overpass would fix it.
IL 83, Grayslake, mile 6.5. One of the corridor’s busiest intersections. Our 2019 transportation vision for Lake County called for a rail grade separation at Routes 120 and 83.
US 45, Grayslake, mile 7.9. IDOT’s current highway program includes added lanes and reconstruction of Route 120 from Ashford Lane to US 45.
Almond Road, Grayslake, mile 9.3. The study ends here. Work to add lanes between Almond and Atkinson roads was already beginning when IDOT stopped it to start the federal study.
Bypass options. The bypasses IDOT is studying would run south of today’s road, through land its own study lists as sensitive, including the Liberty Prairie Reserve, Almond Marsh and the Big Sag Wetlands. The line on this map is schematic, not IDOT’s alignment.
Why it matters
Why your voice counts now
The bypass is still on the table, and the list of options has not been cut yet.
The options are being narrowed now
IDOT started with 11 bypass alternatives on new land. Its first round of screening recommends that five of them move on, along with seven alternatives on today’s road and 17 spot improvements at six locations. IDOT says these are recommendations that can change in response to public comment. Its next public meeting, planned for spring 2027, will show which alternatives it intends to carry forward.
The next round counts homes
In the next round of screening, IDOT adds cost and property to its scoring: how many properties each alternative would take, in whole or in part, and how many acres. A bypass on new land runs through places that have no highway today. On the bypass map IDOT showed its advisory group in August 2025, one line crosses the open land between the Prairie Crossing neighborhood and Route 120, crossing Harris Road and US 45 before continuing east through Almond Marsh Forest Preserve. IDOT has posted an updated draft map for this meeting, so check whether your street is on it.
Widening the existing road affects property too. That is why it is worth asking IDOT to show the numbers for every alternative, side by side, before any are carried forward.
Residents have pushed back before, and it shows
165 people came to the first public meeting in April 2024. In IDOT’s own summary of its Community Advisory Group meeting in April 2026, which drew 95 people, the feedback includes support for alternatives on the existing road and opposition to the bypass alternatives. Earlier, the group asked IDOT to protect homeowners near Route 120. A full room and a stack of comments on November 10 tell IDOT that hasn’t changed.
The land south of Route 120 can’t be replaced
The bypass routes cross wetlands, flood-prone ground and forest preserves, including Almond Marsh and the Liberty Prairie Reserve. Once a highway is built there, that land does not come back. Why we oppose the bypass
What to say
What to tell IDOT
The most important thing to tell IDOT is No Bypass. Say it plainly, near the top of your comment. Then, in your own words, say where you live, how you use Route 120 and what you want fixed. A short personal comment carries more weight than a form letter. Other points you might make:
- Please carry forward the alternatives that improve Route 120 on its existing alignment.
- Please drop the bypass alternatives because of their impact on homes, wetlands, forest preserves and habitat for threatened and endangered species.
- Please show how many homes and properties each alternative would take, side by side, before deciding which to carry forward.
- Please prioritize rail grade separations and the intersections with the most crashes.
- If you live near one of the bypass routes, say so, and say what a new highway would mean for your street.
For the full case, see Fix Route 120 in place.
How to comment
Send IDOT your comment by December 10
IDOT’s comment period for this meeting runs from November 10 through Thursday, December 10, 2026. Whichever way you comment, make sure it says No Bypass. Any of these counts:
Three ways to comment
- At the meeting: fill out a comment form on November 10.
- By email: [email protected]
- By mail: Illinois Department of Transportation, Attn: Bureau of Programming, Corey Smith, P.E., 201 W. Center Court, Schaumburg, IL 60196-1096
Questions for the study team: Corey Smith, IDOT District 1, (847) 705-4103.
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Help us bring neighbors to the meeting
We read every IDOT document, show up at every meeting and make sure residents know when to speak. Your gift pays for that work, and volunteers help us spread the word.
Sources
- IDOT, Public Information Meeting #2 (date, time, place, format and comment deadline)
- IDOT, Public Meeting #2 exhibit boards, draft (screening results, next-round criteria, advisory group feedback, attendance)
- IDOT, Public Meeting #2 presentation, draft (next steps, how to comment)
- IDOT, off-alignment alternatives roll plot shown at Community Advisory Group meeting #3, August 2025 (bit.ly/120bypass)