In recent years there has been much discussion on how to improve the east–west traffic flow throughout north-central Lake County. IL 120 enters Lake County from the west as a four-lane highway and then becomes a two-lane highway less than three miles east, This has since become known as the "120 bypass". This project is closely related to another long delayed Lake county transportation project; the
IL 53 extension. If the project were ever built, the east–west 120 bypass would likely be built as a limited-access expressway to connect with the proposed north–south Illinois 53 extension which is also limited-access. In 2006, a feasibility study got underway by a special corridor planning council which was composed of groups from nearby communities and local government officials and took public input. Initially, the main focus for the public was to provide feedback for the road character or type of road. The alternatives considered were: a four lane
roundabout boulevard, four lane signalized boulevard, six lane signalized arterial, and six lane expressway. In December 2008, it was revealed that the four lane boulevard option was selected in an 11–2 vote over an expressway, however it still remained open whether or not roundabouts would be used in place of traffic signals at intersections. On October 14, 2009, the Route 120 Corridor Planning Council Governance Board came to a consensus and approved a vision for the project which recommends that the bypass be built as a four lane arterial highway with limited-access. The next step is for the
Illinois Department of Transportation to begin a Phase I Preliminary Engineering Study. In 2012, the Blue Ribbon Advisory Council revived the 120 expressway alternative as a tollway, rather than a roundabout or signalized boulevard, and proposed the Route 53/120 expressway plan to IDOT as a four-lane, completely below grade tollway with a speed limit of 45 mph. The proposed roadway would include such features as a multi-use path,
bioswale grassy median, landscaped raised berms, in-pavement lighting, all electronic tolling, and innovative interchange designs. In 2016, Lake County Board Chairman Aaron Lawlor withdrew his support for the project, issuing a statement indicating his belief that "financial and political realities have become insurmountable" and would prevent the extension from happening in the environmental way envisioned in the 2012 report. Despite the withdrawn support, the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority made no changes to the plan to conduct an environmental impact study, with Chairman Bob Schillerstrom stating "many of the questions that Chairman Lawlor raised would be answered" by such a study. On May 25, 2017, the Illinois Tollway board unanimously approved a $25 million expenditure for an environmental impact study of the proposed northward extension of Illinois Route 53 into Lake County. Opponents continued to criticize the project as expensive and harmful to the environment, while supporters believe it will provide congestion relief and a boon to the economies of Lake and McHenry counties. The U.S. Public Interest Research Group, a consumer advocacy organization, included the Route 53 extension in a list of "nine wasteful highway boondoggles," pegging the cost at $2.3 billion and saying it "would jeopardize the environment and lacks a viable funding plan." ==Major intersections==