IL 50 begins in
Kankakee at an intersection with Southeast Avenue (
US 45/
US 52) and heads north as Schuyler Avenue. The four-lane road crosses the
Kankakee River and then turns east onto East River Street before turning north onto a
one-way pair of Harrison Avenue northbound and Indiana Avenue southbound. While on this one-way pair, IL 50 crosses two railroads, then turns east onto Fair Street and crosses a third. After crossing the railroads, the roadway curves in a northerly direction and becomes Hobbie Avenue before it enters
Bradley. In Bradley, the road is known as Kinzie Avenue, and it continues due north, meeting a
diamond interchange with
Interstate 57 (I-57), then leaving the city. North of the city, IL 50 begins to parallel a railroad. It bends to the northeast, crosses the southern branch of Rock Creek, and passes through
Manteno. Northeast of Manteno, the highway leaves
Kankakee County and crosses into
Will County. Still paralleling the railroad and I-57, IL 50 passes through
Peotone and heads toward
Monee. In Monee, the route dips to the north and crosses the railroad, then crosses into
University Park. Here the route is known as Governors Highway. It curves north before leaving the city and Will County, crossing into urban
Cook County. Upon crossing into Cook County, IL 50 enters
Richton Park. From here northward the road is known as Cicero Avenue. It passes straight through Richton Park and into
Matteson. In Matteson, IL 50 meets Lincoln Highway (
US 30). The route then continues due north through the remainder of Matteson, through the Southern Green Belt Forest Preserve, and into
Country Club Hills. Continuing north through Country Club Hills, IL 50 crosses under
I-80, then under I-57, without access to either highway. Just north of I-57, IL 50 curves slightly to the northwest, leaves Country Club Hills and enters
Oak Forest. The route continues northward in Oak Forest, intersecting 159th Street (
US 6). North of the US 6 intersection, the highway crosses into
Midlothian, where it intersects
IL 83 south at 149th Street. , with a train approaching IL 50 and IL 83 head north and enter
Crestwood. In the northern part of this city, IL 83 splits off to the northwest at an intersection with Cal Sag Road, while IL 50 continues heading north and crosses the
Little Calumet River into
Alsip. Here, the highway shares an interchange with
I-294 (Tri-State Tollway), then continues due north into
Oak Lawn. In Oak Lawn, IL 50 meets
US 12 and
US 20 at 95th Street, then continues north and leaves the city. Around 79th street, It begins to parallel
Illinois Route 171 and
Illinois Route 43 to the west. It parallels Illinois 171 until its terminus at
Illinois Route 72 and Illinois Route 43 for the duration of the route. Continuing north, the highway enters Chicago entirely and serves
Chicago Midway International Airport, then meets
I-55 (Stevenson Expressway) at a diamond interchange. North of the interchange with I-55, IL 50 crosses the
Chicago Ship and Sanitary Canal, leaving Chicago and entering
Cicero. The route re-enters Chicago a short distance later, meeting
I-290 (Dwight D. Eisenhower Expressway) just north of the boundary. Heading north through the western portion of the city, the highway intersects
IL 64 and
IL 19 before crossing under
I-90 (Kennedy Expressway) without access. Continuing north, IL 50 meets
I-94 (Edens Expressway) at an interchange in which IL 50 has no access to I-94, and only traffic travelling eastbound on I-94 can access IL 50 southbound. The route then crosses the north branch of the
Chicago River and intersects
US 14 at Peterson Avenue. North of this intersection, the highway leaves Chicago and passes through
Lincolnwood. It then continues north to its northern terminus at Lincoln Avenue (
US 41) in
Skokie. ==Transportation==