There’s an Expressway on the Shores of Lake Michigan that No One Drives On

If you've ever visited a Lakeshore town in Michigan in the summer, you know what a nightmare traffic can be. Consider Holland, Grand Haven or South Haven - the city streets are packed with cars and tourists.

So it could be difficult to imagine an expressway built less than 1000 feet from the shore of Lake Michigan and have it be nearly devoid of traffic.

But that's the situation on the other side of the lake from Michigan. In Waukegan, Illinois, the lonely Amstutz Expressway is that highway.

READ MORE: No One Can Agree What the Speed Limit is on This Busy Michigan Freeway

Known as Illinois State Route 137, the expressway runs for a few miles along Lake Michigan. It has a single exit with Grand Avenue. At its closest the expressway is just 800 feet from the shore.

In the capture above from Google Street View, the highway gets so little use that there appears to be not enough vehicle traffic to tamp down vegetative growth along the road.

While the concrete may not see much in the way of day-to-day traffic it does get plenty of camera time. According to road enthusiasts at AA Roads,

it’s used in TV and movies. “Chicago Fire” routinely uses it for freeway scenes. Other shows and movies that had scenes there are “Groundhog Day,” “Batman Begins,”Early Edition,” and various car ads.

So even if you're never travelled this stretch of highway, there's a good chance you've seen it on the screen.

The road is a sliver of what was once conceived to be an expressway connection between Chicago and Milwaukee.