Embedded Files
In November 1989, the city formed a committee to review all the street names in Washington and determine what adjustments could be made to avoid confusion when implementing the Enhanced 911 system, which came to the city’s emergency dispatch center months later. Enhanced 911 sent the location to the dispatcher upon receipt of the call from what was then all landlines. After the committee came up with its lengthy list and published it, city council meetings were inundated with concerned citizens who did not want their street names changed, despite the committee’s suggestion that emergency services would work more smoothly with the change. As a result of the discord surrounding the proposed changes, not all of them were implemented.
One of the most significant proposed changes was to rename Route 24 through town to a single uniform name: Peoria Street. The proposal was to merge Eureka Road, Walnut Street, Peoria Street, and Washington Road into a single Peoria Street. The justification was to eliminate multiple names for the same road and to avoid duplicate names for separate Washington Roads south of town. This proposal was met with outrage from citizens and some aldermen, who claimed that the committee was interfering too much with the town's history, and it was killed.
The committee wanted to solve the problem of duplicate names, soundalike names, as well as roads where, for example, you have a “north” and “south” of the same street name. The committee wanted distinct names for as many roads as possible so the Enhanced 911 system would work well.
Below, you will see the proposed changes, what they were intended to be changed to, and if they were changed. It would most likely have been due to neighborhood complaints if they were not changed.
Original street name: West Adams Street
Proposed street name: King Street
Result: Not changed
Original street name: Balmoral Parkway
Proposed street name: Derby
Result: Not changed; just the suffix was changed
Original street name: North Camelot Drive
Proposed street name: Golfview
Result: Changed
Original street name: South Camelot Drive
Proposed street name: Sunset
Result: Changed
Original street name: N Georgetown Rd
Proposed street name: Mount Vernon
Result: Changed
Original street name: Grant St
Proposed street name: Penny Ln
Result: Changed
Original street name: Green St
Proposed street name: Amanda Ln
Result: Changed
Original street name: S Lawndale Ave
Proposed street name: Patrick St
Result: Not changed
Original street name: Maple Ln
Proposed street name: Trails End
Result: Changed
Original street name: McKinney St
Proposed street name: Matthew Pkwy
Result: Changed
Original street name: McKinley St
Proposed street name: Harding
Result: Changed
Original street name: Oakwood Circle
Proposed street name: Oakwood Lane
Result: Not Changed
Original street name: Sherwood Ct
Proposed street name: Kennedy Ct
Result: Changed
Original street name: Spring Ct
Proposed street name: Pond Ct
Result: Not Changed
Original street name: Wagner St
Proposed street name: Easy St
Result: Not Changed
Original street name: N Wagner Ln
Proposed street name: Esken
Result: Changed
Original street name: Washington Rd
(in Rolling Meadows south)
Proposed street name: Colonial Ct
Result: Changed
Original street name: Arlington Rd
Proposed street name: Johnstown Rd
Result: Not Changed
Original street name: Garfield (200-300)
Proposed street name: Bockler
Result: Not Changed
Original street name: Garfield (400-500)
Proposed street name: Taft
Result: Changed
Original street name: N High (200)
Proposed street name: Elizabeth
Result: Not Changed
Original street name: S High (600-700)
Proposed street name: Arbor Ln
Result: Not Changed
Original street name: Melvin St (200)
Proposed street name: Scenic
Result: Not Changed
Original street name: Washington St (100-400)
Proposed street name: Zinser Place
Result: Changed
Original street name: Washington St (500-600)
Proposed street name: Michael Ct
Result: Changed
Original street name: Summit Ln
Proposed street name: Tiezzi Ln
Result: Changed
Original street name: N Wood St (400-500)
Proposed street name: Woodrow
Result: Not Changed
Original street name: Highview Rd
Proposed street name: Centennial Dr
Result: Changed
Original street name: Dallas (south)
Proposed street name: Eagle Ave
Result: Changed
Original street name: Eagle
Proposed street name: Hawk
Result: Changed
Original street name: W Summit
Proposed street name: Bittersweet
Result: Changed
Original street name: E Adams St
Proposed street name: Calvary Way
Result: Changed
Original street name: Unnamed Alleys around the square
Proposed street name: Danforth (just Danforth, no Lane), Ford Lane, Herbst Lane
Result: All added as streets
Fun Facts:
There are five honorary roads in town: Honorary Lindy Lane, Honorary Herman Essig Drive, Honorary Kimpling Way, Honorary Bill Maher Drive & Honorary Mahlon Blumenshine Drive.
Probably the two most misspelled roads in Washington are DIEBEL Road and WILMOR Road.
The Grand Victorian Senior Living Center was given a vanity street address when it was constructed, partially because St. Clare Court buildings have only two digits, and there was a need for multiple addresses within the Grand Victorian building. The problem is that the Grand Victorian is now under a different name, but the street address remains. Awkward.
Another vanity address in town approved by the city is Hidden Acres, which shows itself as a driveway off E. Jefferson close to Tiezzi Lane.
9-1-1 Drive first had street signs that said “9-1-1 Dr.” Those were approved to be changed to “9-1-1 Drive” by the city because of a push (a “9-1-1 drive,” so to speak) by a group of citizens seeking voters to approve a referendum to move the city from Basic 9-1-1 service to Enhanced 9-1-1. More recent street signs for that area have reverted to “9-1-1 Dr.”
Another result of the implementation of the Enhanced 9-1-1 system was the elimination of rural route addresses. All rural homes now had house numbers and street names consistent with urban addresses.
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