South of Utica, Illinois 178 crosses the Illinois River via a cantilever bridge, where it meets a western entrance into Starved Rock State Park.

About one mile (1.6 km) south of Illinois Route 71 is the entrance to Matthiesen State Park.

[2] In accordance with the village of North Utica's United Recovery Plan, which was enacted following the 2004 tornado, a re-routing of Illinois 178 west of the current business district was constructed.

This project, completed in summer of 2012, eliminated two sharp bends in the former alignment and diverts local truck traffic and through traffic away from the downtown area.

[3] The Illinois River bridge is currently under construction and is expected to be completed by late 2018.