Because Routes 25 and 31 run through downtown Aurora and Oswego, they have lower speed limits and more obstructions to smooth traffic.

The road continues north past the Caterpillar, Inc. plant in Montgomery to meet U.S. Route 30 at the Kane/Kendall County line.

Farther north, it reaches Sullivan Road, which provides access to the Illinois Math and Science Academy.

As it stands, all of Orchard Road is 4 lanes with the exception of the southern end from the Fox River bridge to Illinois Route 71.

2001 marked the beginning of a massive reconstruction project oriented on widening a large portion of Orchard Road from just south of Prairie Street north to near Interstate 88.

[12] The proposed station would serve as the new extent of Metra's BNSF commuter rail service from Chicago to Aurora.

[15] In spring and summer 2009, construction was carried out to widen Orchard Road from the railroad overpass in Oswego south to just short of the Fox River bridge.

[18] In 2011, Kane County intends to create plans for a rehabilitation of the overpass carrying Orchard Road over Interstate 88,[19] specifically, a replacement of the bridge deck.

As Kendall County annually drafts a 20-year highway plan, several items pertaining to Orchard Road continue to appear on the list,[7] the most notable being the widening of the bridge over the Fox River, which was completed only recently in 2000.

[20] This improvement, having been cited repeatedly in the long-term plans,[21] will extend from the southern extent of the 4-lane section south to the Illinois 71 intersection.