96-533: Interstate 55 ( I-55 ) is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the US state of Illinois that connects St. Louis, Missouri , to the Chicago metropolitan area . It enters the state from Missouri near East St. Louis, Illinois , and runs to U.S. Route 41 (US 41, Lake Shore Drive ) near Downtown Chicago , where the highway ends, a distance of 294.38 miles (473.76 km). The road also runs through
192-535: A concurrency or overlap. For example, I‑75 and I‑85 share the same roadway in Atlanta ; this 7.4-mile (11.9 km) section, called the Downtown Connector , is labeled both I‑75 and I‑85. Concurrencies between Interstate and US Highway numbers are also allowed in accordance with AASHTO policy, as long as the length of the concurrency is reasonable. In rare instances, two highway designations sharing
288-651: A 28-year-old brevet lieutenant colonel, accompanied the trip "through darkest America with truck and tank," as he later described it. Some roads in the West were a "succession of dust, ruts, pits, and holes." As the landmark 1916 law expired, new legislation was passed—the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1921 (Phipps Act). This new road construction initiative once again provided for federal matching funds for road construction and improvement, $ 75 million allocated annually. Moreover, this new legislation for
384-500: A SPUI was completed for the Central Avenue (exit 285) interchange. In November 2011, IDOT started a two-year pilot project, allowing Pace bus routes 755 and 855 to ride on the dedicated shoulder lanes in a given time. This bus on shoulder service consisted of three sections: from I-355 to County Line Road, I-294 to IL 50, and IL 50 to Kedzie Avenue. In the latter half of 2014, then-Governor Pat Quinn signed
480-466: A bill which made the I-55 bus on shoulder service permanent. It also allow Pace to expand its bus on shoulder service within and outside I-55. The Arsenal Road (exit 245) interchange was under complete rebuilding and reconfiguration as of 2012, and the deteriorated overpass at IL 129 (exit 238) was removed in 2012 in anticipation of future construction of a full interchange, temporarily leaving
576-476: A change in the numbering system as a result of a new policy adopted in 1973. Previously, letter-suffixed numbers were used for long spurs off primary routes; for example, western I‑84 was I‑80N, as it went north from I‑80 . The new policy stated, "No new divided numbers (such as I-35W and I-35E , etc.) shall be adopted." The new policy also recommended that existing divided numbers be eliminated as quickly as possible; however, an I-35W and I-35E still exist in
672-559: A complex interchange with the southern terminus of the final I-55 Bus . to the north and I-74 / US 51 to the east. At this interchange, I-74 and US 51 overlap I-55 around the western edge of the cities. The highway has one interchange at US 150 and IL 9 . I-74 splits from I-55/US 51 three miles (4.8 km) further north to head toward Peoria and the Moline – Rock Island area. Less than one mile (1.6 km) east, US 51 splits from I-55 to follow I-39 toward
768-418: A larger interchange to the west of Litchfield . It then goes another eight miles (13 km) before meeting the eastern terminus of IL 108 to the east of Carlinville . Continuing along, it meets the southern and northern termini of IL 48 and IL 127 west of Raymond , local roads to Farmersville and Divernon , IL 104 near Auburn , and two local roads to Glenarm and Chatham . At
864-921: A local road to Odell , IL 17 and IL 47 in Dwight , and IL 53 in Gardner . I-55 starts showing hints of entering the Chicago metropolitan area after the IL ;53 interchange. It passes through Forest Preserve areas between Gardner and Joliet . After IL 53, I-55 intersects a local road and IL 113 near Braidwood and meets a partial interchange at IL 129 ; drivers who want to access IL 129 from southbound I-55 can connect via IL 113. Continuing north, I-55 intersects local roads in industrial areas before entering Channahon . It has two interchanges with Bluff Road and US 6 . Two miles (3.2 km) north, it meets I-80 , which forms
960-527: A mile (1.6 km) west of its terminus. North of I-90/I-94, I-55 intersects various city streets at partial interchanges before reaching its national northern terminus at US 41 ( Lake Shore Drive ). I-55 in Illinois is the fourth road to connect St. Louis and Chicago. The first was the Pontiac Trail in 1915. This was largely improved and paved as the new IL 4 by 1924. In 1926, IL 4
1056-412: A northeast–southwest path. In Williamsville , it meets IL 123 near its eastern terminus. It crosses two local roads, providing access to Elkhart and Broadwell before heading north into Lincoln . In Lincoln, I-55 meets the southern terminus of the second I-55 Bus. It then heads due north to intersect IL 10 and the northern terminus of IL 121 . One mile (1.6 km) north, it meets
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#17327762052521152-589: A numbering scheme in which primary Interstates are assigned one- or two-digit numbers, and shorter routes which branch off of longer ones are assigned three-digit numbers where the last two digits match the parent route. The Interstate Highway System is partially financed through the Highway Trust Fund , which itself is funded by a combination of a federal fuel tax and transfers from the Treasury's general fund. Though federal legislation initially banned
1248-402: A program of " urban renewal ". In the two decades following the 1956 Highway Act, the construction of the freeways displaced one million people, and as a result of the many freeway revolts during this era, several planned Interstates were abandoned or re-routed to avoid urban cores. Construction of the original Interstate Highway System was proclaimed complete in 1992, despite deviations from
1344-471: A rather large interchange with IL 171 and an interchange with IL 43 , both near Summit . After the IL 43 interchange, I-55 enters Chicago. From IL 43, I-55 meets various city streets (also including one interchange with IL 50 , which leads to Midway International Airport ) before reaching I-90 / I-94 (also known locally as the Dan Ryan Expressway ) approximately
1440-559: A report called Toll Roads and Free Roads , "the first formal description of what became the Interstate Highway System" and, in 1944, the similarly themed Interregional Highways . The Interstate Highway System gained a champion in President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who was influenced by his experiences as a young Army officer crossing the country in the 1919 Motor Transport Corps convoy that drove in part on
1536-409: A single digit prefixed to the two-digit number of its parent Interstate Highway. Spur routes deviate from their parent and do not return; these are given an odd first digit. Circumferential and radial loop routes return to the parent, and are given an even first digit. Unlike primary Interstates, three-digit Interstates are signed as either east–west or north–south, depending on the general orientation of
1632-801: A speed limit of 45 mph (70 km/h) because it is a parkway that consists of only one lane per side of the highway. On the other hand, Interstates 15, 80, 84, and 215 in Utah have speed limits as high as 70 mph (115 km/h) within the Wasatch Front , Cedar City , and St. George areas, and I-25 in New Mexico within the Santa Fe and Las Vegas areas along with I-20 in Texas along Odessa and Midland and I-29 in North Dakota along
1728-460: A speed limit of 80 mph (130 km/h). Other Interstates in Idaho, Montana, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Wyoming also have the same high speed limits. In some areas, speed limits on Interstates can be significantly lower in areas where they traverse significantly hazardous areas. The maximum speed limit on I-90 is 50 mph (80 km/h) in downtown Cleveland because of two sharp curves with
1824-474: A suggested limit of 35 mph (55 km/h) in a heavily congested area; I-70 through Wheeling, West Virginia , has a maximum speed limit of 45 mph (70 km/h) through the Wheeling Tunnel and most of downtown Wheeling; and I-68 has a maximum speed limit of 40 mph (65 km/h) through Cumberland, Maryland , because of multiple hazards including sharp curves and narrow lanes through
1920-604: Is a village in Macoupin County , Illinois , United States . The population was 212 as of the 2020 census. White City is located in southeastern Macoupin County at 39°4′21″N 89°45′51″W / 39.07250°N 89.76417°W / 39.07250; -89.76417 (39.072429, -89.764128). Interstate 55 runs along the eastern border of the village, with access from Exit 44 ( Illinois Route 138 ). The Interstate runs north 51 miles (82 km) to Springfield ,
2016-543: Is also commonly believed the Interstate Highway System was built for the sole purpose of evacuating cities in the event of nuclear warfare . While military motivations were present, the primary motivations were civilian. The numbering scheme for the Interstate Highway System was developed in 1957 by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). The association's present numbering policy dates back to August 10, 1973. Within
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#17327762052522112-539: Is to have the highway route extend from Tamaulipas , Mexico to Ontario , Canada. The planned I-11 will then bridge the Interstate gap between Phoenix, Arizona and Las Vegas, Nevada , and thus form part of the CANAMEX Corridor (along with I-19 , and portions of I-10 and I-15 ) between Sonora , Mexico and Alberta , Canada. Political opposition from residents canceled many freeway projects around
2208-474: The Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex in Texas, and an I-35W and I-35E that run through Minneapolis and Saint Paul , Minnesota, still exist. Additionally, due to Congressional requirements, three sections of I-69 in southern Texas will be divided into I-69W , I-69E , and I-69C (for Central). AASHTO policy allows dual numbering to provide continuity between major control points. This is referred to as
2304-552: The Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956 into law. Under the act, the federal government would pay for 90 percent of the cost of construction of Interstate Highways. Each Interstate Highway was required to be a freeway with at least four lanes and no at-grade crossings. The publication in 1955 of the General Location of National System of Interstate Highways , informally known as the Yellow Book , mapped out what became
2400-630: The Grand Forks area have higher speed limits of 75 mph (120 km/h). As one of the components of the National Highway System , Interstate Highways improve the mobility of military troops to and from airports, seaports, rail terminals, and other military bases. Interstate Highways also connect to other roads that are a part of the Strategic Highway Network , a system of roads identified as critical to
2496-610: The LaSalle – Peru area and toward Rockford . Before leaving Bloomington–Normal, I-55 has two more interchanges with US 51 Business (US 51 Bus.) and I-55 Bus. From Bloomington to Joliet, I-55 continues its northeasterly–southwesterly trek while skirting the western edges of various towns along the way. It meets local roads connecting Towanda and Lexington , US 24 in Chenoa , IL 116 and IL 23 in Pontiac ,
2592-529: The Lincoln Highway , the first road across America. He recalled that, "The old convoy had started me thinking about good two-lane highways... the wisdom of broader ribbons across our land." Eisenhower also gained an appreciation of the Reichsautobahn system, the first "national" implementation of modern Germany's Autobahn network, as a necessary component of a national defense system while he
2688-506: The US Department of Defense . The system has also been used to facilitate evacuations in the face of hurricanes and other natural disasters. An option for maximizing traffic throughput on a highway is to reverse the flow of traffic on one side of a divider so that all lanes become outbound lanes. This procedure, known as contraflow lane reversal , has been employed several times for hurricane evacuations. After public outcry regarding
2784-470: The US Highways , which increase from east to west and north to south). This numbering system usually holds true even if the local direction of the route does not match the compass directions. Numbers divisible by five are intended to be major arteries among the primary routes, carrying traffic long distances. Primary north–south Interstates increase in number from I-5 between Canada and Mexico along
2880-553: The West Coast to I‑95 between Canada and Miami, Florida along the East Coast . Major west–east arterial Interstates increase in number from I-10 between Santa Monica, California , and Jacksonville, Florida , to I-90 between Seattle, Washington , and Boston, Massachusetts , with two exceptions. There are no I-50 and I-60, as routes with those numbers would likely pass through states that currently have US Highways with
2976-691: The contiguous United States and has routes in Hawaii , Alaska , and Puerto Rico . In the 20th century, the United States Congress began funding roadways through the Federal Aid Road Act of 1916 , and started an effort to construct a national road grid with the passage of the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1921 . In 1926, the United States Numbered Highway System was established, creating
Interstate 55 in Illinois - Misplaced Pages Continue
3072-521: The Congress Hotel in Chicago. In the plan, Mehren proposed a 50,000-mile (80,000 km) system, consisting of five east–west routes and 10 north–south routes. The system would include two percent of all roads and would pass through every state at a cost of $ 25,000 per mile ($ 16,000/km), providing commercial as well as military transport benefits. In 1919, the US Army sent an expedition across
3168-535: The East Lake Drive interchange, I-55 crosses over Lake Springfield into Springfield proper. I-55 enters Springfield at an interchange with Toronto Road. About two miles (3.2 km) further north, it meets I-72 and US 36 to form a six-mile (9.7 km) concurrency that skirts the southern and eastern edges of the city. At the same interchange, it meets the southern end of I-55 Business (I-55 Bus.). I-55/I-72/US 36 has two interchanges while on
3264-633: The IL 129 interchange with only a northbound exit and northbound entrance. At St. Louis, the Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge carrying I-70 across the Mississippi River , and costing $ 667 million (equivalent to $ 846 million in 2023), was completed in 2014 to relieve congestion on I-55's Poplar Street Bridge . Between late 2015 and late 2017, the US ;41 (Lake Shore Drive) interchange
3360-827: The Illinois cities of Springfield , Bloomington , and Joliet . The section in Cook County is officially named the Stevenson Expressway for the governor , and in DuPage County it's officially named the Joliet Freeway or the Will Rogers Freeway for the humorist . The section from the south suburbs to the area near Pontiac is officially named the Barack Obama Presidential Expressway after
3456-515: The Interstate Highway System. Assisting in the planning was Charles Erwin Wilson , who was still head of General Motors when President Eisenhower selected him as Secretary of Defense in January 1953. Some sections of highways that became part of the Interstate Highway System actually began construction earlier. Three states have claimed the title of first Interstate Highway. Missouri claims that
3552-493: The Interstate Highway program. The Interstates of Alaska and Puerto Rico are numbered sequentially in order of funding without regard to the rules on odd and even numbers. They also carry the prefixes A and PR , respectively. However, these highways are signed according to their local designations, not their Interstate Highway numbers. Furthermore, these routes were neither planned according to nor constructed to
3648-657: The Missouri state line and runs southwest to northeast through the state, ending in Chicago at US 41 ( Lake Shore Drive ). Along the way, it goes through four metropolitan areas in the state: the Illinois portion of the St. Louis metropolitan area , the Springfield metropolitan area , the Bloomington – Normal metropolitan area, and the Chicago metropolitan area (also known as Chicagoland ). I-55 enters Illinois on
3744-560: The Poplar Street Bridge from Missouri, running concurrently with I-64 and US 40 . The highway meets Illinois Route 3 (IL 3) at a series of complex interchanges. IL 3 joins I-55/I-64/US 40 for approximately two miles (3.2 km). Still in East St. Louis, I-64 and IL 3 leave I-55/US 40, while the current routing of I-70 joins the pair. The three routes continue north-northeast, intersecting
3840-479: The St. Louis–Chicago route. However, during the 1970s, US 66 was finally replaced by I-55 as the fourth St. Louis–Chicago highway, serving most of the same communities along the way as the original Pontiac Trail. It was built in sections across Illinois, often on the original US 66 roadbed. A common construction tactic, where US 66 was already four lanes wide, was to build new southbound lanes for I-55 west of
3936-806: The US to determine the difficulties that military vehicles would have on a cross-country trip. Leaving from the Ellipse near the White House on July 7, the Motor Transport Corps convoy needed 62 days to drive 3,200 miles (5,100 km) on the Lincoln Highway to the Presidio of San Francisco along the Golden Gate . The convoy suffered many setbacks and problems on the route, such as poor-quality bridges, broken crankshafts, and engines clogged with desert sand. Dwight Eisenhower , then
Interstate 55 in Illinois - Misplaced Pages Continue
4032-778: The United States, including: In addition to cancellations, removals of freeways are planned: The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) has defined a set of standards that all new Interstates must meet unless a waiver from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is obtained. One almost absolute standard is the controlled access nature of the roads. With few exceptions , traffic lights (and cross traffic in general) are limited to toll booths and ramp meters (metered flow control for lane merging during rush hour ). Being freeways , Interstate Highways usually have
4128-481: The act was signed, and paving started September 26, 1956. The state marked its portion of I-70 as the first project in the United States completed under the provisions of the new Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956. The Pennsylvania Turnpike could also be considered one of the first Interstate Highways, and is nicknamed "Grandfather of the Interstate System". On October 1, 1940, 162 miles (261 km) of
4224-657: The border of Romeoville and Lemont , I-55 meets I-355 and a former routing of US 66 at a large, complex interchange. It then meets Lemont Road near Lemont, Cass Avenue and IL 83 near Darien , and County Line Road in Burr Ridge . It enters another large, complex interchange with I-294 and another former routing of US 66 in Indian Head Park . Further east, it meets a large interchange with US 12 / US 20 / US 45 south of Countryside . About three miles (4.8 km) northeast, it meets
4320-558: The boundary of Channahon and Joliet. From I-80, I-55 enters the Joliet area by means of Shorewood , with a partial interchange at IL 59 and a full interchange with US 52 . It enters Joliet proper with an interchange at US 30 . It then connects with IL 126 near Plainfield , forming a partial interchange, then enters the Bolingbrook – Romeoville area, meeting interchanges at Weber Road and IL 53 again. On
4416-684: The cancellation of the Somerset Freeway . This situation was remedied when the construction of the Pennsylvania Turnpike/Interstate 95 Interchange Project started in 2010 and partially opened on September 22, 2018, which was already enough to fill the gap. However, I-70 remains discontinuous in Pennsylvania , because of the lack of a direct interchange with the Pennsylvania Turnpike at
4512-508: The capacity of the highway. In northeastern Illinois near Joliet , a widening project that expanded I-55 from two to three lanes in each direction between I-80 (exit 250) and Weber Road (exit 263) was completed on October 29, 2008. In the 2000s, the Damen Avenue (exit 290) and Pulaski Road (exit 287) interchanges were rebuilt as a single-point urban interchange (SPUI) configuration; in 2014, reconstruction as
4608-617: The city. In some locations, low speed limits are the result of lawsuits and resident demands; after holding up the completion of I-35E in St. Paul, Minnesota , for nearly 30 years in the courts, residents along the stretch of the freeway from the southern city limit to downtown successfully lobbied for a 45 mph (70 km/h) speed limit in addition to a prohibition on any vehicle weighing more than 9,000 pounds (4,100 kg) gross vehicle weight . I-93 in Franconia Notch State Park in northern New Hampshire has
4704-401: The collection of tolls, some Interstate routes are toll roads , either because they were grandfathered into the system or because subsequent legislation has allowed for tolling of Interstates in some cases. As of 2022 , about one quarter of all vehicle miles driven in the country used the Interstate Highway System, which has a total length of 48,890 miles (78,680 km). In 2022 and 2023,
4800-486: The concurrency: Stevenson Drive/East Lake Drive and IL 29 . Two miles (3.2 km) north, I-72 and US 36 head east toward Decatur and Champaign . At this interchange, I-55 intersects IL 97 , which leads to downtown Springfield. I-55 then crosses the western terminus of IL 54 (old US 54 ). Five miles (8.0 km) further north, it meets the northern terminus of I-55 Bus., effectively leaving Springfield. From Springfield to Chicago, I-55 follows
4896-507: The construction and improvement of highways. The nation's revenue needs associated with World War I prevented any significant implementation of this policy, which expired in 1921. In December 1918, E. J. Mehren, a civil engineer and the editor of Engineering News-Record , presented his "A Suggested National Highway Policy and Plan" during a gathering of the State Highway Officials and Highway Industries Association at
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#17327762052524992-407: The contiguous United States, primary Interstates—also called main line Interstates or two-digit Interstates—are assigned numbers less than 100. While numerous exceptions do exist, there is a general scheme for numbering Interstates. Primary Interstates are assigned one- or two-digit numbers, while shorter routes (such as spurs, loops, and short connecting roads) are assigned three-digit numbers where
5088-623: The discontinuity, but they have been blocked by local opposition, fearing a loss of business. The Interstate Highway System has been expanded numerous times. The expansions have both created new designations and extended existing designations. For example, I-49 , added to the system in the 1980s as a freeway in Louisiana , was designated as an expansion corridor, and FHWA approved the expanded route north from Lafayette, Louisiana , to Kansas City, Missouri . The freeway exists today as separate completed segments, with segments under construction or in
5184-448: The dissemination of public information. As a result, the 2005 evacuation of New Orleans, Louisiana, prior to Hurricane Katrina ran much more smoothly. According to urban legend , early regulations required that one out of every five miles of the Interstate Highway System must be built straight and flat, so as to be usable by aircraft during times of war. There is no evidence of this rule being included in any Interstate legislation. It
5280-496: The eastern end of the concurrency near Breezewood . Traveling in either direction, I-70 traffic must exit the freeway and use a short stretch of US 30 (which includes a number of roadside services) to rejoin I-70. The interchange was not originally built because of a legacy federal funding rule, since relaxed, which restricted the use of federal funds to improve roads financed with tolls. Solutions have been proposed to eliminate
5376-450: The economy. Not just as a public works measure, but for future growth. Clay's committee proposed a 10-year, $ 100 billion program ($ 1.13 trillion in 2023), which would build 40,000 miles (64,000 km) of divided highways linking all American cities with a population of greater than 50,000. Eisenhower initially preferred a system consisting of toll roads , but Clay convinced Eisenhower that toll roads were not feasible outside of
5472-522: The enactment of the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 . Unlike the earlier United States Numbered Highway System, the interstates were designed to be all freeways, with nationally unified standards for construction and signage. While some older freeways were adopted into the system, most of the routes were completely new. In dense urban areas, the choice of routing destroyed many well-established neighborhoods, often intentionally as part of
5568-492: The existing, largely non-freeway, United States Numbered Highways system. By the late 1930s, planning had expanded to a system of new superhighways. In 1938, President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave Thomas MacDonald , chief at the Bureau of Public Roads, a hand-drawn map of the United States marked with eight superhighway corridors for study. In 1939, Bureau of Public Roads Division of Information chief Herbert S. Fairbank wrote
5664-426: The federal government, Interstate Highways are owned by the state in which they were built. With few exceptions , all Interstates must meet specific standards , such as having controlled access, physical barriers or median strips between lanes of oncoming traffic, breakdown lanes , avoiding at-grade intersections , no traffic lights , and complying with federal traffic sign specifications. Interstate Highways use
5760-411: The first national road numbering system for cross-country travel. The roads were state-funded and maintained, and there were few national standards for road design. United States Numbered Highways ranged from two-lane country roads to multi-lane freeways. After Dwight D. Eisenhower became president in 1953, his administration developed a proposal for an interstate highway system, eventually resulting in
5856-411: The first three contracts under the new program were signed in Missouri on August 2, 1956. The first contract signed was for upgrading a section of US Route 66 to what is now designated Interstate 44 . On August 13, 1956, work began on US 40 (now I-70) in St. Charles County. Kansas claims that it was the first to start paving after the act was signed. Preliminary construction had taken place before
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#17327762052525952-614: The first time sought to target these funds to the construction of a national road grid of interconnected "primary highways", setting up cooperation among the various state highway planning boards. The Bureau of Public Roads asked the Army to provide a list of roads that it considered necessary for national defense. In 1922, General John J. Pershing , former head of the American Expeditionary Force in Europe during
6048-407: The former governor of Illinois, on September 1, 1965, a month and a half after his death. The Stevenson's original termini were US 66 in DuPage County to the west and the Dan Ryan Expressway to the east. In 1999–2000, the expressway was completely rebuilt from Central Avenue north to Lake Shore Drive, including the ramps to the Dan Ryan. The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT)
6144-429: The highest speed limits in a given area. Speed limits are determined by individual states. From 1975 to 1986, the maximum speed limit on any highway in the United States was 55 miles per hour (90 km/h), in accordance with federal law. Typically, lower limits are established in Northeastern and coastal states, while higher speed limits are established in inland states west of the Mississippi River . For example,
6240-435: The highly populated coastal regions. In February 1955, Eisenhower forwarded Clay's proposal to Congress. The bill quickly won approval in the Senate, but House Democrats objected to the use of public bonds as the means to finance construction. Eisenhower and the House Democrats agreed to instead finance the system through the Highway Trust Fund , which itself would be funded by a gasoline tax. In June 1956, Eisenhower signed
6336-506: The highway now designated I‑70 and I‑76 opened between Irwin and Carlisle . The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania refers to the turnpike as the Granddaddy of the Pikes, a reference to turnpikes . Milestones in the construction of the Interstate Highway System include: The initial cost estimate for the system was $ 25 billion over 12 years; it ended up costing $ 114 billion (equivalent to $ 425 billion in 2006 or $ 618 billion in 2023 ) and took 35 years. The system
6432-402: The inefficiency of evacuating from southern Louisiana prior to Hurricane Georges ' landfall in September 1998, government officials looked towards contraflow to improve evacuation times. In Savannah, Georgia , and Charleston, South Carolina , in 1999, lanes of I-16 and I-26 were used in a contraflow configuration in anticipation of Hurricane Floyd with mixed results. In 2004, contraflow
6528-431: The last two digits match the parent route (thus, I-294 is a loop that connects at both ends to I-94 , while I-787 is a short spur route attached to I-87 ). In the numbering scheme for the primary routes, east–west highways are assigned even numbers and north–south highways are assigned odd numbers. Odd route numbers increase from west to east, and even-numbered routes increase from south to north (to avoid confusion with
6624-401: The mainline. Some auxiliary highways do not follow these guidelines, however. The Interstate Highway System also extends to Alaska , Hawaii , and Puerto Rico , even though they have no direct land connections to any other states or territories. However, their residents still pay federal fuel and tire taxes. The Interstates in Hawaii, all located on the most populous island of Oahu , carry
6720-581: The maximum speed limit is 75 mph (120 km/h) in northern Maine, varies between 50 and 70 mph (80 and 115 km/h) from southern Maine to New Jersey, and is 50 mph (80 km/h) in New York City and the District of Columbia. Currently, rural speed limits elsewhere generally range from 65 to 80 miles per hour (105 to 130 km/h). Several portions of various highways such as I-10 and I-20 in rural western Texas, I-80 in Nevada between Fernley and Winnemucca (except around Lovelock) and portions of I-15 , I-70 , I-80 , and I-84 in Utah have
6816-553: The need of a national network of highways that would help with the mobilization of the army. He had been impressed with the autobahn he saw in Germany during World War II. In 1956, he signed the Federal Aid Highway Act into existence. Although the act provided for a highway replacing US 66, it was spared destruction for a while because of it being more modern than other routes at the time. Illinois would build its first new Interstate Highways on other routes, such as I-80 , I-57 , and I-70 , before turning its attention once again to
6912-404: The number of fatalities on the Interstate Highway System amounted to more than 5,000 people annually, with nearly 5,600 fatalities in 2022. The United States government's efforts to construct a national network of highways began on an ad hoc basis with the passage of the Federal Aid Road Act of 1916 , which provided $ 75 million over a five-year period for matching funds to the states for
7008-421: The official Interstate Highway standards . On one- or two-digit Interstates, the mile marker numbering almost always begins at the southern or western state line. If an Interstate originates within a state, the numbering begins from the location where the road begins in the south or west. As with all guidelines for Interstate routes, however, numerous exceptions exist. White City, Illinois White City
7104-465: The original 1956 plan and several stretches that did not fully conform with federal standards . The construction of the Interstate Highway System cost approximately $ 114 billion (equivalent to $ 618 billion in 2023). The system has continued to expand and grow as additional federal funding has provided for new routes to be added, and many future Interstate Highways are currently either being planned or under construction. Though heavily funded by
7200-486: The original road, then rebuild the original southbound lanes of US 66 to be the new northbound lanes for I-55, leaving the original northbound lanes of old US 66 as a two-way frontage road . One can find many signs posted for Historic US 66 , especially where it deviates from I-55. The earliest stretch of I-55 was a portion of US 66 which had already been built as a freeway between Gardner and I-294 ( Tri-State Tollway ) in Indian Head Park , and which
7296-656: The planning phase between them. In 1966, the FHWA designated the entire Interstate Highway System as part of the larger Pan-American Highway System, and at least two proposed Interstate expansions were initiated to help trade with Canada and Mexico spurred by the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Long-term plans for I-69 , which currently exists in several separate completed segments (the largest of which are in Indiana and Texas ),
7392-411: The prefix H . There are three one-digit routes in the state ( H-1 , H-2 , and H-3 ) and one auxiliary route ( H-201 ). These Interstates connect several military and naval bases together, as well as the important communities spread across Oahu, and especially within the urban core of Honolulu . Both Alaska and Puerto Rico also have public highways that receive 90 percent of their funding from
7488-537: The president , who launched his political career from Illinois. I-55 within Illinois carries heavy traffic, with an average of more than 20,000 vehicles per day for most of its length. Significant portions of I-55 contain six lanes (three lanes in each direction) and are heavily used by commuters. I-55 in Illinois begins in East St. Louis on the Poplar Street Bridge over the Mississippi River at
7584-731: The project. I-55 has three auxiliary routes in Illinois: Interstate Highway [REDACTED] The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways , commonly known as the Interstate Highway System , or the Eisenhower Interstate System , is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Highway System in the United States . The system extends throughout
7680-537: The route, without regard to the route number. For instance, I-190 in Massachusetts is labeled north–south, while I-195 in New Jersey is labeled east–west. Some looped Interstate routes use inner–outer directions instead of compass directions, when the use of compass directions would create ambiguity. Due to the large number of these routes, auxiliary route numbers may be repeated in different states along
7776-419: The same numbers, which is generally disallowed under highway administration guidelines. Several two-digit numbers are shared between unconnected road segments at opposite ends of the country for various reasons. Some such highways are incomplete Interstates (such as I-69 and I-74 ) and some just happen to share route designations (such as I-76 , I-84 , I‑86 , I-87 , and I-88 ). Some of these were due to
7872-503: The same roadway are signed as traveling in opposite directions; one such wrong-way concurrency is found between Wytheville and Fort Chiswell , Virginia, where I‑81 north and I‑77 south are equivalent (with that section of road traveling almost due east), as are I‑81 south and I‑77 north. Auxiliary Interstate Highways are circumferential, radial, or spur highways that principally serve urban areas . These types of Interstate Highways are given three-digit route numbers, which consist of
7968-469: The southern terminus of I-155 . At this interchange, it heads due east to meet the northern terminus of I-55 Bus. before resuming its northeasterly–southwesterly course through northern Illinois. I-55 meets an interchange with a local road leading to Atlanta , US 136 in McLean , and another local road near Shirley before entering the Bloomington – Normal area. Once entering Bloomington, I-55 forms
8064-949: The southern terminus of IL 203 near Granite City , IL 111 near Fairmont Park , I-255 and IL 157 in Collinsville , and IL 159 in Maryville . Approximately two miles (3.2 km) after the IL 159 interchange, US 40 leaves I-55/I-70. After an interchange with IL 162 in Troy , I-70 heads east toward Effingham . At the same interchange, I-270 intersects I-55 and ends. On its way further north, I-55 intersects IL 143 near Edwardsville , IL 140 in Hamel , IL 4 south of Livingston , local roads that connect to Livingston and Staunton , and IL 138 near White City . About eight miles (13 km) further north, I-55 intersects IL 16 at
8160-502: The state capital, and southwest 45 miles (72 km) to St. Louis . IL 138 leads east 1.5 miles (2.4 km) to the center of Mount Olive (the mailing address for White City with ZIP Code 62069) and northwest 3.5 miles (5.6 km) to Benld . According to the U.S. Census Bureau , White City has a total area of 1.216 square miles (3.15 km ), of which 1.212 square miles (3.14 km ) are land and 0.004 square miles (0.01 km ), or 0.33%, are water. The village drains west to
8256-439: The valley of Cahokia Creek and southeast to East Creek, its tributary. Cahokia Creek is a west-flowing direct tributary of the Mississippi River . As of the census of 2000, there were 221 people, 90 households, and 56 families residing in the village. The population density was 181.9 inhabitants per square mile (70.2/km ). There were 103 housing units at an average density of 84.8 per square mile (32.7/km ). The racial makeup of
8352-451: The village was 98.64% White , and 1.36% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.45% of the population. There were 90 households, out of which 28.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.1% were married couples living together, 14.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.7% were non-families. 32.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.4% had someone living alone who
8448-495: The war, complied by submitting a detailed network of 20,000 miles (32,000 km) of interconnected primary highways—the so-called Pershing Map . A boom in road construction followed throughout the decade of the 1920s, with such projects as the New York parkway system constructed as part of a new national highway system. As automobile traffic increased, planners saw a need for such an interconnected national system to supplement
8544-452: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.11. In the village, the population was spread out, with 27.1% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 16.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.7 males. The median income for
8640-479: Was added to the Interstate System by simply erecting new signs in 1960. Later portions of the highway were built in the 1960s between East St. Louis and Hamel , and bypasses of Springfield and Bloomington - Normal . The rest of the road was completed in the 1970s. The Stevenson Expressway opened on October 24, 1964, as the Southwest Expressway . It was renamed after Adlai Stevenson II ,
8736-453: Was being reconstructed to widen two I-55 offramps and its interchange approach. In early 2016, Governor Bruce Rauner , as well as IDOT, made a proposal to explore expanding a portion of I-55 (from I-355 to I-90/I-94) by adding an additional lane in each direction to ease congestion. Under their proposal, toll lanes would be constructed and operated through a potential public–private partnership . Noise walls would also be constructed as part of
8832-568: Was criticized at the time for not adding a fourth lane in each direction to the highway. In 2017, the Illinois General Assembly voted to rename approximately 70 miles (110 km) of I-55 from the Tri-State Tollway (I-294) to Pontiac in honor of Barack Obama . Because of the heavy traffic on I-55, IDOT spends millions of dollars per year maintaining the roadway, adding lanes, and replacing bridges to increase
8928-451: Was designated as the route of the new US 66 , and a new section of US 66 was built to bypass slower sections of IL 4 south of Springfield by 1930. Through the 1950s, US 66 was continually widened, straightened, and improved to handle its growing traffic, until its entire length was four lanes wide by 1957. The roots of I-55 could be traced back to the need of a national highway system. President Dwight D. Eisenhower saw
9024-551: Was employed ahead of Hurricane Charley in the Tampa, Florida area and on the Gulf Coast before the landfall of Hurricane Ivan ; however, evacuation times there were no better than previous evacuation operations. Engineers began to apply lessons learned from the analysis of prior contraflow operations, including limiting exits, removing troopers (to keep traffic flowing instead of having drivers stop for directions), and improving
9120-422: Was proclaimed complete in 1992, but two of the original Interstates— I-95 and I-70 —were not continuous: both of these discontinuities were due to local opposition, which blocked efforts to build the necessary connections to fully complete the system. I-95 was made a continuous freeway in 2018, and thus I-70 remains the only original Interstate with a discontinuity. I-95 was discontinuous in New Jersey because of
9216-494: Was serving as Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in Europe during World War II . In 1954, Eisenhower appointed General Lucius D. Clay to head a committee charged with proposing an interstate highway system plan. Summing up motivations for the construction of such a system, Clay stated, It was evident we needed better highways. We needed them for safety, to accommodate more automobiles. We needed them for defense purposes, if that should ever be necessary. And we needed them for
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