Interstate 55
Route information | |
---|---|
Length | 964.25 mi[1] (1,551.81 km) |
Existed | 1957–present |
NHS | Entire route |
Major junctions | |
South end | I-10 in LaPlace, LA |
| |
North end | US 41 in Chicago, IL |
Location | |
Country | United States |
States | Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois |
Highway system | |
Interstate 55 (I-55) is a major
The section of I-55 between Chicago and St. Louis was built as an alternate route for U.S. Route 66 (US 66). The Interstate crosses the Mississippi River twice: once at Memphis and again at St. Louis.
History
When it was realized that a national highway system was needed, the
Route description
mi[1] | km
| |
---|---|---|
LA | 65.81 | 105.91 |
MS | 290.41 | 467.37 |
TN | 12.28 | 19.76 |
AR | 72.22 | 116.22 |
MO | 210.45 | 338.69 |
IL | 293.80 | 472.72 |
Total | 964.25 | 1,551.81 |
Louisiana
In
Mississippi
In
The Mississippi section of I-55 is defined in the Mississippi Code § 65-3-3.
Tennessee
I-55 in Tennessee lies entirely within the city of Memphis, passing through the southern and western parts of the city and providing a bypass of downtown for motorists who do not want to take I-240 and I-40 through downtown to cross the Mississippi River. The western portion of this highway, which passes through an industrialized section of the city, contains numerous low-clearance bridges and also a very tight 270-degree cloverleaf turn northbound at Crump Boulevard. The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) currently has an interchange improvement project for this portion. Heavy truck traffic heading to and from Arkansas in this area is hence directed to detour via I-240 and I-40.
For the Tennessee stretch of the Interstate, the usual national freeway speed limit of 70 mph (110 km/h) is reduced to 65 mph (105 km/h).[2]
Arkansas
I-55 enters Arkansas from Tennessee as it crosses the Mississippi River on the
Missouri
In Missouri, I-55 runs from the southeastern part of the state, at the Arkansas border, to St. Louis. In the southern part of the state, I-55 meets I-57 in Sikeston. Then I-55 goes north to St. Louis, where I-44 merges in with I-55, and then I-64 (on the Poplar Street Bridge), when crossing the Mississippi River into Illinois.
Among the cities and towns served by I-55 in Missouri are Sikeston, Cape Girardeau, and St. Louis.
As noted above, I-55 parallels US 61 for most of its course through Missouri, from the Arkansas border to the southern portion of St. Louis County.
Illinois
Through Illinois, I-55 largely follows the 1940 alignment of the former US 66, now Historic US 66 (Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway). It runs from the Poplar Street Bridge in East St. Louis to US 41 in Chicago, passing around the state capital of Springfield and the metro area of Bloomington–Normal.
Within Illinois, I-55 goes by several names. Near the
When the stretch of I-55 through Illinois was being planned during the 1960s, the state's governor, Otto Kerner Jr., made an effort to have it routed close to the larger city of Peoria instead of the straighter route through the Bloomington–Normal area. This ultimately failed plan was ridiculed in the press as the so-called "Kerner Curve". The need for a freeway connection between Springfield and Peoria was later filled by the spur route I-155. This also connects with nearby Lincoln and Morton and forms a triangle between the three population centers in Central Illinois.[6]
Junction list
- Louisiana
- I-10 in LaPlace
- US 51 northeast of LaPlace. The highways travel concurrently to Hammond.
- I-12 in Hammond
- US 190 in Hammond
- Mississippi
- US 98 in McComb. The highways travel concurrently to Summit.
- US 84 south-southwest of Brookhaven
- US 51 in Crystal Springs. The highways travel concurrently to Jackson.
- I-20 / US 49 / US 51 in Jackson. I-20/I-55/US 49 travel concurrently to Richland.
- I-220 in Ridgeland
- US 82 in Winona
- US 278 in Batesville
- I-69 in Hernando. The highways travel concurrently to Memphis, Tennessee.
- Tennessee
- US 51 in Memphis
- I-69 / I-240 in Memphis
- US 61 in Memphis
- US 61 / US 64 / US 70 / US 79 in Memphis. I-55/US 61 travels concurrently to Turrell, Arkansas. I-55/US 64 travels concurrently to Marion, Arkansas. I-55/US 70/US 79 travels concurrently to West Memphis, Arkansas.
- Arkansas
- I-40 in West Memphis. The highways travel concurrently through West Memphis.
- I-40 / US 63 / US 79 in West Memphis. I-55/US 63 travels concurrently to Turrell.
- I-555 / US 61 / US 63 in Turrell, Arkansas.
- US 61 in Blytheville
- Missouri
- US 61 east of Steele. The highways travel concurrently to Portageville.
- I-155 / US 412 in Hayti
- US 61 / US 62 in New Madrid
- US 61 / US 62 north of New Madrid
- I-57 / US 60 on the Sikeston–Miner city line
- US 62 in Miner
- US 61 in Scott City. The highways travel concurrently to Cape Cirardeau.
- US 61 in Cape Girardeau
- US 61 north-northeast of Jackson
- US 61 south-southeast of Festus
- US 67 in Festus
- I-255 / I-270 on the Concord–Mehlville CDP line
- US 50 / US 61 / US 67 on the Concord–Green Park–Mehlville line
- I-44 on the McKinley Heights–Soulard, St. Louis neighborhood line. The highways travel concurrently to Downtown St. Louis.
- I-44 / I-64 / US 40 in Downtown, St. Louis. I-55/I-64 travels concurrently to East St. Louis, Illinois. I-55/US 40 travels concurrently to Troy, Illinois.
- Illinois
- I-64 / I-70 in East St. Louis. I-55/I-70 travels concurrently to northwest of Troy.
- I-255 in Collinsville
- I-270northwest of Troy
- I-72 / US 36 in Springfield. The highways travel concurrently through Springfield.
- I-155 northwest of Lincoln
- US 136 southeast of McLean
- I-74 / US 51 in Bloomington. I-55/I-74 travels concurrently to northwest of Normal. I-55/US 51 travels concurrently to Normal.
- US 150 in Bloomington
- I-39 / US 51 in Normal
- US 24 in Chenoa
- US 6 in Channahon
- I-80 in Channahon
- US 52 in Shorewood
- US 30 in Joliet
- I-355 on the Bolingbrook–Woodridge village line
- I-294 on the Burr Ridge–Indian Head Park–Countryside village line
- US 12 / US 20 / US 45 on the Countryside–Hodgkins village line
- I-90 / I-94 in Armour Square, Chicago
- US 41 in Near South Side, Chicago
Auxiliary routes
- Spur to Jonesboro, Arkansas: I-555
- Caruthersville, Missouri to Dyersburg, Tennessee: I-155
- St. Louis, Missouri, area: I-255
- Spur to Peoria, Illinois: I-155
- In the western suburbs of Chicago, Illinois: I-355
References
- ^ a b Federal Highway Administration (December 31, 2013). "Table 1: Main Routes of the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways as of December 31, 2013". Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
- ^ "Getting Around". City Visitors Guide. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved August 24, 2013.
- Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department. Archived from the original(PDF) on February 26, 2012. Retrieved April 26, 2012.
- ^ Planning and Research Division (January 11, 2010). General Highway Map, Mississippi County, Arkansas (PDF) (Map). 1:62500. Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 15, 2021. Retrieved April 26, 2012.
- ^ Mackey, Brian. "Illinois Highway To Be Named After Barack Obama". Retrieved August 15, 2018.
- Peoria Journal-Star. January 1, 2000. Retrieved February 17, 2008 – via NewsBank.
- ISBN 978-0-528-00771-2.
External links
- Geographic data related to Interstate 55 at OpenStreetMap
- Illinois Highway Ends: Interstate 55