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  • 21 Aug, 2019

  • By, Wikipedia

I-55 (IL)

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 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 the president, who launched his political career from Illinois.

Route description

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 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 BloomingtonNormal metropolitan area, and the Chicago metropolitan area (also known as Chicagoland).

East St. Louis to Springfield

I-55 enters Illinois on 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 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 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 the East Lake Drive interchange, I-55 crosses over Lake Springfield into Springfield proper.

Springfield to Bloomington

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 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 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 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 BloomingtonNormal area.

Bloomington to Joliet

Once entering Bloomington, I-55 forms 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 MolineRock Island area. Less than one mile (1.6 km) east, US 51 splits from I-55 to follow I-39 toward the LaSallePeru 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, 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 the boundary of Channahon and Joliet.

Joliet to Chicago

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 BolingbrookRomeoville area, meeting interchanges at Weber Road and IL 53 again.

On 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 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 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).

History

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 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 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 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 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 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 near Countryside, heading southwest

The Stevenson Expressway opened on October 24, 1964, as the Southwest Expressway. It was renamed after Adlai Stevenson II, 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) 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.

Upgrades and later construction

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 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 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 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 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 was being reconstructed to widen two I-55 offramps and its interchange approach.

Future

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 the project.

Exit list

CountyLocationmikmExitDestinationsNotes
Mississippi River0.00.0


I-55 south / I-64 west / US 40 west – St. Louis
Continuation into Missouri
Poplar Street Bridge
IllinoisMissouri line
St. ClairEast St. Louis0.60.971
IL 3 south / Great River Road – Cahokia
Southern end of IL 3/GRR concurrency; exit includes direct exit ramp onto 13th Street / Tudor Avenue
0.91.42AThird Street – Eads Bridge, Casino QueenSouthbound exit and northbound entrance
1.32.12B-CMartin Luther King BridgeDowntown St. LouisSigned as exits 2B (left exit) and 2C (right exit); no northbound exits
2.674.303A

I-64 east / IL 3 north (St. Clair Avenue) – Louisville
Northern end of I-64/IL 3 concurrency; I-64 exit 3A
2.884.633B
I-70 west (Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway) – Kansas City
Southern end of I-70 concurrency; southbound exit and northbound entrance
2.984.803C Exchange AvenueSouthbound exit and northbound entrance; access to Emerson Park MetroLink station
Fairmont City3.996.424 IL 203 (Collinsville Road) – Fairmont City, Granite City, MadisonSigned as exits 4A (south) & 4B (north) southbound; access to Gateway Motorsports Park
Madison6.3210.176
IL 111 / Great River Road north – Wood River, Washington Park, Pontoon Beach, Fairmont City
Northern end of GRR concurrency; access to Horseshoe Lake State Park and Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site
Collinsville8.8414.239Black LaneNorthbound exit and southbound entrance
9.8615.8710 I-255 – Interstate 270, MemphisI-255 exit 25; access Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site, Fairmount Race Track, and Our Lady of the Snows Shrine
11.0017.7011 IL 157 (Bluff Road) – Collinsville, Edwardsville, Glen CarbonAccess to Illinois State District 11 Headquarters, Convention Center, and Our Lady of the Snows Shrine
Maryville14.5523.4215 IL 159 (Center Street, Vandalia Street) – Collinsville, MaryvilleSigned as exits 15A (south) & 15B (north)
Troy16.9127.2117
US 40 east – St. Jacob, Highland
Northern end of US 40 concurrency
17.9128.8218 IL 162 – Troy
Pin Oak Township19.0830.7120A
I-70 east (Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway) – Indianapolis
Northern end of I-70 concurrency
19.3231.0920B
I-270 west – Kansas City
I-270 exit 15
Edwardsville22.3936.0323 IL 143 – Edwardsville, Marine
Hamel29.5747.5930 IL 140 – Alton, Greenville, Hamel
Olive Township33.1553.3533 IL 4 – Staunton, Lebanon, Worden
Livingston36.7159.0837New Douglas Road / Nicholls Street – Livingston, New Douglas
MacoupinStaunton Township40.4765.1341Staunton
White City44.0570.8944 IL 138 – Mount Olive, Benld, White City
MontgomeryLitchfield52.3584.2552 IL 16 – Gillespie, Litchfield, Hillsboro, Mattoon
Zanesville Township59.9896.5360
IL 108 west – Carlinville
Eastern terminus of IL 108
63.02101.4263 IL 48 / IL 127 – Raymond, Taylorville, HillsboroWestern terminus of IL 48/IL 127
Bois D'Arc Township71.51115.0872Farmersville, Girard (CR 17)
SangamonDivernon80.00128.7580Divernon
Divernon Township81.53131.2182 IL 104 – Pawnee, Auburn
Ball Township83.35134.1483GlenarmFormer Historic US 66
Springfield88.26142.0488East Lake Shore Drive – Chatham
90.16145.1090Toronto Road
91.84147.8092A
Historic US 66 east / I-55 BL north (6th Street)
Left exit northbound
92.28148.5192B

I-72 west (Purple Heart Memorial Highway) / US 36 west – Jacksonville, Quincy
Southern end of I-72/US 36 concurrency; left exit northbound
94.42151.9594Stevenson Drive / East Lake Shore Drive
96.37155.0996A
IL 29 south – Taylorville
Cloverleaf interchange
96B
IL 29 north (South Grand Avenue)
97.47156.8698A

I-72 east (Purple Heart Memorial Highway, Penny Severns Memorial Expressway) / US 36 east – Decatur, Champaign, Urbana
Northern end of I-72/US 36 concurrency
98B
IL 97 west (Clear Lake Avenue)
99.53160.18100
IL 54 east / Sangamon Avenue – Clinton
Cloverleaf interchange; signed as exits 100A (IL 54) & 100B (Sangamon Ave.); former US 54; serves Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport
Sherman104.50168.18105

I-55 BL south / Historic US 66 west – Sherman
Southern end of Historic US 66 concurrency; access to Wolf Creek Road and Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport
Williamsville109.13175.63109
IL 123 west / Historic US 66 east – Williamsville, Petersburg
Northern end of Historic US 66 concurrency
LoganElkhart114.56184.37115Elkhart (CR 10)
Broadwell Township119.42192.19119Broadwell (CR 22)
122.51197.16123
I-55 BL north (Lincoln Parkway) – Lincoln
West Lincoln Township125.78202.42126
IL 121 south / IL 10 – Lincoln, Mason City
Northern terminus of IL 121; serves Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital
127.04204.45127
I-155 north – Peoria, Hartsburg
Left exit and entrance northbound; southern terminus of I-155; I-155 exit 0
East Lincoln Township132.21212.77133
I-55 BL south (Historic US 66) – Lincoln, Lawndale
Atlanta Township139.81225.00140Atlanta, Lawndale
McLeanMcLean144.68232.84145 US 136 – McLean, Heyworth, Funks Grove
Dale Township153.74247.42154Shirley
Bloomington156.38–
156.85
251.67–
252.43
157A-B

I-74 east (Everett McKinley Dirksen Memorial Highway) / US 51 south – Decatur, Indianapolis

I-55 BL north (Veterans Parkway)
Left exit and entrance southbound; signed as exits 157A (I-74/US 51) and 157B (I-55 BL) northbound, no exit number southbound; southern end of I-74/US 51 concurrency
159.69257.00160 US 150 / IL 9 (Market Street) – Pekin
Normal163.32262.84163
I-74 west (Everett McKinley Dirksen Memorial Highway) – Peoria
Northern end of I-74 concurrency; I-74 exit 127
164.48264.70164

I-39 north / US 51 north – Rockford
Northern end of US 51 concurrency; southern terminus of I-39
164.81265.24165
US 51 Bus. – Bloomington, Normal
Signed as exits 165A (south) & 165B (north) northbound
167.36269.34167
I-55 BL south (Veterans Parkway) – Central Illinois Regional Airport
Towanda170.99275.18171Towanda (CR 29)
Lexington178.29286.93178Lexington (CR 8)
Chenoa186.60300.30187 US 24 – Chenoa, El Paso
LivingstonPontiac196.62316.43197 IL 116 – Flanagan, Pontiac
200.46322.61201 IL 23 – Pontiac, StreatorTo IL 170
Odell Township209.03336.40209Odell (CR 1)
Dwight Township217.02349.26217 IL 17 (Mazon Avenue) – Streator, Kankakee
GrundyGoodfarm Township219.91353.91220 IL 47 (Union Street) – Dwight, Morris
Gardner226.88365.13227
IL 53 north – Gardner
Southern terminus of IL 53
GrundyWill
county line
Braidwood233.42375.65233Reed Road – Braidwood
WillBraidwoodDiamond line235.63379.21236 IL 113 – Coal City, Kankakee
Wilmington Township238.32383.54238
IL 129 south (Washington Street) – Braidwood, Wilmington
Northbound exit and entrance; northern terminus of IL 129
240.41386.90240Lorenzo Road
240.97387.80241N. River Road (CR 44 east)
Channahon Township243.91392.54244Arsenal RoadChicagoland Speedway
Channahon246.67396.98247Bluff Road (CR 77 west)
248.15399.36248 US 6 (Eames Street) – Joliet, Morris
250.25402.74250 I-80 – Iowa, IndianaSigned as exits 250A (east) & 250B (west); I-80 exit 126
Shorewood251.40404.59251
IL 59 north (Gateway Boulevard) – Shorewood, Plainfield
Northbound exit and southbound entrance; currently being rebuilt to a diverging-diamond interchange (DDI); southern terminus of IL 59
ShorewoodJoliet line252.79406.83253 US 52 (Jefferson Street) – Joliet, Shorewood
JolietPlainfield line257.41414.26257 US 30 / Lincoln Highway (Plainfield Road) – Aurora, Joliet
Plainfield261.08420.17261
IL 126 west (Main Street) – Plainfield
Southbound exit and northbound entrance; eastern terminus of IL 126
RomeovilleBolingbrook line263.43423.95263Weber Road (CR 88)Rebuilt from a diamond interchange to a Diverging Diamond Interchange (DDI) in 2022
Bolingbrook267.02429.73267 IL 53 (Bolingbrook Drive) – Bolingbrook, Romeoville
WillDuPage
county line
BolingbrookWoodridge line268.73432.48268Joliet Road south (Historic US 66 west)Southbound exit and northbound entrance; southern end of Historic US 66 concurrency
269.34433.46269
I-355 Toll (Veterans Memorial Tollway) – Southwest Suburbs, Northwest Suburbs
I-355 exit 12
DuPageDarien270.85435.89271Lemont Road (CR 9)Signed as exits 271A (south) & 271B (north)
272.86439.13273Cass Avenue (CR 15)Signed as exits 273A (south) & 273B (north); serves Argonne National Laboratory
WillowbrookBurr Ridge line274.50441.76274 IL 83 (Kingery Highway)Signed as exits 274A (south) & 274B (north)
DuPageCook
county line
Burr Ridge276.33444.71276A-BCounty Line RoadSigned as exits 276A (south) & 276B (north)
CookIndian Head Park276.80445.47276CJoliet Road (Historic US 66 east)Northbound exit and southbound entrance; northern end of Historic US 66 concurrency; south end of Stevenson Expressway
Indian Head ParkCountryside line277.57446.71277
I-294 Toll (Tri-State Tollway) – Wisconsin, Indiana
Signed as exits 277A (north) & 277B (south); I-294 exit 23; no southbound exit to I-294 south
CountrysideHodgkins line278.87448.80279


US 12 / US 20 / US 45 (La Grange Road) to I-294 Toll south
Signed as exits 279A (east/south) & 279B (west/north)
Summit282.29454.30282 IL 171 (1st Avenue)Signed as exits 282A (south) & 282B (north) northbound; Brookfield Zoo
SummitForest View line283.40456.09283 IL 43 (Harlem Avenue)
StickneyChicago line285.57459.58285Central Avenue (5600 West)
Chicago286.67461.35286 IL 50 (Cicero Avenue, 4800 West) – Chicago Midway Airport
287.74463.07287Pulaski Road (4000 West)
288.83464.83288Kedzie Avenue (3200 West)Southbound exit and northbound entrance
289.37465.70289California Avenue (2800 West)Northbound exit and southbound entrance
290.44–
290.96
467.42–
468.25
290Damen Avenue (2000 West) / Ashland Avenue (1600 West)Ashland Ave. not signed southbound
292.34470.48292 I-90 / I-94 (Dan Ryan Expressway) – Indiana, WisconsinSigned as exits 292A (west) & 292B (east) northbound, and as exits 292 (west) & 293B (east) southbound
292.91471.39293ACermak RoadChinatownNorthbound exit and southbound entrance
293.13471.75293CState StreetSouthbound exit and northbound entrance
293.61472.52293DMartin L. King Drive – McCormick PlaceNorthbound exit and southbound entrance
293.88472.95 US 41 / LMCT (Lake Shore Drive)Northern terminus of I-55/Stevenson Expressway; all trucks must exit onto US 41 south
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

Auxiliary routes

I-55 has three auxiliary routes in Illinois:

  • I-155: A spur from I-55 in Lincoln to I-74 just east of Peoria.
  • I-255: The eastern third of the beltway around the St. Louis Metro Area (with I-270 forming the other two-thirds)
  • I-355: The Veterans Memorial Tollway, serving the western and southwestern suburbs of Chicago, running from I-80 in New Lenox to I-290 in Addison
  • I-55 BL: I-55 has three business loops in Illinois.

References

  1. ^ Adderly, Kevin (October 31, 2002). "Table 1: Main Routes of the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System Of Interstate and Defense Highways as of October 31, 2002". Route Log and Finder List. Federal Highway Administration. OCLC 47914009. Retrieved December 30, 2013.
  2. ^ MapPoint (Map). Microsoft. 2002.
  3. ^ Mackey, Brian. "Illinois Highway To Be Named After Barack Obama". Retrieved February 16, 2018.
  4. ^ Office of Planning and Programming (2011). 2011 Average Daily Total Traffic (PDF) (Map). Scale not given. Illinois Department of Transportation. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 21, 2011. Retrieved December 30, 2013.
  5. ^ "I-55". Illinois Highway Ends. Self-published. Retrieved January 28, 2013.
  6. ^ Illinois Official Auto Trails Map (Map). c. 1:950,000 and c. 1:1,110,000. Illinois Automobile Department. 1924. Retrieved December 30, 2013.
  7. ^ Illinois Official Highway Map (Map). 1:805,000. Cartography by H.M. Gousha. Illinois Division of Highways. 1957. Retrieved December 30, 2013.
  8. ^ Stork, Peter (2008). "History: Alignments and Bypasses". Digital Route 66. Archived from the original on May 11, 2008.
  9. ^ Illinois Official Highway Map (Map). 1:790,000. Cartography by H.M. Gousha. Illinois Division of Highways. 1960. Retrieved December 30, 2013.
  10. ^ Illinois Official Highway Map (Map). 1:772,500. Cartography by Rand McNally. Illinois Division of Highways. 1969. Retrieved December 30, 2013.
  11. ^ Municipal Reference Collection (August 1997). "1964 Southwest Expressway Opened September 1, 1965—Renamed Adlai E. Stevenson Expressway". Chicago Public Library. Archived from the original on December 13, 2007.
  12. ^ Hilkevitch, John (March 26, 2006). "Buckle Up, It Looks like a Long Ride". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 26, 2006.
  13. ^ "Section of I-55 to Be Named After Former President Obama". Chicago: WLS-TV. July 4, 2017. Retrieved September 25, 2017.
  14. ^ Malagon, Elvia (July 3, 2018). "Why There Was No Pomp, Circumstance or Former President When Obama Expressway Signs Went Up on I-55". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 4, 2018.
  15. ^ "I-55 Resurfacing Work". The Herald News. Joliet, IL. May 24, 2002.
  16. ^ Cain, Cindy Wojdyla (April 22, 2005). "Interstate Overhaul 55 and 80: 'Tight Cloverleaf' to Be Redone Starting in May". The Herald News. Joliet, IL.
  17. ^ "Governor Blagojevich Announces Completion of Interstate 55 Widening Project: I-55 Corridor Improvement Project Added One Lane in Each Direction from Weber Rd to I-80; Goal Is to Increase Safety and Reduce Congestion" (Press release). Office of the Governor. October 29, 2008. Archived from the original on December 31, 2013. Retrieved December 30, 2013.
  18. ^ "I-55 Bus on Shoulder Overview". January 5, 2014. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
  19. ^ "Bus on Shoulders officially permanent; Quinn signs bill" (PDF). Retrieved February 5, 2021.
  20. ^ "Southbound I-55 Ramp Closure in Wilmington" (PDF) (Press release). Illinois Department of Transportation. Retrieved February 11, 2013.
  21. ^ "I-55 Wilmington Study". Illinois Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on June 4, 2013. Retrieved February 11, 2013.
  22. ^ Johnston, Louis; Williamson, Samuel H. (2023). "What Was the U.S. GDP Then?". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved November 30, 2023. United States Gross Domestic Product deflator figures follow the MeasuringWorth series.
  23. ^ "New Bridge May Mean Tolls on All Mississippi Bridges Here Making Motorists Pay Is a Last Resort But a Possibility, Officials Say". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. October 6, 1999.
  24. ^ "New Mississippi River Bridge Opens to Traffic". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. February 9, 2014.
  25. ^ "I-55 at Lake Shore Drive". April 29, 2015. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
  26. ^ "Gov. Rauner Pushes to Develop Toll Lanes on I-55". Chicago: WMAQ-TV. February 4, 2016. Retrieved February 4, 2016.
  27. ^ "I-55 Managed Lane Study". June 6, 2014. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
  28. ^ "I-55 Managed Lanes Project Website". Retrieved August 10, 2020.
  29. ^ Illinois Technology Transfer Center (2006). "T2 GIS Data". Illinois Department of Transportation. Retrieved November 8, 2007.
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