Illinois freeway history research

Started by Revive 755, October 15, 2009, 05:46:43 PM

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3467

I have a copy of the 1976 report and their suggestions. Those were in there and have just gone away.
I was told by someone at IDOT it too was very political and to note the activity of a Route 1 Association. IL 1survived as a 4 lane while everything else was downsized. I would love to build the system as new interstates but realistically they are almost all low volume and I think all the goals of access that the freeway system was proposed for could be met by a combo of 4 lane expressways and shared 4s.
Could they have thought of runnig 55 in some RR ROW?
Chicago is thinking of a mini-crosstown on RR ROW . CDOT has renamed it the Mid City Transitway



Revive 755

Found a map in the 1969 Fox River Valley Transportation Study Volume 1 by H.W. Lochner & Company that shows some interesting features (particular map for anyone who finds this study is Mpa 15 on Page 78):

* What is now I-88 is shown running immediately to the south of US 30 west of IL 47.

* The US 20 freeway bypass of Rockford is shown as an "existing or committed interstate route".  There is a separate category for "existing or proposed freeways," and it also appears this way in the regional map of the 1962 Chicago Area Transportation Study plan, so I'm not sure it can be ruled out as a mapping error too fast.

* In the more immediate Chicago area, the connector between the stub freeway off of I-90/94 near I-55 and I-290 is also shown as a committed interstate route, along with what is now I-90 between I-290 and I-294 (back when I-90 was supposed to use I-290's route.

* The Stony Island Avenue/Lake Shore Drive freeway is still shown as proposed, but not as an interstate.  The Crosstown is shown proposed as an interstate route.

3467

Crosstown was Interstate 494 I have the DEIS
CDOT is pusing for a 4 lane mid city transitway all on existing RR ROW which would carry buses and trucks and leave the cars Cicero and other N-S Routes

3467

The CATS 2010 had a 4 lane proposal between the Stevenson and Eisenhower also on RR ROW near Western Ave. It would carry all traffic Both this and the transtway would likly have some sort of toll
Does anyone know why it was dropped?

mightyace

Quote from: 3467 on March 18, 2010, 11:46:30 PM
The CATS 2010 had a 4 lane proposal between the Stevenson and Eisenhower also on RR ROW near Western Ave. It would carry all traffic Both this and the transtway would likly have some sort of toll
Does anyone know why it was dropped?

This is just an educated guess. 

The other big transportation initiative in the CREATE project which is designed to reduce rail transit times through the city.  It is behind schedule as the public money part of the funding has been slow in coming.  The reason that this might apply is that the RR ROW for those proposed highways won't be available until CREATE re-routes the trains to new route.  And if the CREATE step that would free up the RR ROW is stalled, then you can't build a highway on it.
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Revive 755

Tonight's find is that I-55 cost more by using a lot of US 66's four lane sections than it would have to have built a mostly new alignment.  "'Having two four lane divided pavement highways so close together would not have been regarded as good planning'" (yet for some reason Indiana seems to have done this with US 40 and I-70).   I-55 was also one of the last original Illinois interstates to be completed since US 66 was providing better service and safety than the other two lane routes the other interstates were replacing.

Source is "Upgrading of US 66 to Lag Behind Other Interstate Routes" Edwardsville Intelligencer December 16, 1971.

Alex

What is the story behind the Maxwell Connector in Peoria? We took it last week and found a four-lane expressway between a half-built cloverleaf interchange with I-474 and Maxwell Road, a Peoria County highway. There is a milepost of 0.02 at the west end touting the number "905". Is that a state route designation?

Brandon

Quote from: AARoads on May 17, 2010, 05:46:54 PM
What is the story behind the Maxwell Connector in Peoria? We took it last week and found a four-lane expressway between a half-built cloverleaf interchange with I-474 and Maxwell Road, a Peoria County highway. There is a milepost of 0.02 at the west end touting the number "905". Is that a state route designation?

As far as I know, it is the eventual terminus of the IL-336 expressway from Quincy.  As to why it has a cloverleaf design with room for it to go to the east, it is in the same category as the I-39/US-20 interchange in Rockford; meant for a freeway/expressway that was planned and never will be built.
"If you think this has a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention." - Ramsay Bolton

"Symbolic of his struggle against reality." - Reg

3467

Yes It was built when 474 was completed  about 1980. Then it was put in hiatus and there was a plan to widen US 24 between Banner and Kingston Mines( so Canton would have a 4 lane). Then it was back to 336 The first few miles are to be freeway the rest of the 60 miles, expressway.

Revive 755

#34
Quote from: AARoads on May 17, 2010, 05:46:54 PM
What is the story behind the Maxwell Connector in Peoria? We took it last week and found a four-lane expressway between a half-built cloverleaf interchange with I-474 and Maxwell Road, a Peoria County highway. There is a milepost of 0.02 at the west end touting the number "905". Is that a state route designation?

I think it was originally planned as a improved arterial, but can't remember for which route exactly - I believe it was for Farmington Road, though it could have been for IL 116.

I think there used to be an earlier transportation study for Peoria online that had it, but I have yet to find the document again.  IIRC, that study also briefly looked at a SW-NE freeway parallel to the bluffs on the west side of the Illinois River, but didn't find enough vehicular demand to warrant building such a route.

EDIT:  Really can't turn up the plan online tonight; darn sure it used to be readable online.

Old newspaper article turned up tonight indicates I-180 in Illinois was a compromise over relocating I-55 to have a 24 mile longer route via a I-155 and IL 29 route via Peoria to satisfy the steel plant at Hennepin.  Source article is "GAO Says Illinois Road Is A 'Favor'."  The Edwardsville Intelligencer, August 4, 1970 in Access Newspaper Archive.

3467

The Kerner Curve after then Gov Kerner who tried to get Interstate Funds to run 55 down the IL 29 corridor and back to 55 on what is now 155 since 66 was 4 lane and at the time didnt need the upgrade.
Feds denied obviously

Revive 755

Couple minor finds from the Illinois State Library today (the only library I've seen where entering requires passing through nearly airport level security).  Parking stinks there too

First source:  Environmental study: FAI Route 255 (formerly FAI Route 270) : an additional interchange between the Mississippi River and Illinois Route 3, Monroe County, Illinois.  Google Book entry:  http://books.google.com/books?id=o9SuMQAACAAJ&dq=FAI+255+interchange&cd=8

Google maps of the area for reference:
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=38.465283,-90.218267&spn=0.04664,0.109863&z=14

* Between the Jefferson Barracks Bridge and the IL 3 interchange, it was originally planned to have two overpasses, one for the road on the Mississippi levee, another for the north-south road just west of the UP tracks.

* A new folded diamond interchange was looked at for an industrial park south of I-255.  The interchange would have been on the west side of the as-built overpass.

* It appears the FAP 410 supplemental freeway would have run west of today's IL 3 alignment, but east of Bluff Road.  The first access to existing IL 3 would have been at a partial cloverleaf (entrance loops) north of today's Valmeyer Road.

Second book was a draft EIS for the FAP 406 supplemental freeway (now I-155)

* It appeared that tying what is now I-155 into the eastern I-74/I-474 interchange had been briefly considered.

3467

They lend some of these studies out through interlibrary loan at least in state. That is how I got them because going there is such a pain. Has anyone been to Northwesterns Transportation library ? Its great but they dont like lending. They have almost every EIS ever done and many of the state highway studies like the Illinois supplemental freeways.
There were several corridor studies for supllemental freeways done that would be called corridor studies or feasability studies today not EISs because all they did was consider routing. Unlike today thye were all planned as freeways Today other designs would be considered at all stages.
For instance US 41 in Indiana was considered as a corridor for FAP 411 Dropped because it wasnt a freeway and was in Indiana. FAP 413 -now 67 considered a corridor using 74 and going south from Galesburg as well as a rout along the Mississippi river.

Fun Stuff

Revive 755

Made the trip to Northwestern's Transportation Library today - and I have a nice rant I may post somewhere regarding the joys of the Chicagolabnd's traffic, many apparent IDOT District 1 screw-ups, plus the lack of mass transit alternatives for those coming in via I-55.

Main document I was after was an early 1970's EIS for the FAP 410 freeway (East St. Louis to Marion).  Due to lack of time - lost at least 90 minutes due to traffic - I didn't get to look through this document or many others as well as I would have liked. 

The FAP 410 EIS mentioned early on the five general corridors (the EIS never gave a detailed final alignment, though there was one somewhat detailed map with design hourly volumes) that were considered before selecting one (got the maps copied, don't have scanner access at the moment):

* The Freeburg Corridor - Via the unbuilt US 460 freeway (FAP 414) from the Tudor ramps at the PSB complex to the I-255 cloverleaf with IL 15, down IL 15 to Freeburg, then along IL 13 to just east of Murphysboro.

* The Tilden Corridor - Via the US 460 freeway, IL 15 to Freeburg, IL 13 to the eastern end of the multiplex with IL 4, slightly east of IL 4 to Steelville, then south but generally parallel to IL 4, then bypassing Murphysboro to the northeast.

* The Steeleville Corridor - Generally along IL 3 from the PSB complex to Red Bud, then along IL 154 to Sparta, then the same as the Tilden Corridor.

* The Chester Corridor - Generally along IL 3 from the PSB complex to around Ellis Grove, then generally north/east of IL 3 to Chester, then cutting over to around Ava, then following the same route as the Steeleville and Tilden Corridors.  It was noted that this route would compete for traffic with I-55, but given the lack of Mississippi crossings, this seems questionable.

* The Pickneyville Corridor - Generally along IL 3 from the PSB complex to Red Bud, then along IL 154 to Sparta, then north of but parallel to IL 154 to Pickneyville, then generally along IL 13.  This seems to have been the selected corridor due to the population served.

The EIS generally wanted the route to service the then-proposed airport at Waterloo.  There was also a page showing plans for a Mississippi River crossing near Valmeyer,  plus a four lane freeway connecting the bridge to the airport.  I'm not sure whether it was this EIS or another one, but there was a map of the St. Louis interstate/freeway system that was either grossly wrong, or there were a couple of corridors that IDOT wanted as interstates.  It appeared that the US 460/FAP 414 freeway was marked as an interstate, and there appeared to be an interstate route looping up from I-270 through Alton - whether it came back down on the Illinois or the Missouri side the map wasn't clear on.

This EIS broke up the route around Columbia due to the change of nature of the route from rural to urban at that town. 

EIS's for what is now I-39
It appears that early on consideration was given to running future I-39's route closer to Dixon, then down to I-80 near Peru, then mutliplexing with I-80 back to the current alignment of I-39.  A separate EIS also showed consideration of bring the route around the east side of the Blormal area to end at I-74.

EIS for the now IL 336 corridor freeway, Quincy area to Macomb
Looks like early on it was decided to locate this freeway in the general area where IL 336 was built.

EIS for US 50 supplemental freeway, Breese to Beckmeyer
There were two alignments shown on in the Carlye area (yes that area is beyond the study limits, but some of the maps still showed them.  One brought the freeway east from the interchange with IL 127 to cross the Kaskaskia right at the spillway from Carlye Dam.  The other alignment bypassed Carlye to the south.

EIS for the Franklin Street Connector in Chicago (I-90-94 spur to Cermak to Congress Parkway)
It appears there may have been considering tunneling this freeway or selling allowing buildings to be constructed over it.

EIS for the Crosstown Expressway
Some of the maps were very hard to read in this EIS, but it appeared that many of the freeway-freeway interchanges were going to be stacks.  One general area map also showed a planned route connecting Lake Shore Drive to the Chicago Skyway, maybe in the area of Stony Island Avenue.

EIS for I-474
Didn't appear to be any alternative alignments proposed for this route.

EIS for I-55 section that includes Atlanta
Didn't appear to be any alternative locations proposed or considered.

3467

Chicago looked like a mess Sat Tell us more .....
I have made the trip to the trans library many a time because they became a pain for Interlibrary Loan.  Every EIS ever
I imagine you could spend a week there.
They also have some of the freeway studies in the planning section. I can give you call numbers if you are going back
Have fun

Revive 755

I've pretty much said everything I can remember from reading.  Really needed to find the copy machine sooner, much less have another month to go through everything.

I think the EIS collection is missing a few documents from Missouri and Iowa, unless those states got away without doing an EIS for many projects - or I haven't found some in the online catalog yet (Mount Pleasant Bypass in Iowa, Ottumwa bypass in Iowa, I-55 widening in St. Louis and Jefferson Counties, Route M expressway in Jefferson County, MO 32 expressway at Park Hills, MO 21 freeway Otto to the Meramec River).

It's unlikely I'll get back to the library for a while - I would just assume never drive inside the I-294 loop ever again.

As for traffic:

Morning
* Southbound I-55 was close to becoming stop-and-go near Coal City.

* Northbound I-55 backed up horribly for a lane closure near US 6.  Where were the VMS's with "Work Zone Ends x miles" and "X Minutes to End of Work Zone" like MoDOT had on I-44 when it was being widened from the St. Louis County line to Pacific?

* Why the heck a lane closure for installation of a soundwall along I-55 that is at least 35 feet back from the shoulder?

* A slowdown on NB I-55 whenever there's a cop sitting nearby.

* Slow, some stop-and-go on I-55 east of I-294, mainly around poorly designed interchange.  Where are the auxiliary lanes, or just a fourth of fifth through lane?

* Poorly signed forced merge from I-55 onto WB I-90/94, with almost non-existent striping.

* Very slow, much stop-and-go on I-90/94 from I-55 to the northern split.  The Crosstown would have been very helpful.

Afternoon
* Lake Shore Drive really slows down near the stoplights.  Some of those lights took multiple cycles to get through.  And this route is cited as an example of an at grade street handling large amounts of traffic well?

* Long queue on NB Lakshore that stretched back onto I-55, then back on NB I-90/94, for a long distance in the express lanes.

* SB I-57 tried to break down near I-80.  Otherwise I-57 seems a tad less traveled than I-55, and even lighter once past US 30, enough that a Kankakee - Dwight freeway might be very useful (or at least a western bypass of Kankakee to provide quick access to IL 17).

Brandon

Quote from: Revive 755 on August 01, 2010, 11:47:04 AM
I've pretty much said everything I can remember from reading.  Really needed to find the copy machine sooner, much less have another month to go through everything.

I think the EIS collection is missing a few documents from Missouri and Iowa, unless those states got away without doing an EIS for many projects - or I haven't found some in the online catalog yet (Mount Pleasant Bypass in Iowa, Ottumwa bypass in Iowa, I-55 widening in St. Louis and Jefferson Counties, Route M expressway in Jefferson County, MO 32 expressway at Park Hills, MO 21 freeway Otto to the Meramec River).

It's unlikely I'll get back to the library for a while - I would just assume never drive inside the I-294 loop ever again.

LOL!  :-D  Driven it far too many times (see may name block).  I-90/94 is lots of fun.  :banghead:

Quote
As for traffic:

Morning
* Southbound I-55 was close to becoming stop-and-go near Coal City.

There's some construction work to repave this 1956 freeway between Gardner and Braidwood.

Quote
* Northbound I-55 backed up horribly for a lane closure near US 6.  Where were the VMS's with "Work Zone Ends x miles" and "X Minutes to End of Work Zone" like MoDOT had on I-44 when it was being widened from the St. Louis County line to Pacific?

This is IDiOT.  Why would you expect anything different than backwardness when it comes to construction zones?  :rofl:

Quote
* Why the heck a lane closure for installation of a soundwall along I-55 that is at least 35 feet back from the shoulder?

Because the area from Plainfield Rd (US-30) to Renwick Rd is inaccessible from the Frontage Rd for the installation, and there is more than soundwall installation going on.  IDOT finally widened the freeway in 2007 after 20 years of begging.  In addition to the soundwall, there will be guardrails being installed along that stretch as well as landscaping.

Quote
* A slowdown on NB I-55 whenever there's a cop sitting nearby.

Welcome to the way they drive in Chicagoland.  I also fault Scott's Law and the fear people have regarding its use/abuse.

Quote
* Slow, some stop-and-go on I-55 east of I-294, mainly around poorly designed interchange.  Where are the auxiliary lanes, or just a fourth of fifth through lane?

What?  Did you expect IDiOT to be ISTHA or InDOT?  Plus, Daley fought the expansion of I-55 to eight lanes so he could get more riders for the CTA Orange Line nearby.  It obviously worked.  :ded:

Quote
* Poorly signed forced merge from I-55 onto WB I-90/94, with almost non-existent striping.

A lot of striping does not survive many winters here due to the snowplowing.

Quote
* Very slow, much stop-and-go on I-90/94 from I-55 to the northern split.  The Crosstown would have been very helpful.

Helpful yes, victim of puting transit first instead of a balanced network of transit and freeway, yes.

Quote
Afternoon
* Lake Shore Drive really slows down near the stoplights.  Some of those lights took multiple cycles to get through.  And this route is cited as an example of an at grade street handling large amounts of traffic well?

Yep, works so well, it gives you a preview of what to expect if they tear down part of I-70 between the new bridge and Poplar Street.  X-(

Quote
* Long queue on NB Lake Shore Drive that stretched back onto I-55, then back on NB I-90/94, for a long distance in the express lanes.

Sounds like you hit rush hour(s).

Quote
* SB I-57 tried to break down near I-80.  Otherwise I-57 seems a tad less traveled than I-55, and even lighter once past US 30, enough that a Kankakee - Dwight freeway might be very useful (or at least a western bypass of Kankakee to provide quick access to IL 17).

Maybe, but IL-17 is not that heavily travelled.
"If you think this has a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention." - Ramsay Bolton

"Symbolic of his struggle against reality." - Reg

agentsteel53

Quote from: Brandon on August 02, 2010, 11:41:02 AMI also fault Scott's Law and the fear people have regarding its use/abuse.

what is Scott's Law?
live from sunny San Diego.

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SSOWorld

Quote from: Revive 755 on August 01, 2010, 11:47:04 AM
* A slowdown on NB I-55 whenever there's a cop sitting nearby.
If you're talking a cop watching for speeders Brandon's comment makes sense - remember that huge area round Chicago is 55.  Also  If he pulled someone over, IL law requires drivers to move over AND slow down (to 20 under the speed limit).
Scott O.

Not all who wander are lost...
Ah, the open skies, wind at my back, warm sun on my... wait, where the hell am I?!
As a matter of fact, I do own the road.
Raise your what?

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agentsteel53

Quote from: Master son on August 02, 2010, 11:51:10 AM

If you're talking a cop watching for speeders Brandon's comment makes sense - remember that huge area round Chicago is 55.  Also  If he pulled someone over, IL law requires drivers to move over AND slow down (to 20 under the speed limit).

what if it is impractical to move over?  i.e. traffic is so heavy that attempting to drop a lane would be more likely to cause an accident than prevent one?  Most states tend to have that exemption and it is sufficient just to slow down.
live from sunny San Diego.

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Brandon

Quote from: Master son on August 02, 2010, 11:51:10 AM
Quote from: Revive 755 on August 01, 2010, 11:47:04 AM
* A slowdown on NB I-55 whenever there's a cop sitting nearby.
If you're talking a cop watching for speeders Brandon's comment makes sense - remember that huge area round Chicago is 55.  Also  If he pulled someone over, IL law requires drivers to move over AND slow down (to 20 under the speed limit).

It's asinine, IMHO, and hence, IMHO, Scott's Law should be challenged and repealed.  There is nothing in the law stating 20 under the limit.  The speed is entirely subjective and up to the ticketing officer.
"If you think this has a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention." - Ramsay Bolton

"Symbolic of his struggle against reality." - Reg

Revive 755

Few interesting finds for what is now I-88:

* A 1954 study has the second stage of this route (with the first stage ending at today's IL 56) running dead west from IL 56 to today's IL 40 north of Sterling, then curving down to near the present I-80/I-88 interchange, then following a more gently curving version of IL 5 with a terminus at US 67 near Milan.  Interchanges would have been at US 67, US 150 (EB on, WB off), IL 2, the then-proposed "Iowa Turnpike" (appears to be approximately near Hillsdale), US 30, now IL 40, IL 26, US 51 and IL 23.

* A 1963 study referred to the route as the Lincoln Tollway.  This one had the routing being the same as today's routing until near Ashton, where the tollway would have crossed over IL 38 and run north of Dixon, Sterling, and Morrison to a terminus somewhere apparently near the IL 136 Mississippi crossing to Clinton, Iowa.  Interchanges would have been at IL 78, IL 40, US 52, IL 2, US 51, and IL 23.  This map also shows I-80 being planned on it's present route, except for fading out at US 61 in Iowa and then reappearing around today's I-280 crossing of US 67 in Illinois.

3467

The original legislative mandate for the tollway was to connect with US 67. Was the 1954 report one of the original tollway plans. I think I saw it many years ago.

Revive 755

Some extremely brief research on the I-494/Crosstown route, from a DEIS for the project.



At the start of the route.  All of the major interchanges with other freeways were planned to resemble stacks.  IIRC the large black squares and circles were for images elsewhere in the DEIS.



Where the route would turn eastward towards I-94.  Note the other two routes coming off at the corner - don't recall seeing much info about them in the text.  Also note the split alignment to be used for a large portion of the north-south section.



At the southern end of I-494 with I-94.  Some of the alternatives evaluated connected to I-94 right at the interchange with the Skyway.




Also took a look at an EIS for I-72 and the US 51 bypass of Decatur.  Only alternative to what appears to have been built was an I-72 alignment much closer to Old US 36 combined with a US 51 bypass that was shifted east slightly.


3467

I think some went to 57. I was looking at Chicago. The RR ROW is still there between the Kennedy and Stevenson. It looks like they could sqeeze in 4 lanes max You could probably estimate better than I can.
Is this the version that had the amazing city between the 8 lane freeway with transit and so on?

Isnt it sad the era we are in now . The" maybe we can sqeeze 4 lanes in era" as opposed to the "lets build a fantatsic new city era"



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