Interstate 55

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Directional T interchanges joining I-55/64 with IL 3 and Tudor Avenue from the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, MO.

Directional T-interchanges lie east of the Poplar Street Bridge, joining I-55/64 with IL 3 from Sauget to the south and a freeway stub (unconstructed U.S. 460) into East St. Louis. - 06/01/2011

Interstate 55 vastly replaced the routing of U.S. 66 northeast from St. Louis to Springfield, Bloomington-Normal, and Wilmington while en route to Chicago. The freeway directly overlaid many four lane sections of U.S. 66, with some segments of the route relegated to frontage roads or as business loops through cities bypassed by the freeway. Within Chicago, Interstate 55 follows the Stephenson Expressway to a northern terminus at U.S. 41 (Jean Baptiste Point DuSabale Lake Shore Drive) off of Lake Michigan.

Interstate 55 Illinois Guides

Lincoln - 62 photos

Bloomington-Normal - 37 photos

Business Routes

Interstate 55 was finished in Illinois with the completion of the Dwight bypass of old U.S. 66 in 1980.¹

Maple Road at I-55 south of Hamel, Illinois.

Interstate 55 at the Homestead Rest Area from the Maple Road overpass in Hamel township, Illinois. - 05/24/2018

Interstate 55 at Veterans Parkway (Business Loop I-55) on the north side of Bloomington was revamped over a two year period between 2002 and October 2004. A $37 million project reconfigured the exchange from a directional interchange with a left exit ramp from I-55 south to Veterans Parkway south into a six-ramp parclo interchange. This added access to Pipeline Road north from I-55 south.²

scenes

Toronto Road intersects 6th Street Frontage Road immediately east of the diamond interchange with Interstate 55 in Springfield. The frontage road system of I-55 more or less acts as Historic U.S. 66 to Lake Springfield.

12/20/09

Westbound Toronto Road at 6th Street Frontage Road. Historic U.S. 66 replaced the adjacent Interstate 55, but had its own frontage road system before the freeway upgrade. An older alignment of U.S. 66 leads to the east via Cotton Hill Road north to Southwind Road.

12/20/09

Drivers bound for Downtown Springfield join Interstate 55 north ahead of I-72 and Business Loop I-55 (6th Street). Toronto Road continues west directly to Woodside Road over the next 1.5 miles. Woodside Road connects with IL 4 and the first U.S. 66 alignment south to Chatham.

12/20/09

IL 123 curves southeast through a diamond interchange (Exit 109) with Interstate 55 in the village of Williamsville.

05/06/18

Williamsville lies midway between Springfield and Lincoln along Interstate 55. IL 123 ends just east of I-55 at Historic U.S. 66.

05/06/18

References:

"Interstates Celebrate 40 Years // Fast Track for America or Loss of Americana?" Pantagraph, The (Bloomington, IL), June 23, 1996.
"Veterans revamp finished - Center Street bridge also completed." Pantagraph, The (Bloomington, IL), October 4, 2004.