Interstate 80 East - Princeton to La Salle

Rural scene along Interstate 80 east preceding the crossing of Hennepin Canal northeast of Sheffield.

05/06/10

The first of four exits on I-80 east in Bureau County joins the freeway with IL 40 at Exit 45.

06/20/15

IL 40 runs 108 miles north between Interstate 74 at East Peoria and IL 78 at Mt. Carroll.

06/20/15

The folded diamond interchange with IL 40 lies along the north side Hennepin Canal Parkway State Park.

12/27/09

IL 40 heads southward four miles to Buda and 51 miles to Peoria. The state route continues almost due north 25 miles to Interstate 88 outside Sterling.

06/20/15

Another lengthy exit less stretch ensues along Interstate 80 east toward Princeton as the freeway advances across north-central Illinois.

06/20/15

Joliet is less than 100 miles away, with Downtown Chicago following in 126 miles via I-55 north.

06/20/15

A 3.4 mile straight away across farm land commences on I-80 east ahead of the E 1200th Street overpass.

06/20/15

The first rest stop along Interstate 80 since the Mississippi Rapids Rest Area by the state line lies one mile ahead of West Bureau Creek. This is the first facility available to trucks since the rest area at Bettendorf, Iowa.

06/20/15

Interstate 80 curves southward from timberland surrounding West Bureau Creek to the rest area off-ramp. A westbound area lies opposite.

06/20/15

A trailblazer precedes the eastbound on-ramp from the Wyanet area rest area.

05/09/09

Leaving the rest area, a second reassurance marker appears on the stretch between Exits 45 and 56.

06/20/15

Interstate 80 winds northeast to parallel a BNSF Railroad line ahead of Big Bureau Creek.

06/20/15

12/27/09

The Princeton city limits expand north across Interstate 80 to surround the forthcoming diamond interchange (Exit 56) with IL 26 (N Main Street).

06/20/15

IL 26 leads south to Downtown Princeton, combining with U.S. 34 west to U.S. 6 (Peru Street). U.S. 34 turns west with U.S. 6 to Wyanet while U.S. 6 remains east to Hollowayville and La Salle.

06/20/15

North from Exit 56, IL 26 travels 29 miles to Dixon, Hometown of President Ronald Reagan.

06/20/15

Exit 56 leaves I-80 east for IL 26. The state route measures 135 miles overall between Peoria and Wis 69 north of Freeport and Oneco.

06/20/15

Interstate 80 encircles the northeast side of Princeton to the U.S. 34 (Elm Place) underpass. There is no direct interchange between the two as U.S. 34 runs northeast to Dover, La Moille and Mendota.

06/20/15

The succeeding exit along I-80 east is the north end of Interstate 180. Chicago is 110 miles further east.

05/31/20

Two miles out from the trumpet interchange (Exit 61) with Interstate 180 south on I-80 east.
A car accident took out this sign by June 2015. It was replaced by that Fall.

12/27/09

Interstate 180 spurs 13.18 miles south and east to Hennepin in Putnam County. The freeway was completed in 1969 to provide access to a steel plant. The spur serves rural areas with 2011 traffic counts as low as 2,000 vehicles per day (vpd).

06/20/15

Interstate 180, in conjunction with IL 29 south along the Illinois River, provides a direct route to Peoria from I-80 at Exit 61.

12/27/09

CR 27 (2400 Street E) spans Interstate 80 a half mile from Exit 61 to I-180. Interstate 180 travels nine miles south to a three-wye interchange with a connector to IL 29. There the route turns east to span the Illinois River to Hennepin.

06/20/15

Interstate 180 south concludes at a diamond interchange with IL 26 south to East Peoria and IL 71 east to Granville.

06/20/15

East from I-180, Interstate 80 crosses East Bureau Creek. This portion of freeway was reconstructed in 2010.

06/20/15

The last exit in Bureau County is eight miles ahead at IL 8. Once again, Joliet and Chicago are listed at 77 and 109 miles respectively.

06/20/15

Interstate 80 continues across wide open farm land as the freeway bends southeastward toward Ladd.

06/20/15

One mile west of the diamond interchange (Exit 70) with IL 89 at the village of Ladd on I-80 east.

06/20/15

IL 89 comprises a 56 mile long highway, ending 11 miles north of Ladd at U.S. 34 near La Moille.

06/20/15

South from Exit 70, IL 89 combines with U.S. 6 east en route to the city of Spring Valley. The state route concludes at IL 116 in Metamora.

06/20/15

Reassurance marker posted between Ladd and the village of Dalzell on Interstate 80 east.

06/20/15

Exit 73 to Plank Road is next in three miles. Interstate 80 parallels the Illinois River from this point eastward 69 miles to Joliet.

06/20/15

This bridge across Spring Creek was replaced in 2010. I-80 also crosses over a BNSF Railroad nearby.

12/27/09

Advancing toward the La Salle County line, Interstate 80 enters the Illinois & Michigan Canal National Heritage Corridor. The I&M Canal leads northeast from La Salle to Chicago.

12/27/09

Exit 73 constitutes a diamond interchange with Plank Road in one mile.

06/20/15

La Salle County is the second largest county in Illinois at 1,148 square miles. There are seven interchanges along I-80 in the county, which was home to 109,658 per the 2020 census.

06/20/15

Plank Road angles southeast from IL 89 and the village of Cherry to enter northwest Peru ahead of Exit 73 and Illinois Valley Regional Airport (VYS).

06/20/15

Plank Road ties into Peoria Street and Shooting Park Road within the Peru street grid. Exit 75 for IL 251, the main commercial arterial in Peru, departs in 1.25 miles.

06/20/15

Interstate 80 parallels May Road east from Plank Road to Exit 75 with IL 251 by an industrial park on the north side of Peru.

06/20/15

IL 251 follows the pre-freeway alignment of U.S. 51 north to Rockford and south to Kappa. U.S. 51 was relocated onto I-39 in stages from the early 1980s to 1992. Locally IL 251 heads south to Peru Mall and a cloverleaf interchange with U.S. 6 (4th Street) east of Downtown Peru.

06/20/15

IL 251 and I-80 east meet at a diamond interchange (Exit 75). IL 251 continues north 12 miles to Mendota.
Overheads here provide ample advance notice for the cloverleaf interchange (Exit 79) with I-39/U.S. 51. U.S. 51 doubles as I-39 throughout Illinois, except for the tolled section along I-90 toward Beloit, Wisconsin.

06/20/15

Beginning at the forthcoming trumpet interchange (Exit 77) with St. Vincents Avenue, IL 351 heads south to Downtown La Salle.

06/20/15

Interstate 80 shifts northward and enters the city limits of La Salle at the La Salle Road under crossing.

06/20/15

IL 351 runs 8.4 miles south along St. Vincents Avenue from Exit 77 to Joliet Street through La Salle. The state route spans the Illinois River from south of Downtown to Pietyville and Jonesville.

06/20/15

Exit 77 parts ways with Interstate 80 east, 1.75 miles ahead of I-39/U.S. 51 north to Rockford and south to Bloomington-Normal. IL 351 ends at IL 71 and IL 251, just south of Oglesby.

06/20/15

Interstate 80 spans the Little Vermillion River immediately east of IL 351. The tributary of the Illinois river flows 34 miles southward into the Illinois at La Salle.

12/27/09

Interstate 39 north reaches south Rockford in 60 miles. There it combines with Interstate 90 (Jane Addams Memorial Tollway) to circumvent the city.

06/20/15

Interstate 80 traverses an area of timberland east of the Little Vermillion River. The freeway travels in and out of the La Salle city limits to Exit 81.

06/20/15

I-39 ends 59 miles to the south of I-80 at Interstate 55 in Normal. U.S. 51 combines with I-55 south to bypass Bloomington from there.

06/20/15

CR 13 (E 5th Road) passes over Interstate 80 east where Exit 79 A departs for I-39/U.S. 51 south. Meeting U.S. 6 in two miles, I-39 passes through eastern La Salle. South from there, I-39/U.S. 51 span the Illinois across the Abraham Lincoln Memorial Bridge to Oglesby.

06/20/15

Exit 79 B loops onto I-39/U.S. 51 north leading away from La Salle along a rural stretch 13 miles north to Mendota. I-39 overlaps with I-90 west from Rockford to Portage, Wisconsin.

06/20/15