Interstate 155

Interstate 155

Interstate 155 connects I-55 near the city of Lincoln with I-74 at the village of Morton. The rural freeway provides regional connectivity between Springfield, Peoria and the Quad Cities. I-155 replaced Illinois Route 121 north from Hartsburg to Morton.

Interstate 155 Illinois Guides

First discussed in the 1950s, late 1960s costs for constructing a limited access highway between Lincoln and Morton were estimated at $58.7 million. Four lane expansion of IL 121 between Hartsburg and Emden was completed soon thereafter. A lawsuit filed in the 1970s by a landowner whose property was to be cut halted work and required a more thorough environmental impact study (EIS) to be filed. This delayed construction for 12 years until the injunction was lifted in 1986.1

While construction continued along IL 121, the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) proposed renumbering the freeway as Interstate 37 to the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) on October 5, 1990. The Route Numbering Committee deferred on December 8, 1990, citing the need for approval by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) for the establishment of Interstate Route 37. Correspondence with IDOT on December 14, 1990 by the Committee also suggested assigning a three digit number instead both due to the short length of the proposed route and that it was wholly within Illinois. A subsequent application submitted to AASHTO by IDOT on May 1, 1991 outlined establishing the route as Interstate 155. It was approved on June 10, 1991, subject to the completion of the freeway.

The first stretch of limited access highway opened for IL 121 joined IL 98 (Birchwood Avenue) at Morton with Interstate 74 on November 22, 1989.2 Upgrades to Illinois Route 121 between Lincoln and Morton were completed on October 29, 1992. Opening at that time was a nine mile stretch, between a point north of Hartsburg to a point south of Hopedale. The total cost to build Interstate 155 was $120 million.1

References:

  1. "Opening turns I-155 into reality." Pantagraph, The (Bloomington, IL), October 30, 1992.
  2. "Road to Change>Building Interstates." Journal Star (Peoria, IL), June 30, 1996.

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Page Updated Monday January 08, 2024.