Interstate 270 East

A $532 million project started on June 15, 2023 replaces the New Chain of Rocks steel girder bridge. Under the jurisdiction of IDOT, construction replaces the narrow four lane crossing with twin bridges wide enough to accommodate shoulders and future six lane expansion of I-270.¹

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East from the Mississippi River, Interstate 270 crosses Chouteau Island and northern reaches of the Madison city limits. Joining the Union as the 21st state in 1818, Illinois is nicknamed the Land of Lincoln, in honor of the contributions from Abraham Lincoln, who lived and served in Illinois from 1830 to 1861 before becoming the 16th President of the United States.

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Interstate 270 converges with I-70 east 14.97 miles from the Missouri state line. I-70 continues from there to Effingham and Indianapolis, Indiana.

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Shifting northward ahead of the Chain of Rocks Canal, I-270 advances one mile east to Exit 3 with IL 3 in Granite City.

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The original Chain of Rocks Bridge parallels Interstate 270 to the south. Previously part of U.S. 66 and open to traffic until 1966, the historic span consists of four steel truss bridges across the Mississippi River and Chain of Rocks canal.²

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IL 3 constitutes a 187.4 mile long highway route stretching from I-57/U.S. 51 near Cairo Junction north to Grafton.

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Started in October 2011, a $104 million construction project replaced the truss bridge over Chain of Rocks Canal. Work also made other improvements to Interstate 270 including removing loop ramps from IL 3 southbound at Exit 3.³ The new bridge opened to traffic in 2014.

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The original twin span Double Chain Bridges for I-270 across the Chain of Rocks canal opened to traffic in 1967. The crossing was the last section of the freeway bypass around the St. Louis metro area completed. The substandard bridge decks had narrow travel lanes and no shoulders for emergency stopping. Accidents on the bridge also periodically halted traffic. These aspects led to their replacement by 2014.³

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Demolition of the eastbound Chain of Rocks Bridge took place on the morning of January 20, 2015.⁴ Demolition of the westbound span followed on February 3, 2015.⁵

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A six-ramp parclo interchange connects I-270 east with IL 3 just beyond Chain of Rocks Canal. South from Exit 3 A, IL 3 travels through Granite City to Madison and Venice. The state route eventually combines with I-255/U.S. 50 from Dupo to Columbia.

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IL 3 south also represents a spur of the Great River Road, a 550 mile scenic byway meandering along the Mississippi River and western side of Illinois.

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The Great River Road extends north along IL 3 to Wood River, where the national scenic byway follows IL 143 northwest to U.S. 67 in Alton. The Great River Road also joins I-270 at Exit 3 for a three mile overlap to IL 111 south at Exit 6 A.

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I-270 continues east along the Granite City line to Exit 4 for Old Alton Road and IL 203 (Chain of Rocks Road). IL 203 measures 9.5 miles in length from Interstate 270 south to Fairmont Avenue in Fairmont City.

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Separated by N and W Railroad tracks, back to back folded diamond interchanges connect I-270 with Old Alton Road and IL 203 (Chain of Rocks Road) at Exit 4. A collector distributor roadway joins the two exchanges. Displayed as the control city for I-270 east, Indianapolis is 233 miles to the east along I-70.

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Staying west of the N and W Railroad, Old Alton Road meanders 3.1 miles north to New Poag Road in Hartford and southwest into Granite City.

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Historically, U.S. 66 utilized a portion of IL 203 southwest into Granite City. Also part of Historic U.S. 66, Chain of Rocks Road turns east and parallels I-270 to the census designated place of Mitchell and IL 157 in Glen Carbon. U.S. 66 followed IL 157 northeast to Edwardsville and Hamel.

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The c/d roadway from Exit 4 returns to I-270, 1.75 miles from the exchange with I-255 south and IL 255 north. Completed in July 2013, the extension of IL 255 north to U.S. 67 in Godfrey coincided with a control city change from Wood River to Alton.

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Interstate 270 and the Great River Road advance east to IL 111 in the village of Pontoon Beach.

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The Great River Road shifts south onto IL 111 for 7.1 miles from Exit 6 A to I-55/70 west in Fairmont.

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A cloverleaf interchange (Exit 6) joins Interstate 270 and IL 111 just east of Mitchell. IL 111 stretches 82.2 miles from Centreville to Waverly.

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Paralleling IL 255 to the west, IL 111 heads north from Exit 6 B to South Roxana, Roxana and Wood River. IL 255 is an interstate-grade freeway connecting I-270 and I-255 with Wood River, Alton and Godfrey.

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30.8 miles in length between I-270 and I-55/255 at Mehlville, Missouri, I-255 provides an eastern bypass of the St. Louis metropolitan area. The last Interstate to be constructed in the St. Louis area, I-255 was originally commissioned as part of a longer I-270. It was renumbered to offset motorist confusion.

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Two lanes depart I-270 east for the collector distributor roadway (Exit 7) to I-255 and IL 255. Memphis references the I-255 connection with I-55 south in Missouri while IL 255 north services Alton. I-255 was constructed between I-270 and I-55 at Mehlville in stages during the 1980s while IL 255 opened to traffic between 1998 and 2013.

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Interstate 255 travels south from I-270 at Pontoon Beach to Colinsville, Caseyville and East St. Louis.

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IL 255 continues north from I-270 and I-255 toward IL 143 and Wood River. Bypassing Alton to the east, IL 255 spurs 20.50 miles north along a freeway to Wood River, Bethalto and Godfrey. The final segment completed was between Seminary Road and U.S. 67 in July 2013.

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I-270 continues across an agricultural area one mile to Exit 9 for IL 157. IL 157 (Bluff Road) initially runs northeast between Edwardsville and Glen Carbon before wholly entering Edwardsville en route to the city center. University Drive branches north from Bluff Road nearby to the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) campus.

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Measuring 40 miles in length, IL 157 follows a fish hook shaped route from Cahokia east to Fairview Heights, and north to Collinsville, Edwardsville and Hamel.

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Eastbound Interstate 270 at Exit 9 to IL 157. Collinsville lies 5.4 miles to the south, Downtown Edwardsville is 5.4 miles to the northeast.

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Interstate 270 rises onto the bluffs east of the American Bottoms flood plain.

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IL 159, a 62 mile route between Red Bud and Bunker Hill in western Illinois, meets Interstates 270 at Exit 12 in one mile.

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The diamond interchange with IL 159 (Troy Road) lies 0.75 miles north of the Maryville village limits.

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Interstate 270 crosses Judy's Branch on the half mile leading to Exit 12 for IL 159 at Glen Carbon Crossing.

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Exit 12 departs Interstate 270 east for IL 159 south to Collinsville and IL 159 north to Edwardsville. A directional cloverleaf interchange (Exits 15 A/B) with I-55 and I-70 follows in 2.5 miles.

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Interstate 55 leading toward the exchange with I-70 and I-270 is designated the Paul Simon Freeway. Signs of the designation feature a bow-tie, a tribute to former Illinois Congressman Paul Simon, whom the freeway honors.

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Interstate 270 east leaves Glen Carbon by the final confirming marker.

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I-270 directly transitions into Interstate 70 east for Effingham, Terre Haute and Indianapolis. Exits 15 A/B connect the freeway with I-55 north to Springfield and Chicago and I-55/70 west back to St. Louis.

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Exit 15 presently lies within an agricultural area, but suburban development encroaches from the southwest. Exit 15 A departs next for I-55 south and I-70 west, which is not signed here to reduce confusion, into nearby Troy.

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I-55/70 combine 15.5 miles southwest from I-270 to Exit 3 at East St. Louis.

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Interstate 55 travels 313.08 miles overall in Illinois, joining St. Louis with Springfield, Lincoln, Bloomington, Joliet and Chicago.

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Exit 15 B loops onto Interstate 55 north ahead of the I-270 transition to I-70 east. Springfield is 72 miles to the north; Indianapolis is 185 miles to the east.

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