Interstate 74 in Illinois

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Interstate 74
Main route of the Interstate Highway System
Everett McKinley Dirksen Memorial Highway[1]
Length: 220.34 mi[2] (354.60 km)
West end: I-74 at Moline
Major
junctions:
I-80 near Colona
I-55 at Normal/Bloomington
I-57 at Champaign
East end: I-74 east of Danville
Illinois state highway system
< IL 73 IL 75 >
See also: U.S. Route 150 in Illinois

In the U.S. state of Illinois, Interstate 74 is a major northwest-southeast Interstate highway that runs across the northern portion of the state. It runs from the Iowa state line at the Mississippi River southeast to the Indiana state line east of Danville, Illinois. This is a distance of 220.34 miles (354.60 km).[2] The highway is officially named after Everett McKinley Dirksen, a Republican Senator and U.S. Congressman from Pekin from 1933 to his death in 1969.[1]

Contents

[edit] Route description

Major cities
Bolded cities are officially-designated control cities for signs

In November 2006 major work was completed on the Upgrade 74 project for the portion of I-74 in the Midwest. This multi-year project, begun in April 2002, saw the complete renovation of I-74 through East Peoria, Illinois and Peoria, Illinois. Most notably the interstate was widened to three lanes through the cities, many blind or hairpin exits and entrances to the highway were removed or corrected, and many bridges crossing the highway were replaced. The biggest part of this project was work on the Murray Baker Bridge, over which I-74 crosses the Illinois River. The bridge was completely closed to traffic while being partially dismantled and reconstructed from April 2, 2005 to October 15, 2005. During this time I-74 was disconnected between Peoria and East Peoria.[3]

Fans of the Chicago Cubs and the St. Louis Cardinals joke that I-74 marks the "Demilitarized Zone" between Cubs and Cardinals "territories", the baseball rivalry equivalent of the 38th parallel between North and South Korea.

[edit] History

In mid-2007, a major section of westbound I-74 east of Bloomington/Normal was shut down and rerouted more than 20 miles on U.S. Route 136 and U.S. Route 51 due to a diesel tanker overturning and igniting on a small bridge outside of the town of Downs. The reroute is recorded as one the longest detours in the interstate's history.[citation needed]

[edit] Exit list

County Location Mile # Destinations[4] Notes
Crossing the Mississippi River from Bettendorf, Iowa.
Rock Island Moline 1 River Drive
2 7th Avenue i wireless Center, John Deere Pavilion, Riverfront
3 Avenue of the Cities Formerly 23rd Avenue
4 IL 5 (John Deere Road)
5 I-280 West / US 6 East – Des Moines Quad City Airport End of overlap with US 6.
Henry Colona I-80 / I-280 West – Davenport, Chicago, Moline - Rock Island I-280 ends at I-80.
Andover 24 IL 81Kewanee, Cambridge
Woodhull 32 IL 17Woodhull, Alpha
Knox Galesburg 46 US 34Kewanee, Monmouth
48 E. Main Street – Galesburg, East Galesburg
Knoxville 51 Knoxville
54 US 150 / IL 97 South – Lewistown
Peoria Brimfield 71 To IL 78Canton, Kewanee
75 Brimfield, Oak Hill
Peoria 82 Kickapoo, Edwards
87 I-474 East / IL 6 North – Indianapolis, Chillicothe Signed as exits 87A eastbound and 87B westbound
88 Sterling Avenue
89 US 150 (War Memorial Drive)
90 Gale Avenue
91 University Street
92A IL 40 North (Knoxville Avenue) To Peoria Medical Center
92B To IL 40 South (Glen Oak Avenue) – Downtown Peoria
93 To US 24 / IL 29 (Washington Street/Adams Street) , Downtown Peoria Eastbound exit to Washington, westbound to Adams
Murray Baker Bridge over the Illinois River
Tazewell East Peoria 94 IL 40 North (Riverfront Drive)
95A US 150 West / IL 116 (N. Main Street) Exits signed as exit 95A eastbound and exit 95 westbound.
95B US 150 East (Camp Street) Eastbound exit and westbound entrance only.
96 To IL 8 East (E. Washington Street)
Unincorporated 98 Pinecrest Drive
99 I-474 West – Moline - Rock Island, Pekin
Morton 101 I-155 South – Lincoln
102 Morton Avenue Exit split as 102A-B eastbound.
Woodford Goodfield 112 IL 117 North – Goodfield, Eureka Southern terminus of Illinois 117.
McLean Carlock 120 Carlock Also an exit to US 150
Yuton 125 US 150 (Mitsubishi Motorway)
Normal 127 I-55 North / US 51 North – Chicago Begin overlap of I-55 / US 51.
160 US 150 / IL 9 (Market Street) – Pekin
Bloomington 157A I-74 East / US 51 South – Indianapolis, Decatur End overlap of I-55. Exit 134 split as exits 134A/B
134 I-55 South / I-55 Bus. North (Veterans Parkway) – St. Louis
135
US 51 South / US 51 Bus. North – Decatur, Bloomington
End of overlap with US 51.
Downs 142 Downs
Le Roy 149 Le Roy
152 US 136Rantoul, Heyworth
De Witt Farmer City 159 IL 54Farmer City, Gibson City
Piatt Mansfield 166 Mansfield
Champaign Mahomet 172 IL 47Gibson City, Mahomet
174 Prairieview Road
Champaign 179 I-57 to I-72 West – Chicago, Memphis, Decatur Exits signed as 179A southbound and 179B southbound
181 Prospect Avenue
182 Neil Street
182 Lincoln Avenue
Urbana 184 US 45 (Cunningham Avenue) – Rantoul
185 IL 130 (University Avenue)
St. Joseph 192 St. Joseph
Ogden 197 To IL 49 South – Royal, Ogden
Vermillion Fithian 200 IL 49 North – Fithian, Rankin
Oakwood 206 Potomac, Oakwood
Danville 210 US 150 (MLK Drive)
214 G Street
215 US 150 / IL 1 (Georgetown Road, Gilbert Street)
216 Bowman Avenue, Perrysville Road
220 Lynch Road
Indiana state line. See Interstate 74 in Indiana for exit list.

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b State of Illinois (Unknown date). 605 ILCS 15 / Dirksen Memorial Highway Act. Illinois Compiled Statutes. Retrieved on 2007-11-08.
  2. ^ a b Federal Highway Administration (2002-10-31). Main Routes of the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System Of Interstate and Defense Highways as of October 31, 2002. Retrieved on 2006-09-29.
  3. ^ Illinois Department of Transportation (2007-01-04). Upgrade 74. Retrieved on 2006-11-26.
  4. ^ Sarjeant, Charles (2006-07-01). Illinois Highways Ends - I-74. Retrieved on 2008-05-25.


Interstate 74
Previous state:
Iowa
Illinois Next state:
Indiana