U.S. Route 24 in Illinois

U.S. Route 24
Route information
Maintained by IDOT
Length: 255.13 mi[2] (410.59 km)
Length includes both directions of U.S. 24 where it is routed onto two one-way streets through some cities.
Existed: 1926[1] – present
Major junctions
West end: US 24 in Quincy
  I-172 near Quincy
US 67 in Rushville
US 136 near Lewistown
I-474 in Bartonville
I-74 in Peoria
US 150 in Peoria
I-39 / US 51 near El Paso
I-55 near Chenoa
I-57 near Gilman
US 45 in Gilman
US 52 in Sheldon
East end: US 24 / US 52 near Sheldon
Highway system

United States Numbered Highways
List • Bannered • Divided • Replaced

Illinois state highway system
Illinois Tollway system

← I-24 IL 25 →

In the U.S. state of Illinois, U.S. Route 24 is a major arterial road that runs from the Missouri state line at the Mississippi River in Quincy to Sheldon. This is a distance of 255.13 miles (410.59 km).[2]

Contents

Route description

In Illinois, U.S. Route 24 may be divided into the following segments:

Quincy to Peoria

From Quincy to Peoria, the U.S. 24 route follows the old Peoria to Quincy stage coach route.

The U.S. 24 crossing into Illinois from Missouri over the Mississippi River consists of two bridges; westbound traffic uses the newer Bayview Bridge, while eastbound traffic uses the Quincy Memorial Bridge. At the eastern end of the Quincy Memorial Bridge, eastbound U.S. 24 overlaps Illinois Route 57 northbound (4th Street) for two blocks before Illinois 57 ends at Illinois Route 104 (Broadway); westbound U.S. 24 turns off onto the bridge at the northern terminus of Illinois 57. U.S. 24 continues north at Illinois 104 and serves only the northwestern portion of Quincy.

U.S. 24 overlaps Illinois Route 96 briefly before running due east. It has a full interchange with the northern terminus of Interstate 172; as of 2006, Illinois Route 336 continues northbound of I-172.

U.S. 24 then proceeds through a series of small towns; east of Camp Point, it intersects the southern terminus of Illinois Route 94. In Mount Sterling it briefly overlaps Illinois Route 99; Illinois Route 107 ends just south of U.S. 24. At this point, the highway turns northeast once again.

Just outside of Ripley U.S. 24 intersects the western terminus of Illinois Route 103. U.S. 24 then intersects U.S. Route 67 outside of Rushville. It enters Rushville from the west and exits north, on Kinderhook Road.

John Jacob Astor was the original owner of the tract upon which Astoria was platted in 1836 and served as an important way station on the original stage coach route.

U.S. 24 continues northeast and follows a series of concurrencies. West of Havana, U.S. 24 joins Illinois Route 100 northbound, and U.S. Route 136 westbound, forming a wrong-way concurrency. U.S. 136 leaves U.S. 24 and travels west at Duncan Mills, while U.S. 24 and Illinois 100 continue north to Lewistown. In Lewistown, the U.S. 24/Illinois 100 combination intersects Illinois Route 97 (Avenue E). Illinois Routes 97/100 run north while U.S. 24 eastbound joins with Illinois 97 southbound. U.S. 24/Illinois 97 meet Illinois Route 78, where Illinois 78/97 runs southbound and U.S. 24 eastbound joins with Illinois 78 northbound. The series of concurrencies ends in Little America, where Illinois 78 turns north and U.S. 24 continues northeast.

Illinois Route 9 overlaps U.S. 24 from Banner, through Kingston Mines and Mapleton, to where Illinois 9 splits and crosses the river to Pekin, Illinois.

North of the Pekin turnoff, U.S. 24 enters Bartonville as South Adams Street. Where Adams Street climbs a hill, U.S. 24 splits off onto McKinley Avenue, rejoining Adams Street just south of the Interstate 474 interchange.

Peoria to Eureka

U.S. Route 24 enters the South Side of Peoria at the Interstate 474 interchange. Streets parallel to the Illinois River are numbered southwest and northeast in Peoria, and U.S. 24 follows SW Adams Street to the beginning of SW Washington Street, then follows Washington Street for nearly Washington Street's entire length.

At the northwestern foot of the Cedar Street Bridge, U.S. 24 intersects a three-route concurrency of Illinois Routes 8, 29 and 116. Illinois 8/116 crosses Washington Street, continuing north towards Bradley University as MacArthur Highway. Illinois 29 northbound, however, joins U.S. 24 through the remainder of Peoria. At the foot of the Bob Michel Bridge, U.S. 24/Illinois 29 intersects Illinois Route 40, reaching the center of downtown Peoria.

Just after crossing Main Street, the routing of U.S. 24 and Illinois 29 becomes more complex for 4 blocks: NE Washington Street, NE Adams Street, and NE Jefferson Street are intersected by Hamilton Boulevard and Fayette Street and partially by Interstate 74 and Spalding Avenue. From southwest to northeast:

After this group of intersections, U.S. 24/Illinois 29 continues north on one-way NE Adams Street, with opposing U.S. 24/Illinois 29 traffic on one-way NE Jefferson Street. At the Averyville neighborhood, Jefferson Street splits from Adams Street; north of this, NE Adams Street is a two-way street carrying U.S. 24/Illinois 29 to the interchange with the McClugage Bridge.

At the McClugage Bridge, Illinois Route 29 and NE Adams Street becomes N. Galena Road and continues north past the bridge; U.S. 24 follows U.S. 150 across the bridge over the Illinois River.

On the other side of the bridge, eastbound U.S. 150 exits onto westbound Illinois Route 116 to form a wrong-way concurrency, but U.S. 24 continues past Illinois Central College east to Washington area on a four-lane divided highway. The highway continues to the interchange of Business U.S. 24 and the eastern terminus of Illinois 8, (Business U.S. 24 and Illinois 8 form an unsigned wrong-way concurrency at this point). Business U.S. 24 continues to Washington's town square on a four-lane undivided surface road, which eventually narrows to a two-lane road; the U.S. 24 bypass remains 4 lanes divided to Main Street north of Washington. The eastern terminus of Business U.S. 24 is between Washington and Eureka.

Eureka to Indiana

In Eureka, U.S. 24 has a stoplight with Illinois Route 117; there are also numerous signs to Eureka College and the Ronald Reagan Trail, as Eureka had prominence in President Ronald Reagan's early life. U.S. 24 then continues east, bypassing Secor to the south before interchanging with Interstate 39.

Just east of I-39, U.S. 24 serves as the main east–west road through El Paso, which largely serves as a stop for travelers on I-39. U.S. 24 travels through one other community, Gridley before having an interchange with Interstate 55 west of Chenoa.

East of Interstate 55, U.S. 24 has an intersection with former U.S. Route 66. It then passes through the towns of Fairbury, Forrest and Chatsworth, intersecting Illinois Route 47 in Forrest. Just south of Gilman, U.S. 24 has an interchange with Interstate 57 before overlapping U.S. Route 45 through Gilman. The two highways separate east of Gilman.

In Crescent City U.S. 24 intersects Illinois Route 49. In Watseka, it overlaps Illinois Route 1 through the town; the final concurrency, with U.S. Route 52 in Sheldon carries into Indiana.

History

The routing of U.S. Route 24 in Illinois is largely unchanged from 1926. Prior to 1937, U.S. 24 ran through Canton on various roads; afterwards it was relocated southeast, closely paralleling the Illinois River.

In 1995 a bypass around Washington was completed. The old U.S. 24 became an extension of Illinois 8 to between Washington and Eureka. In 1997, it was changed to Business U.S. Route 24, and Illinois 8 was truncated back to west of Washington.[1]

Since the 1950s, U.S. Route 24 through Ilinois and Missouri has been considered as one route of various Chicago to Kansas City federal interstate proposals (1956, 1968, 1972). None of these proposals received federal funding or support.

Major intersections

County Location Mile Junction Notes
Marion West Quincy US 24 west Continuation into Missouri
Mississippi River Bayview Bridge (westbound) and Quincy Memorial Bridge (eastbound)
Adams Quincy IL 57 south / Great River Road south (3rd Street) West end of GRR overlap
IL 104 east (Broadway Street)
IL 96 south West end of IL 96 overlap
IL 96 north / Great River Road north East end of IL 96/GRR overlap
I-172 south / IL 336 north – Hannibal, Pittsfield, Ursa, Mendon
IL 94 north
Brown Mount Sterling IL 99 north (NW Cross Street) West end of IL 99 overlap
IL 99 south (Pittsfield Road) to IL 107 East end of IL 99 overlap
Schuyler IL 103 east
Rushville US 67
Fulton US 136 east / IL 100 south West end of US 136/IL 100 overlap
Duncan Mills US 136 west East end of US 136 overlap
Lewistown IL 97 north / IL 100 north West end of IL 97 overlap; east end of IL 100 overlap
IL 78 south / IL 97 south West end of IL 78 overlap; east end of IL 97 overlap
IL 78 north
Banner IL 9 west West end of IL 9 overlap
Peoria IL 9 east East end of IL 9 overlap
Peoria I-474 – Galesburg, Bloomington
IL 8 / IL 29 south / IL 116 (MacArthur Highway, Cedar Street Bridge) West end of IL 29 overlap
To IL 40 (Bob Michel Bridge) – East Peoria
I-74 (Murray Baker Bridge) – Galesburg, Bloomington
US 150 west (War Memorial Drive) / IL 29 north (Galena Road) West end of US 150 overlap; east end of IL 29 overlap; grade-separated interchange
Illinois River McClugage Bridge
Tazewell US 150 east / IL 116 – East Peoria, Metamora East end of US 150 overlap; grade-separated interchange

US 24 Bus. east / IL 8 west – East Peoria, Washington
Woodford
US 24 Bus. west
Eureka IL 117 (Main Street)
I-39 / US 51 – Rockford, Bloomington-Normal
El Paso IL 251 (Fayette Street)
McLean I-55 – Joliet, Bloomington
Chenoa Historic US 66
Livingston Forrest IL 47 (Center Street)
Ford Piper City IL 115 north (Green Street) West end of IL 115 overlap
IL 115 south East end of IL 115 overlap
Iroquois I-57 – Kankakee, Champaign
Gilman US 45 south West end of US 45 overlap
US 45 north East end of US 45 overlap
Crescent City IL 49
Watseka IL 1 north (Jefferson Street) West end of IL 1 overlap
IL 1 south East end of IL 1 overlap
Sheldon US 52 west West end of US 52 overlap
Newton US 24 east / US 52 east Continuation into Indiana
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
     Concurrency terminus •      Closed/Former •      Incomplete access •      Unopened

References

  1. ^ a b Carlson, Rich. Illinois Highways Page: Routes 21-40. Last updated April 15, 2005. Retrieved June 9, 2006.
  2. ^ a b Illinois Technology Transfer Center (2007). "T2 GIS Data". http://www.dot.state.il.us/gist2/select.html. Retrieved 2007-11-08. 
U.S. Route 24
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Missouri		 Illinois Next state:
Indiana