Interstate 155 (I-155) is a north–south spur of
I-55 that provides an Interstate connection for the Illinois cities of
Peoria and
Lincoln. The northern terminus is just east of Peoria, at
I-74
Interstate 74 (I-74) is an Interstate Highway in the Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Its western end is at an interchange with I-80 in Davenport, Iowa; the eastern end of its Midwest segment is at an interchange with I-75 ...
exit 101 in
Morton. The southern terminus, which is northwest of Lincoln, is located on I-55 at exit 127. The highway is long.
I-155 was created to replace
Illinois Route 121 (IL 121). Prompted by safety concerns at a major intersection near Morton, state transportation officials replaced the entire route with a limited-access freeway. The Interstate was built in several segments from 1970 to 1992, a period that included a 10-year delay due to a lawsuit over
right-of-way. I-155 fully opened to traffic on October 29, 1992.
Route description
I-155 runs north from I-55 just northwest of Lincoln, intersecting
U.S. Route 136 (US 136) east of
Emden
Emden () is an Independent city (Germany), independent town and seaport in Lower Saxony in the north-west of Germany and lies on the River Ems (river), Ems, close to the Germany–Netherlands border, Netherlands border. It is the main town in t ...
. north of US 136, eastbound
IL 122 joins I-155 traveling north, directly east of
Delavan. The two highways run concurrent for before IL 122 runs east to
Hopedale. Further north, the highway crosses the
Mackinaw River
The Mackinaw River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed May 13, 2011 tributary of the Illinois River in the U.S. state of Illinois. Its watershed covers approximately ...
beside a steel truss bridge serving old IL 121.
East of
Tremont, I-155 intersects
IL 9. later is Main Street, the first of three northbound exits to
Morton. (There are only two southbound exits, at Queenwood Road and
IL 98/Birchwood Street). The highway passes to the west of Morton before intersecting
I-74
Interstate 74 (I-74) is an Interstate Highway in the Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Its western end is at an interchange with I-80 in Davenport, Iowa; the eastern end of its Midwest segment is at an interchange with I-75 ...
at a
trumpet interchange
In the field of road transport, an interchange (American English) or a grade-separated junction (British English) is a road junction that uses grade separations to allow for the movement of traffic between two or more roadways or highways, usi ...
about southeast of downtown
Peoria.
Surrounded mostly by prime land used for farming soybeans and corn, I-155 is a four-lane freeway through rural central Illinois. In addition to Morton, Peoria, and Lincoln, I-155 also serves a number of small farm towns located between Peoria and Lincoln. The largest city directly served by I-155 is
Tremont; however, the highway mainly carries traffic traveling to and from Peoria and
Springfield.
History
I-155 was built on the right-of-way of former IL 121. In the early 1960s, the
Illinois Department of Transportation
The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) is a state agency in charge of state-maintained public roadways of the U.S. state of Illinois. In addition, IDOT provides funding for rail, public transit and airport projects and administers f ...
(IDOT) opened
IL 98, an east–west, two-lane highway running west from downtown Morton to
Pekin. Within a few years, the intersection of IL 98 and IL 121 would be known as the "Killer Corner", as traffic volumes increased between Springfield and Peoria on IL 121. Between when IL 98 was opened and when the corner was closed in 1989 for construction of a full interchange, 15 people were killed as a result of automobile accidents at the corner.
Led by key supporters—US Representative
Robert Michel
Robert Henry Michel (; March 2, 1923 – February 17, 2017) was an American Republican Party (United States), Republican Party politician who was a member of the United States House of Representatives for 38 years. He represented central Ill ...
, former IDOT transportation engineer Jack Harland, and pro-freeway organization "Route 121 by '91" chairman Jim Unland—IDOT initiated plans to upgrade IL 121 to a four-lane freeway.
The proposed freeway was assigned as FAP 406.
Near
Hopedale, a short portion of IL 121 was reconstructed in the early 1970s to replace a bridge over the
Mackinaw River
The Mackinaw River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed May 13, 2011 tributary of the Illinois River in the U.S. state of Illinois. Its watershed covers approximately ...
. The interchange with I-55 was built but barricaded to traffic.
In 1976, an injunction won by Peoria attorney Timothy Swain Sr. halted further construction on the highway for 10 years.
The lawsuit was filed by Swain regarding the amount of right-of-way the freeway would consume on his farm near
Delavan. A
US District Court judge sided with IDOT on building the road, but the US Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit overturned the decision, forcing IDOT to rewrite its
environmental impact statement
An environmental impact statement (EIS), under United States environmental law, is a document required by the 1969 National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for certain actions "significantly affecting the quality of the human environment". An E ...
regarding the Swain farm. In 1986, IDOT struck a deal with Swain, agreeing to reroute the road and take only of land, ending the lawsuit and resuming construction activities.
A portion of the road from I-55 to Hartsburg opened on December 15, 1989, about in length.
The freeway was opened in full on October 29, 1992, at a ceremony attended by Governor
Jim Edgar
James Robert Edgar (born July 22, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 38th governor of Illinois from 1991 to 1999. A Moderate Republican (modern United States), moderate Republican Party (United States), Republican, he previously s ...
.
The total cost of construction for I-155 was $130 million (equivalent to $ in ).
Of this, $10 million (equivalent to $ in ) was provided by federal funding.
Illinois initially applied for the new freeway to be designated Interstate 37, but, on December 7, 1990, the request was deferred by the
(AASHTO), pending approval by the
Federal Highway Administration
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is a division of the United States Department of Transportation that specializes in highway transportation. The agency's major activities are grouped into two programs, the Federal-aid Highway Program a ...
(FHWA) to add the freeway into the Interstate System. In addition, AASHTO suggested using a three-digit number when the application was resubmitted.
Later, the state submitted another application to AASHTO for the freeway to be named Interstate 155. On June 9, 1991, the AASHTO application was approved and granted when I-155 was completed.
Exit list
References
External links
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{{Good article
55-1 Illinois
55-1
1 (Illinois)
Transportation in Logan County, Illinois
Transportation in Tazewell County, Illinois