Interstate 72 in Illinois
 Interstate 72 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central Illinois Expressway[1] | ||||
_map.svg) | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by Illinois DOT | ||||
| Length | 182.56 mi[2] (293.80 km) | |||
| Existed | 2000–present | |||
| NHS | Entire route | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| West end |    I-72 / US 36 / Great River Road at Missouri state line | |||
 I-172 / Great River Road in Fall Creek I-55 in Springfield I-57 in Champaign | ||||
| East end | Country Fair Drive in Champaign | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | Illinois | |||
| Highway system | ||||
| ||||
In the U.S. state of Illinois, Interstate 72 (I-72) is an east-west Interstate Highway that runs from the Mark Twain Memorial Bridge over the Mississippi River with U.S. Route 36 east to the city limits of Champaign. This is a distance of 182.56 miles (293.80 km).[2] The portion of I-72 and Interstate 172 (I-172) from Quincy to Springfield, Illinois is commonly referred to by its former name, the Central Illinois Expressway (CIE).[1]
Route description
Near Valley City at mile marker 42 are the Valley City Eagle Bridges. These two individual two-lane spans bridge the Illinois River in rural west-central Illinois. At mile marker 78, a sign marks 90 degrees longitude.
At its eastern terminus in Champaign, I-72 continues as Church Street (westbound) and University Avenue (eastbound), which stay as one-way streets for an additional 3 miles (4.8 km) into downtown Champaign.
History
Until the mid-1990s, I-72 ran from Springfield at Interstate 55 to Champaign at Interstate 57. On June 9, 1991, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) approved the establishment of Interstate 172 from the western terminus of I-72 at Springfield to Fall Creek, 4 miles (6.4 km) east of Hannibal, Missouri, though it was contingent on Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) approval. The FHWA preferred to designate the route I-72.[3][4]
After discussions regarding extending an Interstate-standard highway through the state of Missouri, on April 22, 1995, AASTHO approved another renumbering. I-172 was renumbered in its entirety as I-72. The U.S. 36 extension west of Fall Creek was also given the I-72 designation. The Illinois Route 336 expressway was renumbered to I-172 from Fall Creek to Fowler.[4][5] Once the new Mark Twain Memorial Bridge was completed in September 2000, I-72 was extended to its current western terminus at U.S. Route 61 in Hannibal, Missouri.
Exit list
 | This section is missing mileposts for junctions. |
| County | Location | Mile | #[6] | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pike | Mark Twain Memorial Bridge over Mississippi River (state line) | ||||
| 1 |  IL 106 – Hull
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| 4 |   I-172 north / Great River Road north – Quincy
|
East end of GRR overlap; signed as exit 4A westbound; left exit | |||
| 10 |    IL 96 to IL 57 – Payson, Hull
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| 20 | To IL 106 – Barry
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| 31 | Pittsfield, New Salem | ||||
| 35 |   US 54 / IL 107 – Pittsfield, Griggsville
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| Scott | 46 |  IL 100 – Bluffs, Detroit
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| 52 | IL 106 – Winchester
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| Morgan | 60 |    I-72 BL east / US 67 – Alton, Beardstown, Jacksonville
|
Signed as exits 60A (south) and 60B (north) | ||
| 64 |  IL 267 – Alton, Jacksonville
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| 68 |   I-72 BL west to IL 104 – Jacksonville
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| 76 |  IL 123 – Ashland, Alexander
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| Sangamon | 82 | New Berlin | |||
| Springfield | 91 | Wabash Avenue - Springfield, Loami | |||
| 93 |  IL 4 – Springfield, Chatham
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| 97A |  I-55 south – St. Louis
|
West end of I-55 overlap | |||
| 97B |   I-55 BL north (6th Street) – Springfield
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| 94 | Stevenson Drive, East Lake Drive | ||||
| 96 |  IL 29 (South Grand Avenue) – Taylorville
|
Signed as exits 96A (south) and 96B (north) | |||
| 98B |   IL 97 west (Clear Lake Avenue)
|
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| 103B | I-55 north – Chicago
|
East end of I-55 overlap | |||
| 104 | Camp Butler | ||||
| 108 | Riverton, Dawson | ||||
| 114 | Buffalo, Mechanicsburg | ||||
| 122 | Mt. Auburn, Illiopolis | ||||
| Macon | 128 | Niantic | |||
| Decatur | 133A |  US 36 east – Decatur
|
East end of US 36 overlap | ||
| 133B |   US 51 south – Pana
|
West end of US 51 overlap | |||
| 138 |  IL 121 – Decatur, Lincoln
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| Decatur | 141A |  US 51 Bus. south – Decatur
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| 141B |  US 51 north – Bloomington
|
East end of US 51 overlap | |||
| 144 |  IL 48 – Oreana, Decatur
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| Piatt | |||||
| 150 | Argenta | ||||
| 156 | IL 48 – Cisco, Weldon
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| 164 | Monticello | ||||
| 166 |  IL 105 west – Monticello
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| 169 | White Heath Road | ||||
| 172 |  IL 10 – Clinton
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| Champaign | 176 |  IL 47 – Mahomet
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| 182A | I-57 south – Memphis
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| 182B |   I-57 north to I-74 – Chicago
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| Champaign | University Avenue | Continuation beyond I-57 | |||
References
- ^ a b Schoenburg, Bernard (1995-04-28). "Road to the top? Designation puts expressway in the 'big leagues'". The State Journal-Register (Springfield, IL).
- ^ a b Illinois Technology Transfer Center (2006). "T2 GIS Data". Retrieved 2007-11-08.
- ^ American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (1991-06-09). "Report of the Special Committee on U.S. Route Numbering to the Executive Committee" (PDF). Retrieved 2007-12-19.
- ^ a b "Interstate 172 Illinois". Interstate-Guide.com.
- ^ American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (1995-04-23). "Report of the Special Committee on U.S. Route Numbering to the Standing Committee on Highways" (PDF). Retrieved 2007-12-19.
- ^ Google Maps (Map). Cartography by NAVTEQ. Google, Inc. Retrieved 2007-10-16.
