U.S. Route 51 in Illinois

This article is about the section of U.S. Route 51 in Illinois. For the entire route, see U.S. Route 51.

U.S. Route 51 marker

U.S. Route 51
Route information
Maintained by IDOT
Length: 415.95 mi[1] (669.41 km)
Length may include both directions of route where it is routed along one-way streets.
Major junctions
South end: US 51 / US 60 / US 62 near Wickliffe, KY
 

I-57 near Cairo
I-64 near Richview
I-70 at Vandalia
I-72 at Decatur
I-39 / I-55 / I-74 at Bloomington/Normal
I-80 at La Salle
I-88 at Rochelle
I-90 at Rockford

I-39 / I-90 at South Beloit
North end: US 51 at the Wisconsin state line in South Beloit
Highway system
IL 50US 52

U.S. Route 51 (US 51) in the U.S. state of Illinois, is a main north–south artery that runs from the Ohio River north to the Wisconsin border, a distance of 415.95 miles (669.41 km).[1]

Route description

U.S. Route 51 enters Illinois from Kentucky at the town of Cairo. The route heads northbound to a village near Cairo called Mounds, and begins to overlap I-57, following it for 24 miles (39 km) to Dongola, before splitting and heading north. The route remains two lanes from Dongola to Assumption with the exception of a 10-mile (16 km) section between Centralia and I-64.

Past Assumption, US 51 becomes an expressway to Decatur. In Decatur, US 51 follows I-72 to bypass town. US 51 leaves I-72 after eight miles (13 km), and heads north to BloomingtonNormal as an expressway. At Bloomington–Normal, US 51 follows I-74 for a mile, then I-55 for seven miles (11 km), before following I-39 for 140 miles (230 km).

US 51 follows I-39, intersecting I-80 and I-88 along the way. The highway also follows US 20 south of Rockford (while still following I-39). I-39/US 51 joins I-90, making US 51 of the only toll roads in Illinois that is a U.S. Highway. US 51 exits I-39/I-90 just a mile south of the Wisconsin state line. US 51 follows Illinois Route 75 (IL 75) west to the intersection of IL 251, then turns north through South Beloit to enter Wisconsin.

History

US 51 was established in Illinois in the 1920s. Over the years, it became a heavily traveled road, often experiencing many accidents, particularly in the northern half of the state. The road gained the reputation "Killer 51". As a result of these impacts, Illinois pushed for a new four lane highway along the corridor. One was proposed in the 1960s and 1970s as part of a proposed supplemental freeway system, but only the area between Rockford and Decatur was prioritized.[2]

In the 1980s and early 1990s, US 51 was built to Interstate Highway standards between Rockford and BloomingtonNormal on a new alignment. This new road became Interstate 39, and US 51 was re-routed onto the new highway. Additionally, north of Rockford, it was re-routed onto the existing Interstate 90 tollway segment between South Beloit and Cherry Valley. Most of the old alignment became Illinois Route 251.

South of Bloomington–Normal to Decatur, US 51 remained largely on the original alignment and was expanded to an expressway, despite a push to continue building to Interstate Highway standards.[3] Further continuation of the expressway occurred in the 2000s, when the highway was upgraded south to Assumption.

Future

Plans are underway to continue the US 51 expressway south of Assumption to Centralia.[4] An environmental impact statement is currently being prepared. However, construction funding remains elusive.

Major intersections

CountyLocationmikmExitDestinationsNotes
AlexanderCairo US 51 south / US 60 east / US 62 east WickliffeUS 51/US 60/US 62 continue into Kentucky
US 60 west / US 62 west CharlestonNorthern end of US 60/US 62 concurrency
IL 37 north Mound CitySouthern terminus of IL 37
1 I-57 south / IL 3 north Olive Branch, MemphisSouthern end of I-57 concurrency; southern terminus of IL 3
Pulaski8Mounds Road
18Ullin Road
UnionDongola24Dongola Road
25 I-57 north ChicagoNorthern end of I-57 concurrency; northbound exit and southbound entrance
Anna IL 146 Jonesboro, Vienna
JacksonCarbondale IL 13 Murphysboro, Marion
De Soto IL 149 Murphysboro, Hurst
PerryDu Quoin IL 14 east ChristopherWestern terminus of IL 14
IL 152 west PyattsEastern terminus of IL 152
Sunfield IL 154 Red Bud, Sesser
WashingtonAshley IL 15 west East St. LouisWestern end of IL 15 concurrency
IL 15 east Mount VernonEastern end of IL 15 concurrency
Richview I-64 St. Louis, LouisvilleExit 61 on I-64
Irvington IL 177 west BellevilleWestern terminus of IL 177
MarionCentralia IL 161 New Baden, Kell
Sandoval US 50 west CarlyleWestern end of US 50 concurrency
US 50 east SalemEastern end of US 50 concurrency
FayetteVandalia US 40 east / IL 185 east Bluff CityEastern end of US 40/IL 185 concurrency
US 40 west / IL 185 west Taylor Springs, Mulberry GroveWestern end of US 40/IL 185 concurrency
I-70 St. Louis, IndianapolisExit 63 on I-70
ChristianPana IL 16 westWestern end of IL 16 concurrency
IL 29 northSouthern terminus of IL 29
IL 16 eastEastern end of IL 16 concurrency
Macon
US 51 Bus. north
IL 48
Harristown133 I-72 west / US 36 Springfield, TuscolaSouthern end of I-72 concurrency; signed as exits 133A (east) and 133B (south)
Decatur138 IL 121 Decatur, Lincoln
141
I-72 east / US 51 Bus. south Champaign, Urbana, Decatur
DeWittClinton
US 51 Bus. north Clinton
IL 54
IL 10

US 51 Bus. south Clinton
McLeanHeyworth US 136 McLean, Rantoul
135
I-74 east / US 51 Bus. north (Main Street) Indianapolis, Bloomington
Southern end of I-74 concurrency
157A I-55 south St. LouisSouthern end of I-55 concurrency
Bloomington157B I-55 Bus. north (Veterans Parkway)Signed as exit 134B (north) southbound
160 US 150 / IL 9 (Market Street) Pekin
163 I-74 west PeoriaNorthern end of I-74 concurrency
164 I-39 north / I-55 north ChicagoNorthern end of I-55 concurrency; southern end of I-39 concurrency; southern terminus of I-39
2
US 51 Bus. south Bloomington, Normal
Hudson5Hudson
8 IL 251 (Lake Bloomington Road)
WoodfordEl Paso14 US 24 El Paso, Peoria
Woodford22 IL 116 Peoria, Pontiac
Minonk27Minonk
MarshallWenona35 IL 17 Lacon, Wenona
LaSalleLostant41 IL 18 Henry, Streator
Tonica48Tonica
51 IL 71 Hennepin, Oglesby
52 IL 251 Peru, LaSalle
Oglesby54Oglesby
Illinois RiverAbraham Lincoln Memorial Bridge
La Salle57 US 6 LaSalle, Peru, Ottawa
59 I-80 LaSalle, Peru, Chicago, Des MoinesSigned as exits 59A (east) and 59B (west)
Troy Grove66 US 52 Troy Grove
Mendota72 US 34 Mendota, Earlville
LeePaw Paw82Paw Paw
87 US 30 Sterling, Rock Falls, Aurora
Steward93Steward
OgleRochelle97 I-88 / IL 110 (Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway) Moline, Rock Island, ChicagoSigned as exits 97A (east) and 97B (west)
99 IL 38 DeKalb, Rochelle
104 IL 64 Sycamore, Oregon
Monroe Center111 IL 72 Genoa, Byron
Winnebago115Baxter Road
Rockford US 20 west Freeport, RockfordSouthern end of US 20 concurrency, I-39/US 51 southbound exits US 20 via exit 97
Cherry Valley122A US 20 east BelvidereNorthern end of US 20 concurrency
122BHarrison Avenue
17 I-90 east (Jane Addams Memorial Tollway) ChicagoSouthern end of I-90 concurrency; I-39/US 51 uses I-90's exit numbers from here north
Rockford15
US 20 Bus. (State Street)
Last free exit northbound
12Riverside BoulevardToll on northbound exit and southbound entrance
Machesney Park9 IL 173 (West Lane Road)Toll on northbound exit and southbound entrance
RocktonSouth Beloit Toll Plaza
South Beloit3Rockton Road (CR 9)Last free exit southbound
1 I-39 north / I-90 west / IL 75 east South Beloit, MadisonNorthern end of I-39/I-90 concurrency; eastern end of IL 75 concurrency
IL 75 west / IL 251 south Freeport, RockfordWestern end of IL 75 concurrency; northern terminus of IL 251
US 51 north BeloitContinuation into Wisconsin
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

  1. 1 2 Illinois Technology Transfer Center (2007). "T2 GIS Data". Illinois Department of Transportation. Retrieved November 8, 2007.
  2. "Illinois Supplemental Freeway system proposal" (PDF). Retrieved February 17, 2015.
  3. Wills, Bill. "Decatur trying to block road plan". The Pantagraph. Retrieved February 17, 2015.
  4. "US 51 Environmental Impact Statement". Illinois Department of Transportation. Retrieved February 17, 2015.
U.S. Route 51
Previous state:
Kentucky
Illinois Next state:
Wisconsin
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