Illinois Route 4

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Illinois Route 4 marker

Illinois Route 4
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Route information
Maintained by IDOT
Length: 170.44 mi[2] (274.30 km)
Existed: 1918[1] – present
Major junctions
South end: IL 13 / IL 127 in Vergennes
  I-64 in Lebanon
US 50 in Lebanon
US 40 in St. Jacob
I-70 in Marine
I-55 in Livingston
I-72 / US 36 in Springfield
North end: I-55 Bus. in Springfield
Location
Counties: Jackson, Perry, Randolph, Washington, St. Clair, Madison, Macoupin, Sangamon
Highway system
IL 3 IL 5

Illinois Route 4 is a long state road that runs south from the Interstate 55 business loop around the state capital of Springfield, south to Illinois Route 13 just north of Murphysboro. This is a distance of 170.44 miles (274.30 km).[2]

Route description

Illinois 4 starts at Illinois 13 and Illinois 127 at a point about eight miles (13 km) north of Murphysboro. It zigzags through small southern towns such as Steeleville, Sparta, and Marissa, before straightening out near Mascoutah. Illinois 4 is an important road in St. Clair and Madison Counties since it connects many towns on the outskirts of the wider St. Louis metropolitan area (Greater St. Louis; specifically, the Illinois portion, the Metro-East Area). From Carlinville to Springfield, the route is also important since it connects many good-sized towns in Macoupin and Sangamon Counties. Illinois 4 passes through Chatham, a fast-growing city outside of Springfield, before reaching the state's capitol.

Illinois 4 in Springfield is known as Veterans Parkway. It completes the western loop around the city of Springfield, and is a divided four-lane highway that serves Springfield commercial areas such as White Oaks Mall.

It is also worth noting that the northbound lane of IL 4 is in Washington County for less than one mile (1.6 km), on its southwest corner near the unincorporated town of Clarmin where it runs concurrently with IL 13.

History

Illinois State Bond Issue Route 4 was the first numbered through route between Chicago and St. Louis, as shown on the 1924 Illinois Road Map.[3] As such it was the forerunner of more famous routes US 66 and Interstate 55.

In 1926, a new alignment for Route 4 was opened between Joliet and Lyons, on the north side of the Des Plaines River. The old alignment on the east and south sides of the curving river through Lemont was renamed Illinois Route 4A[4] and then renamed again in 1967 as Illinois Route 171.[5] Illinois Route 4A generally followed Archer Avenue from the Chicago city limits to Lemont.

When U.S. Route 66 was first designated in 1926, it coincided with IL 4 for its entire length; however, the earliest state map in 1927 erroneously showed Route 66 coinciding with IL 4A through the near Chicago suburbs instead of IL 4. Also, the section of IL 4 from just south of Staunton to Springfield was originally shown only as "Temporary U.S. Route 66,"[6] whereas the permanent routing of Route 66 was shown as proposed or under construction on a more eastern route, away from IL 4 through Litchfield. The new path of U.S. Route 66 was completed as SBI 16 and SBI 126 in 1930, and the Route 66 designation was then removed from IL 4 between Staunton and Springfield. [7] Illinois Route 4 and U.S. Route 66 remained as coincident, co-signed routes between the Mississippi River and Staunton and between Springfield and Chicago until 1935, when the IL 4 designation was dropped from portions where it overlapped with Route 66, leaving only the portion from Staunton to Springfield as IL 4.[8] This left IL 4A as an orphan alternate route of IL 4 from Lyons to Joliet, until it was renumbered as IL 171 in 1967.

The section of modern IL 4 from Staunton to its southern end near Murphysboro was originally IL 43. In 1964, IL 4 was extended on this highway, and the number IL 43 was eventually reused in the Chicago metro area to mark parts of Waukegan Road and Harlem Avenue.[9]

Historical designation

A bypassed portion of old route 4 north of Auburn is listed in the National Register of Historic Places as "Illinois Route 4-North of Auburn". It was added in 1998 as structure #98000979 and consists of two c.1920 bridges over Little Panther Creek and portions of Curran and Snell roads. One section is a c.1932 1.53 mile long brick road and the other is a c.1921 Portland cement road 16 feet (4.9 m) wide and 1,277 ft (389 m) long.[10]

Major intersections

County Location mi[11][12] km Destinations Notes
Jackson 0.0 0.0 IL 13 / IL 127 / Truax Traer Road – Pinckneyville, Murphysboro
Ava 10.8 17.4 IL 151 south to IL 3 – Johnson Creek Recreation Area, Lake Kinkaid, Business District
PerryRandolph
county line
21.7 34.9 IL 150 east – Cutler south end of IL 150 overlap
Randolph 28.0 45.1 IL 150 west – Chester north end of IL 150 overlap
Sparta 35.7 57.5 IL 154 – Red Bud, Pinckneyville
41.8 67.3 IL 13 east – Tilden, Pinckneyville south end of IL 13 overlap
St. Clair Marissa 45.3 72.9 IL 13 west – Belleville north end of IL 13 overlap
St. Libory 53.7 86.4 IL 15 east – Mount Vernon south end of IL 15 overlap
Fayetteville 58.3 93.8 IL 15 west – Belleville north end of IL 15 overlap
Mascoutah 66.2 106.5 IL 177
68.7 110.6 IL 161 – Belleville, Centralia
70.7 113.8 I-64 – East St. Louis, Mount Vernon I-64 exit 23
Lebanon 73.7 118.6 US 50 west – East St. Louis south end of US 50 overlap
74.3 119.6 US 50 east – Carlyle, McKendree University, Arts Center north end of US 50 overlap
Madison 82.2 132.3 US 40 – East St. Louis, Highland interchange
85.4 137.4 I-70 – East St. Louis, Effingham I-70 exit 21
87.1 140.2 IL 143 – Edwardsville, Marine, Highland
94.1 151.4 IL 140 – Alton, Greenville
97.1 156.3 I-55 – East St. Louis, Springfield I-55 exit 33
97.3 156.6 Historic US 66 west (Worden Road / Frontage Road) – Worden south end of Historic US 66 overlap
99.1 159.5 Historic US 66 east (Old Route 16) – Williamson north end of Historic US 66 overlap; south end of Historic US 66 (1926-30) overlap
Macoupin Benld 109.1 175.6 IL 138 east – Mount Olive, Business District south end of IL 138 overlap
109.2 175.7 Historic US 66 (1926-30) east (North Hardroad) north end of Historic US 66 (1926-30) overlap
109.7 176.5 IL 138 west / Historic US 66 (1926-30) west (North Hard Road) – Mount Clare, Wilsonville north end of IL 138 overlap; south end of Historic US 66 (1926-30) overlap
Gillespie 112.0 180.2 IL 16 west – Jerseyville, Gillespie Lakes south end of IL 16 overlap
112.5 181.1 IL 16 east – Litchfield north end of IL 16 overlap
Carlinville 124.0 199.6 IL 108 east to I-55 south end of IL 108 overlap
124.7 200.7 IL 108 west – Carrollton, Beaver Dam State Park north end of IL 108 overlap; traffic circle around town square
Sangamon Auburn 149.5 240.6 IL 104 – Jacksonville, Taylorville
Springfield 159.7 257.0 CR 23 / Historic US 66 (1926-30) east (Spaulding Orchard Road / Woodside Road) north end of Historic US 66 (1926-30) overlap
161.2 259.4 I-72 / US 36 to I-55 – Jacksonville, Decatur, Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum I-72 exit 93
166.3 267.6 IL 97 (Jefferson Street) – Petersburg, Springfield
168.7 271.5 IL 29 north (J. David Jones Parkway) – Mason City, Springfield, Airport, Illinois State Military Museum south end of IL 29 overlap
Springfield 170.44 274.30 I-55 Bus. / IL 29 south / Historic US 66 (Peoria Road) – State Fairgrounds north end of IL 29 overlap
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

External links

References

  1. Carlson, Rick. Illinois State Highways Page: Routes 1 thru 20. Last updated March 15, 2006. Retrieved March 24, 2006.
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  10. http://gis.hpa.state.il.us/hargis/PDFs/205601.pdf
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