Illinois Route 13

Infobox Illinois state route
article_route = 13
length_mi = 151.54
length_round = 2
length_ref = cite web |author=Illinois Technology Transfer Center |url=http://www.dot.state.il.us/gist2/select.html |title=T2 GIS Data |accessdate=2007-11-08 |date=2007]
direction_b = East
direction_a=West
starting_terminus =
ending_terminus =
counties = St. Clair, Washington, Randolph, Perry, Jackson, Williamson, Saline, Gallatin
cities = Belleville, Pinckneyville, Murphysboro, Carbondale, Marion, Harrisburg, Shawneetown
established = 1918Carlson, Rich. [http://www.n9jig.com/1-20.html Illinois Highways Page: Routes 1 thru 20] . Last updated March 15, 2005. Retrieved April 1, 2006.]
prev_type = US
prev_route = 12
next_type = US
next_route = 14

Illinois Route 13 is a major east-west state route in southern Illinois. Illinois 13 has its western terminus at Centreville at Illinois Route 157 and its eastern terminus at the Kentucky state line and the Ohio River, at Kentucky Route 56. This is a distance of convert|151.54|mi|km|2.

Route description

Illinois 13 runs southeast from the St. Louis, Missouri area to Carbondale. It is the main highway between these two cities.

Route 13 becomes the main east-west road through Carbondale, running from there to Marion and Harrisburg. Route 13 skirts the northern edge of the Shawnee Hills, and the Shawnee National Forest.

Cities of Service

*Belleville
*Freeburg
*New Athens
*Marissa
*Coulterville
*Pinckneyvillle
*Vergennes
*Murphysboro
*Carbondale
*Carterville
*Herrin
*Marion
*Harrisburg
*Shawneetown

History

The state of Illinois was founded in 1818. One of its first governmental tasks was the construction of primitive dirt roads between the three pioneer villages of Cahokia, Kaskaskia, and Shawneetown. Illinois Route 13 is a distant descendant of most of the Cahokia-Shawneeetown route, and has a claim to be one of the oldest state highways in Illinois.

Illinois Route 13 did not take its current physical form, though, until after the enactment of the Good Roads Movement paving program in 1918. The statewide plan standardized the alignment of this road and numbered it "Illinois 13".

Except for a few alignment changes, Illinois 13 has remained the same since its inception in 1918. In 1937 it was rerouted around Sparta (now Illinois Route 4 and Illinois Route 154), replacing Illinois Route 152 in the process.

The other reroute took place between 1944 and 1947, when Illinois 13 took over a new highway (then called U.S. Route 460) in and around Belleville. The old route became Alternate Illinois 13. In 1947 it was moved back to Bond Avenue. Later, U.S. 460 would be dropped and replaced with Illinois Route 15.

External links

* [http://illi-indi.com/il_EndsPage.php?id=1013&section=1 Illinois Highway Ends: Illinois Route 13]

References