U.S. Route 6 in Illinois

Infobox road
state=IL
type=US
route=6


alternate_name=Grand Army of the Republic Highway
length_mi=179.88
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_a=West
starting_terminus=
junction=
direction_b=East
ending_terminus=
cities=Geneseo, Ottawa, Joliet
established=1932cite web |author=Carlson, Rick |url=http://www.n9jig.com/1-20.html |title=Illinois Highways Page: Routes 1-20 |date=2005-03-15 |accessdate=2006-05-27]
previous_type=IL
previous_route=5
next_type=IL
next_route=6In the state of Illinois, U.S. Route 6 is an east-west arterial surface road that runs from the city of Moline in the Quad Cities area to Lansing at the Indiana state line. This is a distance of approximately convert|179.88|mi|km|2.

Route description

In Illinois, U.S. Route 6 can be split into the following sections:

Quad Cities to LaSalle-Peru

U.S. Route 6 crosses the I-74 Bridge from Bettendorf, Iowa south into Moline, concurrent with Interstate 74. It remains with Interstate 74 for 5 miles (8 km) until the intersection with Interstate 280 south of the Rock River. U.S. 6 then turns east at the Quad Cities International Airport. It intersects Interstate 80 as it leaves the Quad Cities area, and closely parallels I-80 for the rest of its length in Illinois.

From the Quad Cities, U.S. 6 travels east through the city of Geneseo. At Sheffield, U.S. 6 overlaps U.S. Route 34 through to Princeton. After an interchange with Interstate 180, U.S. 6 runs with Illinois Route 89 to Spring Valley. In the LaSalle-Peru area, U.S. 6 intersects with Illinois Route 251, U.S. Route 51 and Interstate 39.

LaSalle-Peru to Joliet

U.S. 6 then runs past Ottawa, intersecting with the concurrent Illinois Routes 23/71 before joining with Illinois 71 for 4 miles (6 km). Further east, U.S. 6 runs through Marseilles and Seneca, where Illinois Route 170 terminates. It then runs through Morris and overlaps Illinois Route 47 for a slight northward jog. At Channahon, U.S. 6 has an interchange with Interstate 55.

Joliet to Indiana

In the Joliet area, U.S. 6 parallels the Des Plaines River and passes beneath the cantilever bridge carrying Interstate 80 over the Des Plaines River. At this point it is called Railroad Street, but it turns onto McDonough Street with U.S. Route 52 as it crosses the river. It then turns north, overlapping Illinois Route 53 (Chicago Street) and then east with U.S. Route 30 (Cass Street). Two blocks north of leaving U.S. 30, U.S. 6 intersects the southern terminus of Illinois Route 171 and turns east onto Maple Road. In New Lenox it becomes the Southwest Highway.

U.S. 6 turns off the Southwest Highway west of Orland Hills and becomes 159th Street, a major east-west arterial through the southern suburbs of Chicago. In Calumet City, U.S. 6 joins with Illinois Route 83 south to the Interstates 80/94 (Kingery Highway), and then follows the Kingery east into Indiana.

On this routing, U.S. 6 (like nearby U.S. 30) never enters the city limits of Chicago.

History

U.S. 6 first was shown on maps in 1932, mainly on its current routing except for a more southerly routing from Princeton to Spring Valley through De Pue and at the Illinois/Indiana line. In 1934 it was changed to its current routing from Princeton to Spring Valley. In 1966, the eastern border in Illinois was moved onto the Kingery Highway. The old routing became Business U.S. Route 6 east to Interstate 65. Business U.S. 6 existed in Illinois until the 1970s.cite web |url=http://www.us-highways.com/busus.htm |title=Business U.S. Highways 1-29 |date=2007-05-13 |accessdate=2007-09-25 |author=Author unknown]

Prior to the formation of US 6, the road west of Princeton was "U.S. Route 32". US 32 remained for several more years until the part east of Princeton became an extension of U.S. Route 34.

References