Interstate 57

Interstate 57 (I-57) is a north–south Interstate Highway in Missouri and Illinois that parallels the old Illinois Central Railroad for much of its route. It runs from Sikeston, Missouri, at I-55 to Chicago, Illinois, at I-94. I-57 essentially serves as a shortcut route for travelers headed between the South (Memphis, New Orleans, etc.) and Chicago, bypassing St. Louis, Missouri and Springfield, Illinois. Between the junction of I-55 and I-57 in Sikeston and the junction of I-55 and I-90/I-94 in Chicago, I-55 travels for 436 miles (702 km), while the combination of I-57 and I-94 is only 396 miles (637 km) long between the same two points. In fact, both the control cities on the overhead signs and the destination mileage signs reference Memphis along southbound I-57, even as far north as its northern origin at I-94 in Chicago.^[2] Likewise, at its southern end, Chicago is the control city listed for I-57 on signs on northbound I-55 south of Sikeston, even though I-55 also goes to Chicago.^[3]

Interstate 57
I-57 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by MoDOT and IDOT
Length	386.12 mi^[1] (621.40 km)
Existed	1959–present
Major junctions
South end	I-55 / US 60 in Sikeston, MO
Major intersections	I-24 in Pulleys Mill, IL I-64 in Mt. Vernon, IL US 50 in Salem, IL I-70 in Effingham, IL I-72 in Champaign, IL I-74 in Champaign, IL US 30 in Matteson, IL I-80 in Country Club Hills, IL US 6 in Markham, IL I-294 Toll in Blue Island, IL
North end	I-94 in Chicago, IL
Location
Country	United States
States	Missouri, Illinois
Counties	MO: Scott, Mississippi IL: Alexander, Pulaski, Union, Johnson, Williamson, Franklin, Jefferson, Marion, Fayette, Clay, Effingham, Shelby, Cumberland, Coles, Douglas, Champaign, Ford, Iroquois, Kankakee, Will, Cook
Highway system
Interstate Highway System Main Auxiliary Suffixed Business Future
Missouri State Highway System Interstate US State Supplemental
Illinois State Highway System Interstate US State Tollways
← US 56 MO → Route 58 ← IL 56 IL → IL 57

As of 2023^[update], I-57 has no spur routes nor are any planned for the near future.^[4] At a length of just over 386 miles (621 km), it is the second-longest two-digit Interstate Highway without an auxiliary route, behind I-49. I-57 has one business loop in Charleston, Missouri.

Route description

Missouri

 

Cairo I-57 bridge between Missouri and Illinois

In the state of Missouri, I-57 runs northbound from Sikeston to the Cairo I-57 Bridge over the Mississippi River north of Cairo, Illinois.

After ending southbound at I-55, the highway continues as U.S. Route 60 (US 60), which meets US 67 at Poplar Bluff, and, from there, US 67 goes south to Little Rock, Arkansas.

From the start of I-57 northbound, the US 60 concurrency goes about 12 miles (19 km).

Illinois

 

The Dan Ryan Expressway West Leg (now more commonly referred to as I-57) at 99th Street in 1970

See also: Dan Ryan Expressway

In the state of Illinois, I-57 runs from the bridge over the Mississippi River north to Chicago. I-57 is the longest Interstate Highway in Illinois. Its route follows essentially the earlier route of US 51 in southernmost Illinois (US 51 has been diverted to I-57 where I-57 has always been close to old US 51 between Future City and Dongola) before taking a northeastward diagonal to Illinois Route 37 (IL 37), which remains intact as a town-to-town through route, past its interchange with I-24 (the northwestern terminus of I-24) near Pulleys Mill and a short duplex with I-64 near Mount Vernon north to Effingham, where it has a short concurrence with I-70. It then follows US 45, bypassing Champaign (where it meets I-72 and I-74), and heads north to Onarga, whereafter it follows the formerly duplex path of US 45 and (now decommissioned in most of Illinois) old US 54 to Kankakee. At Kankakee, it heads northward largely parallel to the now decommissioned route of old US 54 (since renumbered largely as IL 50) into the Chicago area, meeting I-80 in Hazel Crest, I-294 in Blue Island, and feeding I-94 on Chicago's South Side.

The route is an easy way for Chicagoans to reach Shawnee National Forest in the southern tip of the state. It also serves as a major artery for college students in the state, running near Shawnee Community College in Ullin, the main campus of Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, John A. Logan College in Carterville, Morthland College in West Frankfort, Rend Lake College in Ina, Lake Land College in Mattoon, Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, Parkland College in Champaign, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign in Urbana–Champaign, Kankakee Community College in Kankakee, Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, and Governors State University in University Park.

I-57 remains the only Chicago expressway that does not have a commonly used name. Its Chicago-area portion was formerly known as the Dan Ryan Expressway–West Leg. I-57 was named the Ken Gray Expressway in southern Illinois after former US Congressman Ken Gray (West Frankfort) for his work on getting the route planned through southern Illinois. A 20-mile (32 km) segment from Wentworth to Sauk Trail has been designated the Tuskegee Airmen Memorial Trail,^[5] but this is not intended as a navigational name.

History

The oldest segment of I-57 is a 6.2-mile (10.0 km) strip running east of Bradley to Kankakee labeled on the 1959 Illinois state highway map.^[6] Two years later, a 30-mile (48 km) stretch of I-57 from Dongola north to Marion opened on September 26, 1961.^{[7][self-published source]} Another portion between the IL 121/US 45 exit and the Watson–Mason exit was completed and opened prior to July 1965, linking I-57 to I-70 and running in tandem with I-70 for several miles, with access to Indianapolis, Indiana, to the east and St. Louis, Missouri, to the west.^{[citation needed]} A 21.5-mile (34.6 km) section of I-57 in Jefferson County from Bonnie (using a temporary road that is still partially visible from the northbound lanes) to IL 161 later opened on December 9, 1969.^[8] The portion of I-57 in Chicago (known as the Dan Ryan West Leg Extension) was constructed and opened in segments between 1963 and 1970. It remains the most recent Interstate Highway to be established within the city.^[7] The final section of I-57 in Illinois opened in December 1971 at Paxton.^[9]

The portion of I-43 from Milwaukee to Green Bay was originally numbered as Interstate 57.^[10] The number was changed due to the existence of I-57 in Illinois.^[11]

I-57 was widened to six lanes in Effingham from 2011 until 2016.^[12]

For many years, an interchange at the junction of I-57 with I-294 did not exist. It was one of the few places in the US where Interstates cross but have no interchange. The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) and Illinois State Toll Highway Authority (ISTHA) opened Phase 1 of a new interchange in 2014, providing access from I-57 north to I-294 north and from I-294 south to I-57 south.^[13] Phase 2 which completed the remaining movements except for northbound I-57 to southbound I-294 and northbound I-294 to southbound I-57 was opened to traffic on September 11, 2022.^[14]

Future

 

Future I-57 in North Little Rock

I-57 is slated to eventually be extended west along US 60 to Poplar Bluff, Missouri, and then south along the US 67 corridor to North Little Rock, Arkansas, ending at I-40. In April 2016, a provision designating US 67 from North Little Rock to Walnut Ridge, Arkansas, as "Future I-57" was added into the federal fiscal year 2017 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development funding bill and officially became law in 2017.^[15]

Missouri has already upgraded 62 miles (100 km) of the US 60/US 67 corridor between Sikeston and Route 158 near Harviell to a mixture of freeway and expressway segments. All at-grade crossings along the corridor would have to be eliminated before the Interstate designation could be applied.^[16] A new freeway segment from Route 158 to just south of Neelyville near County Road 274 (about two miles (3.2 km) north of the Arkansas border) has been announced as part of a cost share program and is in the planning stages.^[17][18] In August 2022, redesign of the US 67 and U.S. Route 160/ Route 158 interchange began.^[19]

In Arkansas, 118 miles (190 km) of Interstate-grade US 67 runs from I-40 to US 412 in Walnut Ridge, leaving a segment of approximately 40 miles (64 km) of new Interstate-grade highway along US 67 that still needs to be built in northeastern Arkansas.^[20] On February 23, 2018, Arkansas state officials unveiled a "Future I-57" sign to be posted along the corridor of US 67.^[21]

Exit list

State	County	Location	mi^[22]^[23]	km	Exit	Destinations	Notes
Missouri	Scott	Sikeston	0.000	0.000		US 60 west – Dexter, Poplar Bluff	Continuation beyond I-55; southern end of US 60 concurrency; future I-57 south
			0.000– 0.538	0.000– 0.866	1	I-55 – Memphis, St. Louis	Current southern terminus; signed as exits 1A (south) and 1B (north); I-55 exit 66
	Mississippi	Long Prairie Township	4.916	7.912	4	Route B – Bertrand
		Charleston	10.745	17.292	10	I-57 BL north / Route 105 – Charleston, East Prairie
			13.027	20.965	12	I-57 BL south / US 60 east / US 62 / Route 77 – Charleston, Wyatt	Northern end of US 60 concurrency
Mississippi River			22.328 0.00	35.933 0.00	Interstate 57 Bridge Missouri–Illinois state line
Illinois	Alexander	Cairo	1.4	2.3	1	US 51 south / IL 3 – Cairo, Olive Branch	Southern end of US 51 concurrency
	Pulaski	Mounds Precinct	7.6	12.2	8	Mounds Road
		Ullin	17.7	28.5	18	Ullin Road
	Union	Dongola District 1 Precinct	24.4	39.3	24	Dongola Road
		Dongola District 2 Precinct	25.0	40.2	25	US 51 north – Carbondale	Northern end of US 51 concurrency; northbound exit and southbound entrance
		Stokes Precinct	30.0	48.3	30	IL 146 – Anna, Vienna
		Lick Creek Precinct	36.3	58.4	36	Lick Creek Road
	Johnson	Goreville No. 1 Precinct	39.7	63.9	40	Goreville Road
	Williamson	Southern Precinct	43.9	70.7	44	I-24 east – Nashville	Western terminus of I-24
			45.2	72.7	45	IL 148
		Marion	52.9	85.1	53	Main Street – Marion	Former IL 13
			53.6	86.3	54	IL 13 – Carbondale, Harrisburg The Hill Avenue	Split into exits 54A (IL 13) and 54B (The Hill Ave.) northbound
		Johnston City	58.9	94.8	59	Herrin Road / Broadway Blvd - Johnston City, Herrin
	Franklin	West Frankfort	64.6	104.0	65	IL 149 – West Frankfort, Zeigler, Thompsonville, De Soto
		Benton	71.6	115.2	71	IL 14 – Christopher, Benton	To IL 34
		Ewing Township	77.5	124.7	77	IL 154 – Sesser, Whittington
	Jefferson	Ina	82.6	132.9	83	Ina
		Dodds Township	91.5	147.3	92	I-64 east – Louisville	Southern end of I-64 concurrency; I-64 exit 78 westbound
		Mt. Vernon	93.7	150.8	94	Veterans Memorial Drive
			94.7	152.4	95	IL 15 – Ashley, Mt. Vernon
			96.2	154.8	96	I-64 west – St. Louis	Northern end of I-64 concurrency; I-64 exit 73 eastbound
		Dix	103.5	166.6	103	Dix
	Marion	Raccoon Township	109.2	175.7	109	IL 161 – Centralia
		Salem	116.4	187.3	116	US 50 – Salem, Sandoval
		Kinmundy Township	127.2	204.7	127	Kinmundy, Patoka
	Fayette	Farina	135.4	217.9	135	IL 185 – Vandalia, Farina
	Clay	No major junctions
	Effingham	Mason Township	144.7	232.9	145	Edgewood
			150.7	242.5	151	Mason, Watson
		Summit Township	157.3	253.1	157	I-70 west – St. Louis	Southern end of I-70 concurrency; exit 92 eastbound
		Effingham	159.4	256.5	159	Fayette Avenue
			160.5	258.3	160	IL 32 / IL 33	Access to Lake Shelbyville and Convention Center
			162.2	261.0	162	US 45 – Sigel, Effingham	Access to Lake Land College and Kuthe Center
		Teutopolis Township	163.4	263.0	163	I-70 east – Indianapolis	Northern end of I-70 concurrency; exit 98 westbound
	Shelby	No major junctions
	Cumberland	Neoga Township	177.0	284.9	177	US 45 – Neoga
	Coles	Mattoon	184.4	296.8	184	US 45 / IL 121 – Toledo, Mattoon
			189.6	305.1	190	IL 16 – Charleston, Mattoon	Signed as exits 190A (east) and 190B (west)
			192.4	309.6	192	CR 18 (Mattoon-Charleston Enterprise Parkway)
	Douglas	Arcola	203.6	327.7	203	IL 133 – Arcola, Paris
		Tuscola	211.7	340.7	212	US 36 – Newman, Tuscola
	Champaign	Pesotum	219.9	353.9	220	US 45 – Tolono, Pesotum, Tuscola
		Tolono Township	228.6	367.9	229	Monticello, Savoy, Tolono	Access to Willard Airport
		Champaign Township	231.7	372.9	232	Curtis Road
		Champaign	235.2	378.5	235	I-72 west / University Avenue – Springfield, Decatur	Signed as 235A (University Ave.) and 235B (I-72); I-72 exit 182
			237.4	382.1	237	I-74 – Indianapolis, Peoria	Signed as exits 237A (east) and 237B (west); I-74 exit 179
			238.4	383.7	238	Olympian Drive
		Hensley Township	240.5	387.0	240	Market Street
		Rantoul	250.2	402.7	250	US 136 – Fisher, Rantoul
	Ford	Paxton	260.9	419.9	261	IL 9 – Paxton, Gibson City
	Iroquois	Artesia Township	271.9	437.6	272	Buckley, Roberts	Roberts signed northbound only
		Onarga Township	279.9	450.5	280	IL 54 – Onarga, Roberts	Roberts signed southbound only
		Gilman	282.9	455.3	283	US 24 – Gilman, Chatsworth
		Ashkum Township	292.7	471.1	293	IL 116 – Ashkum, Pontiac
		Clifton	296.5	477.2	297	Clifton
		Chebanse Township	301.6	485.4	302	Chebanse
	Kankakee	Kankakee	307.5	494.9	308	US 45 / US 52 – Kankakee
			311.6	501.5	312	IL 17 – Kankakee, Momence
			315.3	507.4	315	IL 50 – Bradley, Bourbonnais
		Bourbonnais	318.4	512.4	318	Bourbonnais Parkway	Opened November 2, 2018^[24]
		Manteno	321.6	517.6	322	Manteno
	Will	Peotone Township	327.1	526.4	327	Wilmington, Peotone
		Monee	335.1	539.3	335	Manhattan, Monee
		University Park	337.1	542.5	337	Stuenkel Road / University Parkway	Access to Governors State University; interchange opened on October 30, 2015
Cook	Richton Park	339.0	545.6	339	Sauk Trail
	Matteson	340.69	548.29	340	US 30 / Lincoln Highway – Joliet, Southeast Suburbs	Signed as exits 340A (east) and 340B (west) southbound
		342.21	550.73	342	Vollmer Road	Signed as exits 342A (east) and 342B (west) southbound
	Bremen Township	344.67– 344.86	554.69– 555.00	345	I-80 to I-294 Toll south – Indiana, Iowa	Signed as exits 345A (east) and 345B (west); I-80 exit 151
		346.62	557.83	346	167th Street	Signed as exits 346A (east) and 346B (west)
	Markham	347.90	559.89	348	US 6 (159th Street) – Southwest Suburbs, Indiana	Signed as exits 348A (east) and 348B (west)
		349.62	562.66	349	I-294 Toll (Tri-State Tollway) – Wisconsin, Indiana	I-Pass or pay online; no northbound exit to I-294 south; no southbound entrance from I-294 north; I-294 exit 7
	Posen	350.15	563.51	350	IL 83 (147th Street / Sibley Boulevard)
	Calumet Park	353.25	568.50	353	127th Street / Burr Oak Avenue
	Calumet Park–Chicago line	354.25	570.11	354	119th Street
	Chicago	355.27	571.75	355	111th Street / Monterey Avenue
		357.32	575.05	357	IL 1 south (Halsted Street)	Northern terminus of IL 1
		358.47	576.90	—	I-94 east (Bishop Ford Freeway) – Indiana	Northbound exit and southbound entrance; I-94 exit 63
		358.57	577.06	358	Wentworth Avenue	Southbound exit only
		359.12	577.95		I-94 west (Dan Ryan Expressway) – Chicago Loop	Northern terminus; I-94 exit 63
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus       Electronic toll collection       Incomplete access

Charleston business loop

Interstate 57 Business
Location	Charleston, Missouri
Length	2.94 mi (4.73 km)

Interstate 57 Business (I-57 Bus.) in Charleston begins at I-57 exit 10. From this diamond interchange, it runs north in a concurrency with Route 105 along South Main Street into the city center. It then turns east onto Marshall Street, which also carries US 62 and Route 77. The business route ends at I-57 exit 12, with US 62 and Route 77 continuing to the east.

See also

•   U.S. Roads portal

References

1. Federal Highway Administration (October 31, 2002). "Table 1: Main Routes of the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways as of October 31, 2002". Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved July 13, 2006.
2. American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. "Interstate Control Cities". American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
3. Missouri Department of Transportation. Exit 64A sign (Highway guide sign). Sikeston: Missouri Department of Transportation. Retrieved April 4, 2012.
4. Federal Highway Administration (December 31, 2018). "Table 2: Auxiliary Routes of the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System Of Interstate and Defense Highways as of December 31, 2018". Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
5. "Stretch of Illinois highway named for Tuskegee Airmen". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved September 25, 2014.
6. Illinois Division of Highways; H.M. Gousha (1959). Illinois Official Highway Map (Map). [1:790,00]. Springfield: Illinois Division of Highways – via Illinois Digital Archives.
7. "Interstate 57". Interstate Guide. Retrieved May 17, 2019.^{[self-published source]}
8. Mt. Vernon Register-News. December 9, 1969. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)^{[full citation needed]}
9. Southern Illinoisan. December 29, 1971. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)^{[full citation needed]}
10. Fond du Lac Reporter. March 9, 1972. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)^{[full citation needed]}
11. The Journal Times. Racine, WI. December 10, 1974. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)^{[full citation needed]}
12. . Lochmueller Group. Archived from the original on March 24, 2016. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
13. "Interchange connecting I-57, I-294 opens". ABC7 Chicago. October 25, 2014. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
14. "I-294/I-57 Interchange Project - Phase 2". Illinois State Toll Highway Authority. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
15. "Arkansas Highway to Receive 'Future I-57' Designation". Times Record. Arkansas News Bureau. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
16. Heuring, Leonna (August 1, 2010). "MoDOT Celebrates Completion of US 60 Four-Lane Project with Caravan". The Southeast Missourian. Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
17. Ruch, Amber (March 3, 2020). "Gov. Parson visits transportation cost-share project in Poplar Bluff, Mo". KFVS-TV. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
18. "U.S. 67 (Future I-57) in Butler County". Retrieved April 26, 2020.
19. Newsdesk, Region 8. "First phase of Future I-57 project slated to begin". www.kait8.com. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
20. Reaves, Jonathan. "Arkansas 'has a lot of work to do' to bring 'Future I-57' to Missouri line". KASU-TV. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
21. Pettit, Emma. "Corridor stretching from North Little Rock to northeast Arkansas recognized as future interstate". Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Retrieved February 23, 2018.
22. Missouri Department of Transportation (November 14, 2012). MoDOT HPMAPS (Map). Missouri Department of Transportation. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
23. Google (July 10, 2014). "Map of Interstate 57 in Illinois" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
24. Dykstra, John (November 3, 2018). "I-57 interchange at Bourbonnais Parkway finally opens". The Daily Journal. Kankakee, Illinois. Retrieved November 5, 2018.

External links

 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Interstate 57.

Route map:

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