51 has been talked about for over 50 years. The mayor of Pana told the Pantagraph in the November 4th issue that a four-lane U.S. This mean that most access is through at-grade intersections, with some stop-lights. The highway from Bloomington to Decatur is 'limited-access'. Duane Noland, R-Blue Mound says 'The project is back alive again.' Currently, a by-pass around Moweaqua for U.S. 51 joines Interstate 72 and by-passes the metro. In this stretch it also by-passes several towns and carries a speed of 65 M.P.H. 51 was widened to four-lanes between Bloomington and Decatur. 51, from near the Wisconsin/Illinois State Line to I-39 at Normal.Īs proposed back in 1945, the State of Illinois is considering extending I-39 south to Centralia. Interstate 90, ( Addams Tollway) from the Wisconsin/Illinois State Line to Cherry Valley. While in Illinois, I-39 is multi-plexed several times. Rutland has become the town lost in the shuffle. Lostant is starting to try and benefit from the highway. They bought land and constructed a business park with a T.I.F. Three towns were featured, Lostant, Rutland, and Wenona. In the three years prior to the completion of I-39, the department says that 22 lives were lost in the 9.5 mile section of the highway.Īnother aspect of the articles were how the completion of I-39 affected several smaller towns along the former alignment of U.S. 51 from the Mackinaw River Bridge, north of Evergreen Lake to north of Normal, in Mc Lean County. The Hudson Fire Departments territory ran along U.S. It received the nickname 'Killer 51', from being home to many horrid accidents. On Sunday, November 3rd, 2002 and Monday, November 3rd, 2002 the Pantagraph (Bloomington-Normal, Illinois) did several articles on the impact of Interstate 39 to the Central Illinois region when it replaced U.S. In 1992 the final leg of the existing portion of I-39 between Illinois State Route 116 and Kappa was completed and the highway from Rockford to Bloomington-Normal was opened. The portion between La Salle-Peru and Bloomington-Normal began in 1987. The first leg of I-39 from Rockford to Rochelle opened in 1984. Ten year later, in 1979, work began on the interstate highway. In 1969, the Illinois legislation started prompting the need for a highway in this corridor. During the calendar year of 1962, there were 531 crashes along U.S. In 1956 legislation provided $25 billion in funding, but the project was deemed a low priority. An initial request was for a north-south highway from South Beloit, Wisconsin to Salem, Illinois. Plans for I-39 date back to 1945 when the United States began planning the first 40,000 mile interstate system. 51 to the Wisconsin Line north of Rockford. I-39 starts at I-55 and runs north along U.S. This is a north-south route, running in North-Central Illinois.

Interstate 39 is one of the newer interstates in Illinois. Interstate 39, Illinois Roads of the Mid-South & West > Highways of the State of Illinois > Interstate 39, Illinois

Toll on i39