Illinois Route 1
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| Illinois Route 1 |
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| Maintained by IDOT | |||||||||
| Length: | 325.19 mi[1] (523.34 km) | ||||||||
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| Formed: | 1918[2] | ||||||||
| Direction: | North-South | ||||||||
| From: |   95th Street in Chicago |
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| To: | Cave-In-Rock ferry across the Ohio River to Kentucky | ||||||||
| Counties: | Champaign, Clark, Cook, Crawford, Edgar, Edwards, Gallatin, Hardin, Iroquois, Lawrence, Vermilion, Wabash, White, Will | ||||||||
| Major cities: | Chicago, Chicago Heights, Momence, Watseka, Danville, Paris, Mt. Carmel | ||||||||
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Illinois Route 1 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Illinois. Running parallel to the Indiana border, it is also the longest state road, starting on the south side of Chicago as Halsted Street at the intersection with Interstate 57, south to a free ferry crossing to Kentucky at Cave-In-Rock on the Ohio River. This is a distance of 325.19 miles (523.34 km).[1]
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[edit] Routing
Illinois 1 was commissioned in 1918 as SBI Route 1. The original route had extended further along the northern end into Chicago along Vincennes Avenue and Michigan Avenue, and on the southern end from Norris City to Metropolis.
When U.S. Highway 45 was established from Norris City to Metropolis, Illinois 1 shifted east to Cave-In-Rock. Kentucky State Route 91 continues across the Ohio River.
In 1937, Illinois 1 was shifted southeast away from Albion to directly connect Mount Carmel and Grayville. Eventually, Illinois Route 15 and Illinois Route 130 replaced Illinois 1 to Albion.
In the 1950s, a freeway, then known as the Calumet Expressway, was constructed south from Chicago. This was designated Illinois 1, while the old highway along Halsted Street was signed Alternate Illinois Route 1. By 1964, Illinois 1 was restored to its old alignment, and Illinois Route 394 was applied to the expressway south of the portion designated as Interstate 94 (the I-94 portion now being known as the Bishop Ford Freeway). At this time, Illinois 1 was discontinued north of Interstate 57.
[edit] Cities of service
Illinois 1 links cities close to the Indiana and Kentucky borders. For most of its length, it is the easternmost north-south state road in Illinois.
- Chicago
- Riverdale
- Harvey
- Homewood
- Glenwood
- Chicago Heights
- Steger
- Crete
- Goodenow
- Beecher
- Grant Park
- Momence
- Saint Anne
- Watseka
- Milford
- Wellington
- Hoopeston
- Rossville
- Danville
- Tilton
- Westville
- Georgetown
- Ridge Farm
- Chrisman
- Paris
- Marshall
- West Union
- Trimble
- Lawrenceville
- Sand Barrens
- Allendale
- Patton
- Mount Carmel
- Keensburg
- Cowling
- Grayville
- Crossville
- Carmi
- Norris City
- Ridgway
- Junction
- Lawler
- Loves Corner
- Cave-In-Rock
[edit] Dixie Highway
Most of Route 1 north of Danville was part of the western division of the Dixie Highway. goes through downstate Illinois and enters the Chicago area as it passes through Beecher. From here it follows the Vincennes Trail north and splits into the Bishop Ford Freeway (formerly the Calumet Expressway) and Chicago Road (which was one of the original roads into Chicago from the south) The Dixie Highway follows Chicago Road through Crete, Steger, South Chicago Heights, (at which point it meets up with the Sauk Trail.
As Route 1 continues north, it has a junction with Lincoln Highway (US 30). This is sometimes known as the "Crossroads of the Nation", because it is the intersection of two major auto trails. This intersection helped cities such as Chicago Heights thrive in its early days. Approximately two blocks after this intersection, Dixie Highway splits from Chicago Road and continues north through Flossmoor and Homewood. At the north end of Homewood's downtown, the road turns and goes under the Illinois Central Railroad tracks, which now carries both the Metra Electric Line and Amtrak trains. The road continues north through East Hazel Crest and past the Markham Rail Yards and under the Tri-State Tollway.
Past the tollway, the road enters Hazel Crest, Markham and then Harvey. As the road continues, creating a border between the towns of Dixmoor and Posen, its name changes to Western Avenue.
When the road enters Blue Island, it splits into two streets, (Western and Gregory), and realigns itself into one when it reaches Burr Oak Avenue. The road then enters the city of Chicago. Through Chicago, Western Avenue is a major boulevard, which continues north through the city to the town of Evanston (where it is named Asbury Street), which is where the Dixie Highway ends.[citation needed]
[edit] External links
- Official State of Illinois Road Maps
- Illinois Highways Page: Routes 1-20
- Illinois Highway Ends: Illinois Route 1
[edit] References
- ^ a b Illinois Technology Transfer Center. T2 GIS Data. Retrieved April 7, 2006. As documented in Wikipedia:WikiProject U.S. Roads/Lengths/Illinois.
- ^ Carlson, Rick. Illinois State Highways Page: Routes 1 thru 20. Last updated March 15, 2006. Retrieved March 24, 2006.
