U.S. Route 6 in Illinois
U.S. Route 6 (US 6) in the state of Illinois is an east–west arterial surface road that runs 179.88 miles (289.49 km) from the city of Moline in the Quad Cities area to Lansing at the Indiana state line.
U.S. Route 6 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Army of the Republic Highway | ||||
US 6 highlighted in red | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by IDOT | ||||
| Length | 179.88 mi[1] (289.49 km) | |||
| Existed | 1932[2]–present | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| West end |   I-74 / US 6 in Moline | |||
| East end |   I-80 / I-94 / US 6 at Lansing | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | Illinois | |||
| Counties | Rock Island, Henry, Bureau, LaSalle, Grundy, Will, Cook | |||
| Highway system | ||||
| ||||
Route description
Quad Cities to La Salle–Peru
US 6 crosses the I-74 Bridge from Bettendorf, Iowa, south into Moline, concurrent with Interstate 74 (I-74). It remains with I-74 for five miles (8.0 km) until the intersection with I-280 south of the Rock River, where it continues south, then turns east at Quad Cities International Airport. It intersects I-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, US 6 travels east through the city of Geneseo. At Sheffield, US 6 overlaps US 34 through to Princeton. After an interchange with I-180, US 6 runs with Illinois Route 89 (IL 89) to Spring Valley. In the La Salle–Peru area, US 6 intersects with IL 251, IL 351 and I-39/US 51.
La Salle–Peru to Joliet
US 6 then runs past Ottawa, intersecting with the concurrent IL 23/IL 71 before joining with IL 71 for four miles (6.4 km). Further east, US 6 runs through Marseilles and Seneca, where IL 170 terminates. It then runs through Morris and overlaps IL 47 for a slight northward jog. At Channahon, US 6 has an interchange with I-55.
Joliet to Indiana
In the Joliet area, US 6 parallels the Des Plaines River and passes beneath the cantilever bridge carrying I-80 over the Des Plaines River. At this point, it is called Railroad Street, but it turns onto McDonough Street with US 52 as it crosses the river. It then turns north, overlapping IL 53 (Chicago Street) and then east with US 30 (Cass Street). Two blocks north of leaving US 30, US 6 intersects the southern terminus of IL 171 and turns east onto Maple Road. In New Lenox, it intersects with I-355 and becomes Southwest Highway.
US 6 turns off Southwest Highway in Orland Park, heads north on Wolf Road briefly, then turns east onto 159th Street, a major east–west arterial through that town and the southern suburbs of Chicago. In Calumet City, US 6 joins with IL 83 south to the I-80/I-94 (Kingery Expressway) and then follows the Kingery east into Indiana.
Although US 6 enters the Chicago metropolitan area, it never enters the city limits of Chicago.
History
US 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 DePue and at the Illinois–Indiana line.[3][4] In 1934, both portions were changed to its current routing, from Princeton to Spring Valley and in Lockport.[4] By 1939, US 6 was rerouted in the Quad Cities, briefly forming US 6 City.[5][6][7] By 1953, the route was rerouted to travel along Torrence Avenue and part of the Kingery Expressway (from US 30 Alternate to Indiana state line).[8][9]
Prior to the formation of US 6, the road west of Princeton was US 32. US 32 remained for several more years until the part east of Princeton became an extension of US 34.
Major intersections
| County | Location | mi[1][10] | km | Destinations | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rock Island | Moline | 0.0 | 0.0 |   I-74 west / US 6 west – Davenport | Iowa state line (I-74 Bridge over the Mississippi River) | ||
| see I-74 (exits 1-5) | |||||||
| 4.5 | 7.2 |   I-74 east / I-280 – Peoria, Chicago, Des Moines | Eastern end of I-74 overlap; signed as exit 5A (I-280 west) | ||||
| 27th Street / Quad City Airport - Rock Island | 27th Street is state maintained | ||||||
| 5.4 | 8.7 |   US 150 east – Coal Valley | Western terminus of US 150 | ||||
| Henry | Colona Township | 12.0 | 19.3 |   IL 84 north (400 East) – Colona | |||
| Colona | 13.1 | 21.1 |    I-80 / IL 110 (CKC) to I-74 – Des Moines, Joliet | I-80 exit 9 | |||
| Colona Township | Green River-Osco Road - Green River, Osco | former US 6 west; state maintained | |||||
| Geneseo | 22.7 | 36.5 |    IL 82 north (Henry Street) to IL 92 | Western end of IL 82 overlap | |||
| 23.5 | 37.8 |  IL 82 south (Oakwood Avenue) – Cambridge | Eastern end of IL 82 overlap | ||||
| Atkinson | To Spring Street / IL 92 | former IL 82 spur; state maintained | |||||
| Annawan | 36.9 | 59.4 |  IL 78 (Canal Street) – Prophetstown, Kewanee | ||||
| Bureau | Mineral Township | 45.2 | 72.7 |  US 34 west – Kewanee | Western end of US 34 overlap | ||
| Concord Township | 49.0 | 78.9 |  IL 40 to I-80 – Rock Falls, Buda, Peoria | ||||
| Princeton | 60.6 | 97.5 |  US 34 east / IL 26 north (Main Street) / Illinois River Road (Princeton Spur) / Ronald Reagan Trail – Mendota, Dixon | Eastern end of US 34 overlap; western end of IL 26/Illinois River Road/Ronald Reagan Trail overlap; former IL 89 spur to Tiskilwa (state maintained outside Princeton) | |||
| 61.3 | 98.7 | IL 26 south (Sixth Street) / Illinois River Road (Princeton Spur) / Ronald Reagan Trail – Bureau Junction, Hennepin | Eastern end of IL 26/Illinois River Road/Ronald Reagan Trail overlap | ||||
| Selby Township | 64.9 | 104.4 |  I-180 to I-80 – Hennepin | I-180 exit 3 | |||
| Depue Road - DePue | former US 6 east; state maintained | ||||||
| Spring Valley | 73.6 | 118.4 |  IL 89 north – Ladd | Western end of IL 89 overlap | |||
| 75.6 | 121.7 |  IL 29 / Illinois River Road south – DePue | Western end of Illinois River Road overlap | ||||
| 76.8 | 123.6 | IL 89 south (Spaulding Street) | Eastern end of IL 89 overlap | ||||
| LaSalle | Peru | 81.0 | 130.4 |  IL 251 to I-80 – Mendota, Tonica | interchange | ||
| LaSalle | 82.2 | 132.3 | I&M Canal Passage west (Marquette Street) | Western end of I&M Canal Passage overlap | |||
| 82.3 | 132.4 |  IL 351 south (Joliet Street) – Oglesby | Western end of IL 351 overlap | ||||
| 82.5 | 132.8 | IL 351 north (Joliet Street) to I-80 | Eastern end of IL 351 overlap | ||||
| 83.8 | 134.9 |   I-39 / US 51 – Rockford, Bloomington, Normal | I-39 exit 57 | ||||
| North Utica | 87.7 | 141.1 |  IL 178 / Illinois River Road north / I&M Canal Passage east – North Utica | Eastern end of Illinois River Road / I&M Canal Passage overlap | |||
| Ottawa | 96.8 | 155.8 |   IL 23 / IL 71 west / Illinois River Road south / I&M Canal Passage west (Columbus Street) – DeKalb, Streator | Western end of IL 71 / Illinois River Road / I&M Canal Passage overlap | |||
| 98.5 | 158.5 | I&M Canal Passage east (2871st Road) | Eastern end of I&M Canal Passage overlap | ||||
| Rutland Township | 99.0 | 159.3 | IL 71 east – Oswego | Eastern end of IL 71 overlap | |||
| Marseilles | 104.3 | 167.9 | I&M Canal Passage west (Main Street) – Illini State Park | Western end of I&M Canal Passage overlap | |||
| Seneca | 109.7 | 176.5 |   IL 170 south (Main Street) / CR 25 (East 29th Road) – Ransom | ||||
| Grundy | Morris | 121.7 | 195.9 |  IL 47 south (Division Street) – Dwight | Western end of IL 47 overlap | ||
| 122.4 | 197.0 | IL 47 north (Division Street) – Yorkville | Eastern end of IL 47 overlap | ||||
| Grundy–Will county line | Channahon | 132.2 | 212.8 | I&M Canal Passage west (Bell Road) | Western end of I&M Canal Passage overlap | ||
| Will | 133.3 | 214.5 | DuPage River Bridge Illinois River Road ends | ||||
| 136.2 | 219.2 |  I-55 – Chicago, Bloomington | I-55 exit 248 | ||||
| Joliet Township | 140.9 | 226.8 |  IL 7 north (Larkin Avenue) to I-80 | ||||
| 142.0 | 228.5 | I&M Canal Passage east (Brandon Road) | East end of I&M Canal Passage overlap | ||||
| Joliet | 143.2 | 230.5 |  US 52 west (McDonough Street) | Western end of US 52 overlap | |||
| 143.7 | 231.3 |   .svg.png.webp){kind=small} US 52 east / IL 53 south / Historic US 66 west (Chicago Street) to I-80 | Eastern end of US 52 overlap; western end of IL 53 / Historic US 66 overlap | ||||
   US 30 west / Lincoln Highway west (Cass Street) / IL 53 north / Historic US 66 east (Scott Street) | eastern end of IL 53 / Historic US 66 overlap; western end of US 30 / Lincoln Highway overlap | ||||||
| US 30 east / Lincoln Highway east (Cass Street) | eastern end of US 30 / Lincoln Highway overlap | ||||||
| 145.1 | 233.5 |  IL 171 north (Collins Street) | |||||
| New Lenox | 150.6 | 242.4 |   I-355 Toll (Veterans Memorial Tollway) to I-80 – West Suburbs | I-355 exit 1 | |||
| New Lenox Township | Cedar Road - New Lenox | state maintained | |||||
| Cook | Orland Park | 157.4 | 253.3 | IL 7 (159th Street / Wolf Road) – Orland Park, Lockport | |||
| 159.4 | 256.5 |  US 45 (LaGrange Road) | |||||
| Tinley Park–Orland Park village line | 162.4 | 261.4 |  IL 43 (Harlem Avenue) | ||||
| Oak Forest | 165.4 | 266.2 |  IL 50 (Cicero Avenue) | ||||
| Markham | 166.8 | 268.4 |    I-57 to I-294 Toll north – Chicago, Kankakee | I-57 exit 348 | |||
| 168.3 | 270.9 | I-294 Toll (Tri-State Tollway) to I-80 – Wisconsin, Indiana, Hammond | I-294 exit 6 | ||||
| Harvey | Wood Street | former US 54; state maintained | |||||
| 170.6 | 274.6 |  IL 1 (Halsted Street) | |||||
| South Holland | 173.3 | 278.9 | I-94 (Bishop Ford Freeway) – Chicago, Indiana | I-94 exit 73 | |||
| Calumet City | 174.6 | 281.0 |  IL 83 north (Torrence Avenue) | Western end of IL 83 overlap | |||
| Lansing | 176.2 | 283.6 | IL 83 south (Torrence Avenue) I-80 west / I-94 west (Kingery Expressway) to I-294 north | Eastern end of IL 83 overlap; western end of I-80/I-94 overlap; I-80 exit 161 | |||
| 178.0 | 286.5 | I-80 east / I-94 east / US 6 east (Borman Expressway) – Toledo, Detroit | Indiana state line | ||||
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi | |||||||
References
- Illinois Technology Transfer Center (2007). "T2 GIS Data". Retrieved November 8, 2007.
- Carlson, Rick (March 15, 2005). "Illinois Highways Page: Routes 1-20". Retrieved May 27, 2006.
- Illinois Secretary of State (1932). Official Illinois Highway Map (Map). [c. 1:950,000 and c. 1:1,110,000]. Springfield: Illinois Division of Highways. Retrieved June 13, 2021 – via Illinois Digital Archives.
- Illinois Secretary of State; Rand McNally (1934). Official Road Map Illinois (Map). [c. 1:950,000 and c. 1:1,110,000]. Springfield: Illinois Secretary of State. OCLC 183709045. Retrieved June 13, 2021 – via Illinois Digital Archives.
- Illinois Secretary of State; Rand McNally (1936). Road Map Illinois (Map). [c. 1:950,000 and c. 1:1,110,000]. Springfield: Illinois Secretary of State. Retrieved June 13, 2021 – via Illinois Digital Archives.
- Illinois Secretary of State; Rand McNally (1939). Illinois Road Map (Map) (1939–1940 ed.). c. 1:918,720. Springfield: Illinois Secretary of State. Retrieved June 13, 2021 – via Illinois Digital Archives.
- Illinois Secretary of State; Rand McNally (1940). Illinois Road Map (Map). c. 1:918,720. Springfield: Illinois Secretary of State. Retrieved June 13, 2021 – via Illinois Digital Archives.
- Illinois Secretary of State; Rand McNally (1951). Illinois Road Map (Map). c. 1:918,720. Springfield: Illinois Secretary of State. Retrieved June 13, 2021 – via Illinois Digital Archives.
- Illinois Division of Highways (1953). Illinois Official Highway Map (Map). [1:805,000]. Springfield: Illinois Division of Highways. Retrieved June 13, 2021 – via Illinois Digital Archives.
- Google Maps estimate
External links
