Illinois

Chicagoland

Type	Description	Date
	Sign gantry over the Kennedy Expressway (I-90/94) in Chicago. Check out that skyline.	2005-08-21
	Overhead for I-290 (Eisenhower Expy) on the Kennedy. From what I understand, the Eisenhower is where the Kennedy becomes the Dan Ryan Expressway.	2005-08-21
	Distance sign above the Kennedy, giving distances to Loop destinations.	2005-08-21
	I didn't include this so much for the sign but for the background. This was taken on I-80 southwest of Chicago in absolutely miserable road conditions. Glad I wasn't driving.	2008-01-01

St Louis Metro East

Type	Description	Date
	BGS on the bridge across the Mississippi heading into Illinois, showing the multiplex of three interstates and a federal route. I'm not sure if this sign was installed by MoDOT or IDOT, but it displays an Illinois state route shield.	2004-10-18
	Illinois exits 6-7, I-64. There is a "Kingshighway" in both St Louis and East St Louis, and in many cities in southern Missouri and Illinois. This goes back to the days of French colonization. "The name Kingshighway is an English translation of the French Route de Roi, a name given by the French to principal roads bounding commonfields." (source)	2004-10-18
	Button copy is not common in southern Illinois, but at Exit 4 on I-55/70 in St Clair County, there is one lone example.	2006-08-13
	I-255 exit 10 for IL 3, featuring a Great River Road trailblazer.	2006-07-29

Elsewhere

Type	Description	Date
	Illinois has the practice of using the next city as the control city on guide signs posted at onramps. Thus, at this entrance to I-55 in Litchfield, the control cities are East St. Louis and Springfield, as opposed to the more standard St. Louis and Chicago. I think there is also a tendency to choose cities that actually lie in Illinois.	2005-08-21
	Diagrammatical guidance for the strange intersection of Interstates 55 and 72 in Springfield.	2005-08-15
	Construction crews made this "temporary" guide sign to replace a BGS that was removed during the project, at the Rockford (I-39) exit on I-55. I-39 is cosigned with US 51, and the US 51 shield the workers used was simply a square shield with "U S" at the top.	2005-08-15
	Taking I-39 north, we have exit 57 (US 6). This is memorable for me because it was the first time I ever encountered an even-numbered, single-digit US route. This also shows the Illinois practice of having the exit tab span the full width of the sign.	2005-08-15
	In Rockford, this BGS sits at the entrance to the Illinois Tollway. I am fascinated by signs that generalize destinations as states instead of cities. Also, note the uniqueness of going either "North" or "East". I explain below.	2006-08-17
	At the entrance to I-88 from the city of Dixon. Nice buttons.	2005-08-16
	An archaic sign gantry on I-88. I'm basing that on the button copy and the look of the US/IL route shields, in addition to the lack of exit numbers. This was located in a road construction zone, so it may have been replaced by now.	2005-08-16
	Near the western terminus of I-24, travelers on that highway are advised how to reach St Louis. This shows the great importance of I-24 in reaching the St Louis metro area from Kentucky and Tennessee.	2006-05-29
	Strange custom route markers, apparently made on "No Parking"-style blanks. Downtown Dixon.	2005-08-16
	Seemingly ancient "Entering Illinois" sign on I-24 northbound at the Ohio River. The sign appears to use tacked-on glass-bead (Scotchlite) reflective lettering.	2006-08-08
	I-24 ends at I-57, near the community of Pulleys Mill. This alerts drivers to the fact.	2006-05-29
	A rather symmetric layout at an intersection with State St in Rockford. Not perfect in symmetry, but worthy of a photo.	2005-08-16
	Directional sign and shields at an onramp to the Illinois Tollway (I-90) in Rockford.	2006-08-17
	Just after seeing the sign above, you would see this setup at the actual onramps. Rockford is the "corner" in the Tollway, hence the "north" and "east" banners.	2006-08-17
	I had never seen button-copy mile markers until I traveled the Tollway. This one is in Rockford, although I noticed most mile markers toward Chicago were this way too.	2005-08-15
	This is a historical feature near Byron, southwest of Rockford. A portion of the first state-paved rural road in Illinois, dating from 1914, remains. The icon at left links to a photo of the historical marker. Photos of the road itself: looking southwest, northeast.	2005-08-16
	Button signage for universities in Bloomington.	2007-08-17
	Classic Illinois: Brown square-stock framework supporting button BGSes with full-width exit tabs. I-55 in Bloomington.	2007-08-17
	Illinois-style overhead at I-55 exit 236.	2007-08-17

Return to Kennessippi Roads