Peoria-to-Chicago Highway

The Peoria-to-Chicago Highway refers to an effort in the U.S. state of Illinois made in the late 1990s to directly connect the cities of Peoria and Chicago with a multilane freeway. It ultimately failed due to grass-roots efforts against the highway.

Current Routes to Peoria from Chicago

There are currently four major routes from Chicago to Peoria as of the early 2000s. All four require Peoria-to-Chicago traffic to divert from major interstates, and the fifth all-interstate option adds approximately 40 miles to a 180-mile trip.

Interstate 180 / Illinois Route 29

This option utilizes Interstate 55, Interstate 80, and Interstate 180 to approach Peoria from the north. The freeways end at Illinois Route 29. This was considered a prime candidate for conversion to a four-lane expressway, and Interstate 180 was resurfaced in the late 1990s with that goal in mind. The highway would then connect to Illinois Route 6 in Chillicothe. The highway would have run through a handful of small towns on the Illinois River, however.

This was the original route planned for in late 1970s. Environmental concerns (state and federal) for an interstate route along this section of the Illinois River valley.

Illinois Route 116

This option utilizes Interstate 55 to Illinois Route 116, and entering Peoria from the northeast. Illinois 116 would have been upgraded to a four-lane freeway through Benson, Roanoke, and Metamora west of Interstate 39, and eastward through to Interstate 55. This alignment would have displaced hundreds of acres of prime farmland. Illinois 116 is already a four-lane divided highway west of Metamora, but a bypass around all three cities would have been required.

U.S. Route 24

Similar to the Illinois 116 option, U.S. Route 24 is already a four-lane divided highway from Peoria to Washington. It would have required a bypass around Eureka, however, and displaced acres of prime farmland.

Both US 24 and Illinois 116 already carry an elevated amount of traffic between Peoria and Chicago. Both roads are two-lane, 55 mph (100 km/h) roads, and high-speed head-on crashes are a growing danger in the area.

Interstate 39

Interstate 39 could have formed a leg from Interstate 80 to either Illinois 116 and US 24. At this point, however, the number of miles saved does not justify the project.

Interstate 74

The current all-Interstate method of traveling from Chicago to Peoria is by taking Interstate 55 to Interstate 74.

Failure

Strong local opposition from local organizations cancelled the project despite the fact that the project had gone through the initial investigation, and an alignment had been determined. As a result, the Peoria-to-Chicago Highway remains on the table until the cost of any of the above alternatives can justify the need for a direct connection.