U.S. Route 40 in Illinois

U.S. Route 40 (US 40) runs east–west across south central Illinois for 159.8 miles (257.2 km). US 40 enters the state from Missouri across the Poplar Street Bridge over the Mississippi River at East St. Louis concurrent with Interstate 55 (I-55) and I-64 and exits just south of State Line, Indiana, running concurrently with I-70. For the majority of its route through Illinois, US 40 follows the National Road, including the route's initial western terminus at Vandalia.

U.S. Route 40
National Road
Route information
Maintained by IDOT
Length	159.8 mi[1][2] (257.2 km)
Existed	1926–present
Tourist routes	Historic National Road
Major junctions
West end	I-55 / I-64 / US 40 in East St. Louis
	I-70 in East St. Louis I-255 in Collinsville I-70 near Highland I-70 near Stubblefield I-70 in Vandalia US 51 in Vandalia I-70 near Brownstown US 45 in Effingham I-70 in Wabash Township
East end	I-70 / US 40 near State Line, IN
Location
Counties	St. Clair, Madison, Bond, Fayette, Effingham, Cumberland, Clark
Highway system
United States Numbered Highway System List Special Divided Illinois State Highway System Interstate U.S. State Tollways ← IL 39 → US 41

For nearly its entire route, US 40 is two-lane and rural, with the exception of portions in and around major towns and cities. For its entire length, US 40 closely aligns with I-70. Not only does the route intersect with the Interstate six times, but also has three concurrencies with the highway; both highways exit into Indiana on the same road.

Route description

East St. Louis to Highland

Starting from the Poplar Street Bridge, US 40, as well as I-55 and I-64, enters East St. Louis. Just east of the bridge, the three routes run concurrently with IL 3 as well as the Great River Road. After a series of interchanges, both I-64 and IL 3 branches off while I-70 joins the I-55/US 40 concurrencies. From then on, they meet IL 203 at a cloverstack interchange, IL 111 at a diamond interchange, Black Lane at an incomplete interchange, I-255 at another cloverstack interchange, IL 157 at a parclo interchange, and IL 159 at a cloverleaf interchange. At a trumpet interchange 17 miles (27 km) from the Missouri state line, US 40 branches off from I-55 and I-70. From then on, it meets IL 162 and then IL 4 at a one-quadrant interchange.[1]

Highland to Vandalia

Starting at Highland, US 40 runs concurrently with IL 143. Then, at the roundabout, IL 160 joins the concurrency. IL 160 soon leaves the concurrency around a mile east of the roundabout. IL 143 then also leaves US 40. US 40 then joins I-70 again from exit 30 to the next exit, exit 36. After US 40 leaves I-70, it parallels I-70 for most of the length through Illinois. At a parclo interchange on exit 41 for I-70, US 40 turns south and then east from the northern part of the interchange. It then meets IL 127 at Greenville, IL 140 east of Mulberry Grove, and I-70 at another diamond interchange (exit 61).[1]

Vandalia to Indiana state line

In Vandalia, IL 185 joins US 40 eastward. Then, the two routes run concurrently with US 51 all the way to downtown. US 51 then leaves the concurrency of two routes. Then, IL 185 also leaves from US 40 just west of another diamond interchange of I-70 (exit 68). IL 128 joins US 40 up to Altamont where IL 128 branches south to I-70. As US 40 reaches Effingham, it briefly bends north until it reaches the intersection of US 40/IL 32/IL 33. At that point, only IL 33 carries on eastward with US 40.[1] At downtown Effingham, US 45 briefly joins from the south and then leaves northward. Soon, IL 33 branches off eastward. From then on, US 40 intersects IL 130, IL 49, and IL 1. US 40 then joins I-70 at another diamond interchange for the third time as the two are about to enter Indiana.[2]

History

Up until 1935, Illinois Route 11 (IL 11) roughly followed the old alignment of US 40 from St. Louis to near Terre Haute, Indiana.[3] After 1935, IL 11 was decommissioned.[4] But in the mid-1940s, IL 11 was reused after US 40 was realigned south of downtown Greenville and Mulberry Grove, Illinois.[5] In 1947, IL 11 was extended to Vandalia via US 40's old alignment after US 40 bypassed Hagarstown.[6] It followed a part of the original alignment of US 40 between IL 127 in Greenville and US 51 in Vandalia.[6] By 1948, IL 11 was partially replaced by US 40 Alternate; later acquired by IL 140 in 1967.[7][8]

Major intersections

County	Location	mi[1][2]	km	Exit	Destinations	Notes
Mississippi River		0.0	0.0		I-55 south / I-64 west / US 40 west to I-44 – St. Louis, Tulsa, Memphis, Kansas City	Continuation into Missouri
		0.0– 0.3	0.0– 0.48	Poplar Street Bridge
St. Clair	East St. Louis	0.6	0.97	1	IL 3 south (Mississippi Avenue) / Great River Road south – Cahokia	Western end of IL 3/GRR concurrency
		0.9	1.4	—	13th Street/Tudor Avenue	Entrance ramp from Piggott Avenue; no exit number
		1.3	2.1	—	IL 15 east (Barack Obama Avenue) – Business District	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance; to Broadway Avenue
		1.8	2.9	2A	Third Street – Eads Bridge	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
		1.9	3.1	2B-C	Martin Luther King Bridge – Downtown St. Louis	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance; left exit is signed as exit 2B and right exit as 2C
		2.7	4.3	3A	I-64 east / IL 3 north to St. Clair Avenue – Louisville	Eastern end of I-64/IL 3 concurrency; signed as exit 3 eastbound
		2.9	4.7	3B	I-70 west – Kansas City	Western end of I-70 concurrency; westbound exit and eastbound entrance
		3.0	4.8	3C	Exchange Avenue	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
	Madison–Fairmont City line	4.0	6.4	4	IL 203 – Fairmont City, Granite City, Collinsville Road	Signed as exits 4A (south) & 4B (north) westbound
Madison	Fairmont City	6.3	10.1	6	IL 111 / Great River Road north – Wood River, Washington Park	Eastern end of GRR concurrency
	Collinsville	8.8	14.2	9	Black Lane	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
		9.9	15.9	10	I-255 to I-270 – Memphis	I-255 exit 25A/B
		11.0	17.7	11	IL 157 (Bluff Road) – Collinsville, Edwardsville
	Maryville	14.6	23.5	15	IL 159 – Collinsville, Maryville	Signed as exits 15A (south) & 15B (north)
	Troy	16.9	27.2	17	I-55 north / I-70 east – Chicago, Indianapolis	East end of I-55 / I-70 overlap; I-55/70 exit 17
	Jarvis Township	20.9	33.6		IL 162 west – Troy, Granite City	Eastern terminus of IL 162; Granite City signed westbound only
	St. Jacob Township	23.2	37.3		IL 4 – Lebanon, Staunton	One-quadrant interchange
	Highland	30.1	48.4		IL 143 west / Walnut Street – Edwardsville, Business District	West end of IL 143 overlap
		30.6	49.2		IL 160 north / Poplar Street	West end of IL 160 overlap
	Saline Township	31.1	50.1		IL 160 south (Sycamore Street) – Trenton, Highland	East end of IL 160 overlap; Trenton signed eastbound, Highland westbound
		33.7	54.2		IL 143 east / Gary Street – Pierron	East end of IL 143 overlap
		34.0	54.7	30	I-70 west / Steiner Road – East St. Louis	West end of I-70 overlap; I-70 exit 30
Bond	Old Ripley Township	39.4– 39.7	63.4– 63.9	36	I-70 east / Pokey Road – Effingham	East end of I-70 overlap; I-70 exit 36
	Central Township	45.3	72.9		I-70 / Millersburg Road – Effingham, St. Louis	Direct access to/from I-70 east via Millersburg Road; destinations signed westbound only; I-70 exit 41
	Greenville	49.0	78.9		IL 127 – Greenville, Carlyle, Carlyle Lake
Fayette	Bear Grove Township	57.2	92.1		IL 140 west – Mulberry Grove	Eastern terminus of IL 140
	Vandalia	64.4– 64.6	103.6– 104.0		I-70 – St. Louis, Effingham	I-70 exit 61
		65.8	105.9		IL 185 west (Hillsboro Road) / Sunset Drive – Coffeen, Lake Vandalia	West end of IL 185 overlap
		66.9	107.7		US 51 north (North Kennedy Boulevard) to I-70 – Pana	West end of US 51 overlap; Pana signed eastbound only
	Vandalia Township	68.5	110.2		US 51 south / East 1555 Avenue – Sandoval	East end of US 51 overlap
	Otego Township	72.6	116.8		IL 185 east – St. Peter	East end of IL 185 overlap
		73.0– 73.2	117.5– 117.8		I-70 – Effingham, St. Louis	I-70 exit 68
Fayette–Effingham county line	Avena–Mound township line	84.6	136.2		IL 128 north / North First Street – Cowden, Shelbyville, Lake Shelbyville	West end of IL 128 overlap; Lake Shelbyville signed eastbound only
Effingham	Altamont	88.0	141.6		IL 128 south (South Main Street) to I-70 / South Main Street – Business District	East end of IL 128 overlap
	Effingham	99.5	160.1		IL 32 north / IL 33 west (South Henrietta Street) to I-57 / I-70 / West Fayette Avenue – Shumway	West end of IL 33 overlap; southern terminus of IL 32
		100.2	161.3		US 45 south (South Banker Street) / South Banker Street – Flora	West end of US 45 overlap
		100.4	161.6		US 45 north (South Third Street) to I-57 / I-70 / South Third Street	East end of US 45 overlap
		100.6	161.9		IL 33 east (South Willow Street) / South Willow Street – Newton	East end of IL 33 overlap
Cumberland	Greenup	123.2	198.3		IL 130 (South Haughton Highway) – Newton, Charleston
Clark	Casey	133.1	214.2		IL 49 to I-70 – Willow Hill, Kansas
	Marshall	150.5	242.2		IL 1 (North Michigan Avenue) – Paris, Lawrenceville, Lincoln Trail State Park
	Wabash Township	157.8	254.0	154	I-70 west / West Illiana Drive – Effingham	West end of I-70 overlap; I-70 exit 154
		159.8	257.2		I-70 east / US 40 east – Terre Haute	Continuation into Indiana
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus       Incomplete access

See also

•  U.S. roads portal
•  Illinois portal

References

1. Google (November 3, 2020). "North America to US-40, Effingham, IL 62401" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
2. Google (November 4, 2020). "US-40, Effingham, IL 62401 to West Terre Haute, Indiana 47885" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
3. 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 – via Illinois Digital Archives.
4. Illinois Secretary of State; H.M. Gousha (1935). Official Road Map Illinois (Map). [c. 1:950,000 and c. 1:1,110,000]. Springfield: Illinois Secretary of State – via Illinois Digital Archives.
5. Illinois Secretary of State; Rand McNally (1945). Illinois Road Map (Map). c. 1:918,720. Springfield: Illinois Secretary of State – via Illinois Digital Archives.
6. Illinois Secretary of State; Rand McNally (1947). Illinois Road Map (Map). c. 1:918,720. Springfield: Illinois Secretary of State – via Illinois Digital Archives.
7. Illinois Secretary of State; Rand McNally (1948). Illinois Road Map (Map). c. 1:918,720. Springfield: Illinois Secretary of State – via Illinois Digital Archives.
8. Illinois Division of Highways; Rand McNally (1967). Illinois Official Highway Map (Map). [1:772,500]. Springfield: Illinois Division of Highways – via Illinois Digital Archives.