Interstate 180 (Illinois)

Interstate 180 (I-180) is a north–south spur highway that runs from Princeton, Illinois to the small town of Hennepin, Illinois on its southern terminus. It is 13.19 miles (21.23 km) long.[3]

Interstate 180
I-180 highlighted in red
Route information
Auxiliary route of I-80
Maintained by IDOT
Length	13.19 mi[1] (21.23 km)
Existed	1967–present
History	Completed in 1969[2]
Major junctions
South end	IL 26 / IL 71 in Hennepin
	US 6 in Princeton
North end	I-80 in Princeton
Location
Counties	Putnam, Bureau
Highway system
Interstate Highway System Main Auxiliary Suffixed Business Future Illinois State Highway System Interstate U.S. State Tollways ← IL 179 IL 180 →

Route description

Interstate 180 begins as a continuation of Route 71 at a diamond interchange with Route 26 northeast of Hennepin. The interchange is located adjacent to a former steel mill that was most recently operated by ArcelorMittal until 2009.[4] The freeway travels northwest, carrying I-180 and Route 26 in a concurrency, and crosses the Illinois River on the north side of Hennepin to enter Bureau County.[1]

On the west side of the river, Route 26 separates from I-180 and the freeway crosses over Route 29 before splitting at a Y-interchange. I-180 turns north, intersecting an expressway that connects to Route 29, and travels northeast across Big Bureau Creek to intersect Route 26. The freeway intersects U.S. Route 6 east of Princeton and continues due north to its terminus, a trumpet interchange with I-80. I-180 has four lanes for its entire length.[1]

History

See also: Peoria-to-Chicago Highway

Construction of I-180 was completed in 1969.[2] The freeway was built primarily to connect Interstate 80 to a new Jones & Laughlin steel plant built in 1965 in Hennepin, IL.[5] However, the steel plant closed soon after I-180 was built, and did not re-open until August 2002. Federal auditors criticized its construction and called it a political favor that was put ahead of other requests from Tucson, Arizona and Tacoma, Washington.[6]

I-180 is one of the least traveled interstates in the nation, serving 1,950–3,600 vehicles per day as of 2013.[7]

Exit list

County	Location	mi	km	Exit	Destinations	Notes
Putnam	Hennepin	0.0	0.0	14	IL 71 / IL 26 south – Hennepin, Lacon	Southern terminus; south end of IL 26 concurrency
		1.0	1.6	Illinois River
Bureau	Bureau Junction	2.5	4.0	12	IL 26 north to IL 29 north – Bureau Junction	North end of IL 26 concurrency; northbound exit and southbound entrance
		3.5	5.6		To IL 29 – Peoria	Indirect access via unnamed connector expressway
		8.0	12.9	7	IL 26 – Princeton
	Princeton	12.0	19.3	3	US 6 – Princeton, Spring Valley
		13.2	21.2		I-80 – Davenport, Joliet	Northern terminus; I-80 exit 61
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus

References

1. Google (September 29, 2019). "Interstate 180" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved September 29, 2019.
2. Scott, Tony (December 21, 2006). "Strong opinions on Prairie Parkway plans". Oswego Ledger-Sentinel. Archived from the original on December 28, 2010. Retrieved February 15, 2008.
3. United States Department of Transportation - Federal Highway Administration (October 31, 2002). "Route Log - Auxiliary Routes of the Eisenhower National System Of Interstate and Defense Highways". Retrieved January 30, 2007.
4. Smith, Gary L. (April 19, 2017). "Shuttered Hennepin steel mill being demolished". Journal Star. Peoria, Illinois. Retrieved September 29, 2019.
5. "Boom Town 1965". Time. July 9, 1965. Retrieved July 9, 2012.
6. Polk, James R. (August 4, 1970). "Federal Auditors Criticize a $40-Million Interstate Highway Spur to Illinois Steel Plant". Capital Journal. p. 26. Retrieved July 10, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
7. Illinois Department of Transportation (2013). "T2 GIS Data". Archived from the original on March 2, 2016. Retrieved February 24, 2016.

External links

Template:Attached KML/Interstate 180 (Illinois)

KML is from Wikidata

• Kurumi's Roads Page -- Interstate 180
• Illinois Highway Ends - I-180
• Roads of the Mid-South and West: Interstate 180