Illinois Route 159 is a north–south state route in southwestern Illinois. Its southern terminus is at Illinois Route 3 and Illinois Route 154 in Red Bud and its northern terminus at Illinois Route 16 in Royal Lakes. This is a distance of 64.90 miles (104.45 km).[1]
 Illinois Route 159 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 IL 159 highlighted in red | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by IDOT | ||||
| Length | 64.90 mi[1] (104.45 km) | |||
| Existed | 1926[2]–present | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| South end |   IL 3 / IL 154 in Red Bud | |||
  I-64 / US 50 in Fairview Heights   I-55 / I-70 / US 40 in Collinsville I-270 in Glen Carbon | ||||
| North end |  IL 16 in Royal Lakes | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | Illinois | |||
| Counties | Randolph, Monroe, St. Clair, Madison, Macoupin | |||
| Highway system | ||||
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Route description
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Illinois 159 is a major north–south artery through the eastern portion of the metropolitan St. Louis, Missouri area. Illinois 159 overlaps Illinois Route 143 in Edwardsville.
Widening of a stretch of Illinois 159 to five lanes took place around 2006; the highway is now five lanes from Fairview Heights to Edwardsville, with the exception of downtown Collinsville, where a similar widening project was completed in 2012.[citation needed]
History
editSBI Route 159 ran from Red Bud to Alton. In 1964, the Edwardsville to Alton segment was changed to Illinois Route 143, and Illinois 159 was run north through Edwardsville to Royal Lakes, replacing Illinois Route 112. This created an unusual 3 way multiplex in downtown Edwardsville where you went north on 157, south on 159, and east on 143 for 2 blocks. This multiplex was not signed, however. In 2003 Illinois 159 was rerouted through Edwardsville, which eliminated that multiplex.
An Alternate Illinois Route 159 was proposed by Edwardsville on the old Illinois 159 alignment on Troy Road, but was never implemented.[2]
Major intersections
edit| County | Location | mi[3] | km | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Randolph | Red Bud | 0.0 | 0.0 |  IL 3 / IL 154 / Great River Road (Market Street, Main Street) | |
| Monroe | Hecker | 6.6 | 10.6 |   IL 156 west (Monroe Street) | South end of IL 156 overlap |
| St. Clair | | 7.8 | 12.6 |  IL 156 east | North end of IL 156 overlap |
| Belleville | 20.2 | 32.5 |  IL 15 – East St. Louis, Mt. Vernon | ||
| 20.5 | 33.0 |   IL 13 / IL 158 (South Belt) | |||
| Swansea | 22.7 | 36.5 |  IL 161 (North Belt) | ||
| Fairview Heights | 27.2 | 43.8 | I-64 (US 50) – Mt. Vernon, St. Louis | ||
| Madison | Collinsville | 35.3 | 56.8 | I-55 / I-70 (US 40) – Chicago, St. Louis | |
| Maryville | 37.4 | 60.2 |  IL 162 | ||
| Glen Carbon | 38.6 | 62.1 | I-270 – Effingham, St. Charles | ||
| Edwardsville | 42.6 | 68.6 |   IL 143 east / IL 157 (Vandalia Street) | South end of IL 143 overlap | |
| 43.9 | 70.7 | IL 143 west (Edwardsville Road) | North end of IL 143 overlap | ||
| | 49.3 | 79.3 |  IL 140 | ||
| Macoupin | | 61.7 | 99.3 |  IL 138 east | |
| Royal Lakes | 64.9 | 104.4 | IL 16 | ||
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi | |||||
References
edit- ^ a b Illinois Technology Transfer Center (2006). "T2 GIS Data". Retrieved 2007-11-08.
- ^ a b Carlson, Rich (2005-04-15). "Illinois Highways Page: Routes 141 thru 160". Retrieved 2006-07-02.[unreliable source?]
- ^ "Illinois Route 159" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved July 9, 2012.
External links
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