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Interstate 55
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Interstate 55 (I-55) is an Interstate Highway in the central United States. Its odd number indicates that it is primarily a north-south highway. It goes from Laplace, Louisiana (25 miles (40 km) west of New Orleans) at Interstate 10 to Chicago at U.S. Route 41 (Lake Shore Drive), at McCormick Place.
The section of I-55 between Chicago and St. Louis was built as a bypass for U.S. Highway 66.
I-55 is the only Interstate Highway that crosses the Mississippi River twice — once at Memphis, Tennessee, and then again at St. Louis, Missouri.
In 2009, Green Bay, Wisconsin officials have begun a campaign to have US Rt 41 designated as I-55.

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Encyclopedia
Interstate 55 (I-55) is an Interstate Highway in the central United States. Its odd number indicates that it is primarily a north-south highway. It goes from Laplace, Louisiana (25 miles (40 km) west of New Orleans) at Interstate 10 to Chicago at U.S. Route 41 (Lake Shore Drive), at McCormick Place.
The section of I-55 between Chicago and St. Louis was built as a bypass for U.S. Highway 66.
I-55 is the only Interstate Highway that crosses the Mississippi River twice — once at Memphis, Tennessee, and then again at St. Louis, Missouri.
In 2009, Green Bay, Wisconsin officials have begun a campaign to have US Rt 41 designated as I-55. A section of US 41 in Wisconsin is in the process of being reclassified as an Interstate Highway. Some local officials in the Green Bay area feel that designating US 41 as I-55 would bring additional attention and revenue to the area. The alternative is designating the road as a spur of I-43. (Sourced from the Green Bay Press Gazette 02-08-09)
Route description
|-
|LA
|65.81
|105.91
|-
|MS
|290.41
|467.37
|-
|TN
|12.28
|19.76
|-
|AR
|72.22
|116.22
|-
|MO
|210.45
|338.69
|-
|IL
|313.08
|503.85
|-
|Total
|964.25
|1,551.81
|}
Major cities Bolded cities are officially-designated control cities for signs* |
|---|
- New Orleans, Louisiana (via I-10)
- Hammond, Louisiana
- McComb, Mississippi
- Jackson, Mississippi
- Memphis, Tennessee
- Blytheville, Arkansas
- Sikeston, Missouri
- Cape Girardeau, Missouri
- St. Louis, Missouri
- Springfield, Illinois
- Bloomington/Normal, Illinois
- Chicago, Illinois
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Louisiana
In Louisiana, I-55 runs nearly from south to north, from Interstate 10 near Laplace - roughly west of New Orleans - to the Mississippi state line near Kentwood.
Mississippi
In Mississippi, I-55 runs from the Louisiana border near Osyka to Southaven on the Tennessee border, just south of Memphis. Major cities I-55 passes through are McComb, Jackson, and Southaven. The highway parallels U.S. 51 during its trek roughly through the center of the Magnolia State.
The Mississippi section of I-55 is defined in Mississippi Code § 65-3-3.
I-55 is often called the Mississippi Delta Highway because of its proximity to the Mississippi River. The 8 miles (13 km) from Hernando to the Tennessee state line are co-signed with the newer I-69.
Tennessee
I-55 lies entirely within the city of Memphis, passing through the southern and western parts of the city and providing a bypass of downtown for motorists who do not want to take Interstates I-240 and I-40 through downtown to cross the Mississippi River. However, the western portion of the freeway, which passes through a heavily industrialized section, contains numerous low bridges, and an extremely tight 270-degree cloverleaf turn northbound at Crump Boulevard. The Tennessee Department of Transportation currently has an for this portion. Truck traffic heading to and from Arkansas is thus directed to detour via I-240 and I-40.
I-255 was the former numbering of I-240 between I-55 and I-40 through Midtown Memphis, Tennessee.
Arkansas
I-55 enters Arkansas from Tennessee as it crosses the Mississippi river. It overlaps I-40 for approximately 2.8 miles (4.5 km) in West Memphis. After separating from I-40, I-55 turns northward and runs to the Missouri border, via the intersection with the stretch of U.S. 63 that holds the future alignment of Interstate 555.
Missouri
In Missouri, I-55 runs from the southeastern part of the state, at the Arkansas border, to St. Louis. Where Interstate 44 merges in and it joins Interstate 64 and Interstate 70 on the Poplar Street Bridge, which crosses the Mississippi River into Illinois.
A section of the I-55 in southern St. Louis County, Missouri has been named the "Rosa Parks Freeway" although the general public still refers to it as I-55.
On July 26, 2007, a small section of I-55 at the St. Louis city/county line was named "Thomas G. Smith Jr. Memorial Freeway".
Illinois
Interstate 55 largely follows the former U.S. Route 66 alignment through the state. Crossing over into Illinois, I-55, near the I-270/I-70 split, is referred to as the Paul Simon Freeway. This is in reference to the local politician Paul Simon. Further north, between the St. Louis area and Springfield, IL, I-55 is named The Vince Demuzio Expressway in reference to Illinois state politician Vince Demuzio. I-55 parallels the historical U.S. Route 66 from East St. Louis to Chicago, to Joliet, passing near Springfield and Bloomington/Normal.
When the freeway was being planned during the 1960s, Illinois Governor Otto Kerner made an effort to have the road redirected near the larger city of Peoria instead of the more straightforward route through the Bloomington-Normal area. This ultimately failed plan was ridiculed in the press as the "Kerner Curve". The function of an Interstate Highway connection between Springfield and Peoria was later filled by Interstate 155, which connects nearby Lincoln and Morton and forms a triangle between the three population centers in Central Illinois.
In the Chicago area, the expressway is referred to as the Adlai E. Stevenson Expressway in honor of Adlai E. Stevenson II.
Major intersections
- Interstate 10 in Laplace, Louisiana
- Interstate 12 in Hammond, Louisiana
- Interstate 20 in Jackson, Mississippi (concurrent for 2 miles (3 km))
- Interstate 220 in Ridgeland, Mississippi
- Interstate 69 in Hernando, Mississippi
- Interstate 240 in southern Memphis, Tennessee
- Interstate 40 in West Memphis, Arkansas (concurrent for 3 miles (5 km))
- Interstate 155 in Hayti, Missouri
- Interstate 57 east of Sikeston, Missouri
- US Highway 67 Inside Crystal City, Missouri-Olympian Village, Missouri-Park Hills, Missouri
- Interstate 270 and Interstate 255 in Mehlville, Missouri, south of St. Louis, Missouri (both intersections at the same interchange)
- Interstate 44 in St. Louis, Missouri
- Interstate 64 in St. Louis, Missouri. They stay joined across Poplar St. bridge (Mississippi River) until East St. Louis, Illinois.
- Interstate 70 in St. Louis, Missouri. They stay joined until an exit near Troy, Illinois.
- Interstate 255 west of Collinsville, Illinois
- Interstate 270 east of Glen Carbon, Illinois
- Interstate 72 in Springfield, Illinois (concurrent for 6 miles (10 km))
- Interstate 155 west of Lincoln, Illinois
- Interstate 74 in Bloomington/Normal, Illinois (concurrent for 6 miles (10 km))
- Interstate 39 in Bloomington/Normal, Illinois
- Interstate 80 in Joliet, Illinois
- Interstate 355 in Bolingbrook, Illinois
- Interstate 294 in Burr Ridge, Illinois
- Interstate 90 and Interstate 94 (the Dan Ryan Expressway) in Chicago, Illinois
Auxiliary routes
External links
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