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U.S. Route 50 in Illinois

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This article is about the section of U.S. Route 50 in Illinois. For the entire route, see U.S. Route 50.
U.S. Route 50 marker
U.S. Route 50
Map
US 50 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by IDOT
Length165.79 mi[1] (266.81 km)
Existed1926–present
Major junctions
West end I-255 / US 50 at the Missouri state line in Columbia
Major intersections
East end US 50 at the Indiana state line near Lawrenceville
Location
CountryUnited States
StateIllinois
CountiesMonroe, St. Clair, Clinton, Marion, Clay, Richland, Lawrence
Highway system
← IL 49→ IL 50
← US 12IL 12→ IL 13

U.S. Route 50 (US 50) in the state of Illinois is an east–west highway across the southern portion of the state. It runs from the Jefferson Barracks Bridge, over the Mississippi River, to Missouri east, to the Red Skelton Memorial Bridge, over the Wabash River and to Indiana. This is a distance of 165.79 miles (266.81 km).[1]

Route description

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US 50 runs east–west across the southern portion of the state, between Interstate 70 (I-70) to the north and I-64 to the south. Along many portions of US 50, the road has been moved onto either a bypass or an expressway.

Missouri state line to Flora

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After US 50 and I-255 leave Mehlvile and enter Columbia, they then run concurrently with Illinois Route 3 (IL 3), as well as the Great River Road, at a directional T interchange (exit 6). At a trumpet interchange (exit 10), IL 3 and the Great River Road leave the freeway. Further northeast, they meet IL 157 at a parclo interchange with five ramps, Mousette Lane at a diamond interchange, IL 15 at a cloverleaf interchange, and State Street at a four-ramp parclo interchange. At the next interchange, US 50 moves off I-255 to I-64 at a cloverleaf interchange with collector–distributor lanes. Once US 50 moves onto I-64, it continues eastward. They meet IL 157 at a four-ramp parclo, IL 159 at a six-ramp parclo, and a few other interchanges before they reach another cloverleaf. At that point, US 50 turns north from I-64, briefly overlapping IL 158 until US 50 turns east.

In Lebanon, US 50 turns north and then east via IL 4. As it continues eastward, it remains a two-lane undivided highway. North of Trenton and Breese, each part of US 50 briefly becomes a four-lane divided highway with one diamond interchange each (one with IL 160 and one with Jamestown Road respectively). Each section reverts to an undivided highway.

In Carlyle, US 50 turns south and then back east (overlapping IL 127). In Sandoval, it turns north and then back east again (overlapping US 51). In Salem, it meets I-57 west of downtown and IL 37 within downtown.[2]

Flora to Indiana state line

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As US 50 meanders eastward, it eventually reaches US 45 north of Flora. At that point, US 45 runs concurrently with US 50. Then, it branches off south from US 50. Further east, it reaches Salem. At that point, IL 250 begins west of Noble and then travels northeast to downtown Noble and Olney. As US 50 intersects IL 130 south of Olney, IL 250 overlaps US 50.

Just north of Sumner, IL 250 moves off south to Sumner and Bridgeport. Just northwest of Lawrenceville, US 50 Business begins; it serves downtown Lawrenceville. Across the Embarras River, US 50 reaches a one-quadrant interchange with IL 1.

East of Lawrenceville, US 50 becomes a four-lane divided highway for the rest of its run in the state. It meets US 50 Business at an incomplete interchange, a diamond interchange, and IL 33 at a modified diamond interchange before exiting Illinois.[2]

History

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Much of US 50 in Illinois, especially the section between Carlyle and Vincennes, lies atop or adjacent to the trail taken by George Rogers Clark and his 170 volunteers in the forlorn-hope march on Vincennes in February 1779.

Illinois Route 12 marker
Illinois Route 12
LocationMissouri state line–Indiana state line
Existed1918[3]–1935[4][5]

Up until 1935, Illinois Route 12 (IL 12) followed roughly along the old alignment of US 50 from the Missouri state line east of St. Louis to the Indiana state line west of Vincennes, IN.[4] By 1935, IL 12 was decommissioned.[5]

US 50 between Lebanon and Carlyle was moved to a northern alignment in October 1986 that bypassed several communities, including Trenton and Aviston.[6]

As of 2011, much of US 50 is a two-lane highway, but portions around Lawrenceville and Vincennes are configured as a four-lane, limited access bypass, built to Interstate Highway standards in the 1960s. Another modern bypass portion between O'Fallon and IL 127 shows evidence of a four-lane right of way as each bridge is paralleled by a second that remains unused and the graded roadbed for additional lanes is visible.

Major intersections

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CountyLocationmi[2]kmDestinationsNotes
Mississippi River0.000.00

 I-255 west / US 50 west – Memphis, Tulsa		Continuation into Missouri
Jefferson Barracks Bridge
Monroe​2.94.7
 IL 3 south		Southern end of IL 3 concurrency
St. Clair​7.211.6
 IL 3 north – Cahokia		Northern end of IL 3 concurrency
​9.515.3 IL 157
East St. Louis13.321.4 IL 15
16.626.7

 I-64 west / I-255 north – St. Louis, Chicago		Northern end of I–255 concurrency; western end of I–64 concurrency
Fairview Heights17.928.8 IL 157
21.434.4 IL 159
O'Fallon28.145.2
 I-64 east / IL 158		Eastern end of I–64 concurrency
Lebanon32.952.9
 IL 4 south – Mascoutah		Southern end of IL 4 concurrency
33.553.9
 IL 4 north		Northern end of IL 4 concurrency
ClintonTrenton40.164.5 IL 160
Carlyle57.292.1
 IL 127 north		Northern end of IL 127 concurrency
58.393.8
 IL 127 south		Southern end of IL 127 concurrency
MarionSandoval72.4116.5
 US 51 south – Centralia		Southern end of US 51 concurrency
​72.6116.8
 US 51 north – Vandalia		Northern end of US 51 concurrency
Salem80.4129.4 I-57 – Mt. Vernon, Effingham
81.8131.6 IL 37 – Mt. Vernon, Effingham
ClayFlora106.7171.7
 US 45 north – Effingham		Western end of US 45 concurrency
110.6178.0
 US 45 south – Fairfield		Eastern end of US 45 concurrency
Richland​120.9194.6
 IL 250 east		Western terminus of IL 250
Olney129.6208.6
 IL 250 west / IL 130		Western end of IL 250 concurrency
Lawrence​142.2228.8
 IL 250 east		Eastern end of IL 250 concurrency
Lawrenceville151.0243.0

 US 50 Bus. east		Western terminus of US 50 BUS
152.2244.9 IL 1 – Lawrenceville, Marshall
154.7249.0

 US 50 Bus. west		Eastern terminus of US 50 BUS
​159.5256.7
 IL 33 north		Southern terminus of IL 33
Wabash River165.79266.81
 US 50 east – Vincennes		Indiana state line
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

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  1. ^ a b Illinois Technology Transfer Center (2007). "T2 GIS Data". Retrieved November 8, 2007.
  2. ^ a b c "Overview Map of US 50" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved March 19, 2017.
  3. ^ Carlson, Rich. "Illinois Highways Page: Routes 21 thru 40". Retrieved November 22, 2020.[self-published source]
  4. ^ a b 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.
  5. ^ a b 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.
  6. ^ Goodrich, Robert (August 17, 1987). "Rt. 50 Bypass Not Cause Of Failure, Businesses Say". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. I1. Retrieved June 6, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
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U.S. Route 50
Previous state:
Missouri 		Illinois Next state:
Indiana
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