Interstate 72 | |||||||||
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Route information | |||||||||
Maintained by MoDOT and IDOT | |||||||||
Length | 179.29 mi (288.54 km) | ||||||||
Existed | 1970 – present | ||||||||
Major junctions | |||||||||
West end |
US 36 / US 36 Bus. / US 61 in Hannibal, MO |
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East end | Country Fair Drive in Champaign, IL | ||||||||
Location | |||||||||
States | Missouri, Illinois | ||||||||
Highway system | |||||||||
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Interstate 72 Business | |
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Location | Jacksonville |
Length | 9.5 mi (15.3 km) |
Interstate 72 (I-72) is an Interstate Highway in the midwestern United States. Its western terminus is in Hannibal, Missouri, at an intersection with U.S. Route 61; its eastern terminus is at Country Fair Drive in Champaign, Illinois. The route runs through the major cities of Decatur, Illinois and Springfield, Illinois. In 2006, the Illinois General Assembly dedicated all of Interstate 72 as Purple Heart Memorial Highway. The stretch between Springfield and Decatur is also called Penny Severns Memorial Expressway, and the section between Mile 35 and the Mississippi River is known as the Free Frank McWorter Historic Highway.
I-72 runs for just over 2 miles (3.2 km) in the state of Missouri. Its western terminus is an interchange with U.S. Route 61 to the Mark Twain Memorial Bridge over the Mississippi River. This bridge connects the city of Hannibal with Illinois. Presently, there are only two exits for I-72 in Missouri.
I-72 parallels the old Wabash Railroad from Hannibal, MO east through Illinois to Champaign, IL. The Norfolk Southern Railway operates this railroad route today.