Illinois Route 255
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| Alton Bypass | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by IDOT | ||||
| Length: | 23.3 mi (37.5 km) | |||
| Existed: | October 1998 – present | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| South end: |
  I-255 / I-270 in Pontoon Beach
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| North end: |
 US 67 in Godfrey
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| Location | ||||
| Counties: | Madison | |||
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Illinois Route 255 (IL 255), also referred to as the Alton Bypass, is a northwesterly extension of Interstate 255 (I-255) in southwestern Illinois. IL 255 starts at I-270 in Pontoon Beach and ends at U.S. Route 67 (US 67) north of Godfrey near its junction with IL 267 and IL 111, at a total length of approximately 23.3 miles (37.5 km).
IL 255 is a four-lane, limited-access freeway for its entire length. It serves as an important circumferential artery for the northeastern portion of the St. Louis, Missouri, metropolitan area. The final segment was completed on November 23, 2012, and runs 4.3 miles (6.9 km) from Seminary Road to US 67 north of Godfrey near its junction with IL 267 and IL 111. The highway passes just to the west of the St. Louis Regional Airport.
Although IL 255 was designed to federal Interstate Highway standards, it was built by the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) using state-provided funds.
Described as "the Road to Prosperity" by business leaders and government officials who initially proposed it in the late 1970s, IL 255 was part of a region-wide effort to create a high-speed alternative to US 67 over the Clark Bridge through the city-center of Alton, and to two congested local routes (IL 3 and IL 111) that roughly parallel the IL 255 corridor. Although it was part of the much larger Corridor 413 plan, the local politicians focused mostly on the segment from I-270 to what was then IL 267 north of the Godfrey "Y" intersection. At that time, the Berm Highway, the Beltline extension, and the Madison Avenue connector were not built and both IL 3 and IL 111 were over capacity between Alton and I-270. In 1975, a six-month detour related with the closing of the Old Clark Bridge exposed the need for the Alton Bypass along with the other three routes. However, until 1985, the Alton Bypass was a low priority, as other local road projects in the area were considered more important.
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