Interstate 55
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| Route information | |
| Length: | 964.25 mi (1,551.81 km) |
| Major junctions | |
| South end: |
 I-10 in Laplace, LA
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 I‑20 in Jackson, MS I‑69 from Hernando, MS to Memphis, TN I‑40 in West Memphis, AR I‑57 in Sikeston, MO I‑44 in St. Louis, MO  I‑64 / I‑70 in East St. Louis, IL I‑72 in Springfield, IL I‑74 in Bloomington, IL I‑39 in Normal, IL I‑80 in Channahon, IL  I‑90 / I‑94 in Chicago, IL
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| North end: |
 US 41 in Chicago, IL |
| Location | |
| States: | Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois |
| Highway system | |
Interstate 55 (I-55) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north-south route, connecting the Gulf of Mexico to the Great Lakes. The highway travels from LaPlace, Louisiana, at I-10 to Chicago at U.S. Route 41 (US 41, Lake Shore Drive), at McCormick Place.
The section of I-55 between Chicago and St. Louis was built as an alternate route for US 66. It crosses the Mississippi River twice: once at Memphis, Tennessee, and again at St. Louis, Missouri.
When it was realized that a national highway system was needed, the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956 provided for a highway replacing the old Route 66 which I-55 filled. I-55 was originally constructed in the 1970s, to extend a section of Route 66 between I-294 and Gardner which had been converted into a freeway and had Interstate signage installed in 1960. During the rest of the 1960s, I-55 was built in portions throughout Illinois eventually connecting St. Louis to Chicago where it became the fourth direct route between them. As it goes southwards, most of the Interstate was purpose-built during the 1960s and 70s. The entire length was completed in 1979.
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Wikipedia