Illinois Route 38 is an west–east state highway that runs across northern Illinois. It runs from U.S. Route 52 (US 52) in downtown Dixon to US 12/US 20/US 45 (Mannheim Road) in Westchester. In 1937, IL 38's western terminus was truncated as IL 100 was extended south of Kampsville while its eastern terminus was extended to Mount Clare. By 1941, the original route of IL 38 was decommissioned and was replaced by IL 16, IL 112, and IL 138. It remained decommissioned until 1972 when a section of US 30 Alt. west of Westchester was replaced with IL 38; the rest of US 30 Alt. was removed without any replacement route designations.

In 1914, one mile of a road near Malta, Illinois, was paved with concrete. This was the first "Seedling Mile" of the concrete road on the Lincoln Highway. Seedling Miles were constructed on several portions of the Lincoln Highway to encourage the paving of the highway from coast to coast.

The Lincoln Highway was routed along modern-day Route 38 between Geneva and Dixon. When numbered US Highways began to replace named cross-country roads (like US 30 for the Lincoln Highway), this stretch of highway was signed as Alternate US 30. In 1972, as traffic patterns shifted, these alternates to US highways became unnecessary and fell out of favor.

Major intersections

References

  • Illinois Highway Ends: Illinois Route 38
  • Endpoints of historic U.S. Highway 330