Illinois Route 6 is a 4-lane freeway entirely in Peoria County in central Illinois. It begins as a northern extension of Interstate 474 at Interstate 74 west of Peoria, and ends at Illinois Route 29 at the 9th Mile in Mossville, south of Chillicothe. The freeway currently has a total length of , including the connector ramp to Illinois 29. In 1935, IL 6 was decommissioned and was replaced with a portion of US 330 (now IL 38/Roosevelt Road) and US 30.

The Illinois Route 6 designation remained decommissioned until 1981 when a part of the present freeway from I-74/I-474 to IL 91 opened. By 1984, the freeway was extended east toward IL 88 (current IL 40). In November 1985, the freeway was extended to Illinois Route 29 near Mossville.

Future

Several plans have been considered for continuing the Illinois 6 corridor. One is extending Illinois 6 into a loop by building a bridge over the Illinois River and running the highway south to Interstates 74 and 474 near Interstate 155 in Morton. Another is to build north or northeast from the current terminus to a new interchange in Chillicothe, connecting with a proposed Illinois 29 expressway that would connect to Interstate 180.

In 2013, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn proposed a $12.3 billion road plan that earmarked funds for engineering work and corridor studies, renewing interest in connecting Route 6 with I-74.

Exit list

References

  • Illinois State Highways Page: Routes 1 thru 20 - Rick Carlson