Peoria-to-Chicago Highway

The Peoria-to-Chicago Highway refers to an effort in the U.S. state of Illinois made in the late 1990s to directly connect the cities of Peoria and Chicago with a multilane freeway. Plans for any highway failed due to grass-roots efforts against the highway.

The Illinois interstate highway plan iin the mid-1950s included a freeway from Peoria toward Chicago in the I-180 corridor. This was not approved by the FHWA, but the state made provisions for the highway in Peoria ("ghost ramps" from IL 6 at the IL 29 interchange, and an I-180 stub at its IL 29 interchange). In the 1970s, Illinois proposed a similar route incorporating future I-155 and I-180 as Interstate 53; the number was approved by AASHTO, but the route was declined by the FHWA.
In the mid-1990s, the state revived the proposal, calling it the "Heart of Illinois Freeway." A few alternatives were selected, among them the IL 6 to I-180 connection. In late 2000, the state decided to proceed with the 6/180 connection, but ran into opposition from farmers and withdrawn support from area state senator Ray LaHood (R, Peoria), who favored four-laning IL 29. A Peoria city council vote to encourage IDOT to continue study on the freeway failed, highlighting the proposal's loss of momentum. In February 2002, IDOT stated there was no traffic need for the freeway, only political and economic reasons for advocating it; and that they only studied the issue because Peoria asked for it.

Part of late-1960s Supplemental Freeway Plan In the 1960s, Illinois adopted a freeway plan with the goal of providing any state resident a trip of 30 minutes or less to reach a "convenient highway" reaching any city of 25,000 or more. The I-180 to Peoria extension was part of this plan, but few of these freeways were actually built (I-39 is one that was).