History
SBI Route 147 was originally the road from Marion to Cairo; in 1942, this road became Illinois Route 37. Illinois 147 then replaced what was Illinois Route 142A from McLeansboro to Wayne City. In 1947, Illinois 142A became Illinois Route 142; Illinois 147 was again moved to its current Vienna-to-Glendale routing.
The Route is noted for the deplorable condition of the road surface beyond the first 3 miles (4.8 km) east of Vienna. It is often said that the route should be downgraded from a state route to a county road with a name such as "The Simpson Blacktop" as it is commonly referred to as by locals. An area of the road near its intersection with Millstone Bluff road one mile (1.6 km) east of its junction with Illinois Route 145 is noted for the high fatality rate from accidents in the area. 25 persons have died on that part of the road in the last five years according to an anonymous IDOT source, which is unusually high for such a rural area and lightly traveled road. The source also revealed that plans are in place to fix that part of the road, however no dates or timelines have been mentioned and what exactly is "wrong" with the road remains in speculation. Great care should be taken when traveling this route.
Read more about this topic: Illinois Route 147
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