History
Described as "The Road to Prosperity" by business leaders and government officials who initially proposed it in the late 1970s, Illinois 255 was part of a region-wide effort to create a high-speed alternative to U.S. Route 67 over the Clark Bridge through the city-center of Alton, and to two congested local routes (Illinois Routes 3 and 111) that roughly parallel the Illinois 255 corridor. Although it was part of the much larger Corridor 413 plan, the local politicians focused mostly on the segment from Interstate 270 to what was then Illinois Route 267 north of the Godfrey "Y" intersection. At that time, the Berm Highway, the Beltline extension, and the Madison Avenue connector were not built and both Illinois Routes 3 and 111 were over capacity between Alton and Interstate 270. In 1975, a six-month detour related with the closing of the Old Clark Bridge exposed the need for the Alton Bypass along with the other three routes. However, until 1985, the Alton Bypass was a low priority, as other local road projects in the area were considered more important.
The first 6.5 mi (10 km) segment of Illinois 255, from Interstate 270 to Illinois 143, was completed in October 1998 at the cost of $40 million (excluding land acquisition).
The second segment (a 7.2 mi (12 km) extension from IL-143 in Roxana to Fosterburg Road) was opened on October 20, 2006, approximately one year behind schedule, owing to the 2005 collapse of the Wisconsin-based construction company that held the contracts for that portion of the roadway. The second segment was completed at a cost of approximately $78.1 million.
The third segment of Illinois 255 from Fosterburg Road to Seminary Road in rural northeast Alton opened on August 22, 2008. Construction costs for this portion of the roadway totaled $25.1 million.
The fourth and penultimate segment of the highway from Seminary Road in Alton to Humbert Road in Godfrey opened on October 26, 2012.
The fifth and final segment of the highway runs 4.3 mi (7 km) from Seminary Road to U.S. 67 north of Godfrey near its junction with Illinois Routes 267 and 111 at a cost of $22 million.
Read more about this topic: Illinois Route 255
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