Illinois Route 100
Encyclopedia
Illinois Route 100 is a 157 mile (251 km) highway in the southwest Illinois
. It generally parallels the Illinois River
. Starting in downtown Alton
, it trends northward to Buckheart Township
near Canton
. It makes up much of the Illinois River Road, a U.S. National Scenic Byway
. Illinois 100 is 159.09 miles (256.03 km) long.
North of Hardin, the highway follows the west bank of the Illinois River until the bridge near Florence. From that point on, IL 100 follows mostly farmland on much higher ground until Beardstown, where it will cross the river a third and final time. It will again follow the west bank of the Illinois River until US 136. After meeting with US 24 in Duncan Mills, IL 100 and US 24 is cosigned until Lewistown. North of Lewistown, IL 100 heads in a north-east alignment until its northern terminus with IL 78 near Dunfermline.
.
area when the Homer M. Adams Parkway Extension was opened.
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. It generally parallels the Illinois River
Illinois River
The Illinois River is a principal tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately long, in the State of Illinois. The river drains a large section of central Illinois, with a drainage basin of . This river was important among Native Americans and early French traders as the principal water route...
. Starting in downtown Alton
Alton, Illinois
Alton is a city on the Mississippi River in Madison County, Illinois, United States, about north of St. Louis, Missouri. The population was 27,865 at the 2010 census. It is a part of the Metro-East region of the Greater St. Louis metropolitan area in Southern Illinois...
, it trends northward to Buckheart Township
Buckhart Township, Fulton County, Illinois
Buckheart Township is one of twenty-six townships in Fulton County, Illinois, USA. As of the 2000 census, its population was 1,515.-Geography:...
near Canton
Canton, Illinois
Canton is the largest city in Fulton County, Illinois in the United States. The population was 18,288 as of the 2000 Census. The Canton Micropolitan Statistical Area covers all of Fulton County; it is in turn part of the wider Peoria-Canton, IL Combined Statistical Area .-Geography:Canton is...
. It makes up much of the Illinois River Road, a U.S. National Scenic Byway
National Scenic Byway
A National Scenic Byway is a road recognized by the United States Department of Transportation for its archeological, cultural, historic, natural, recreational, and/or scenic qualities. The program was established by Congress in 1991 to preserve and protect the nation's scenic but often...
. Illinois 100 is 159.09 miles (256.03 km) long.
Route description
The southern end in Alton is at US 67 where Broadway, Landmarks, and Piasa Streets come together. It follows the east bank of the Mississippi River and Illinois River through Grafton until Hardin, where it crosses the Joe Page Bridge across the Illinois River. A portion of the Great River Road was on a old railroad alignment, which you can see parts of it just north of Alton. During periods of high water, this highway is susceptible to flooding.North of Hardin, the highway follows the west bank of the Illinois River until the bridge near Florence. From that point on, IL 100 follows mostly farmland on much higher ground until Beardstown, where it will cross the river a third and final time. It will again follow the west bank of the Illinois River until US 136. After meeting with US 24 in Duncan Mills, IL 100 and US 24 is cosigned until Lewistown. North of Lewistown, IL 100 heads in a north-east alignment until its northern terminus with IL 78 near Dunfermline.
Illinois River Road
Illinois Route 100 overlaps the Illinois River Road from Grafton to DetroitDetroit, Illinois
Detroit is a village in Pike County, Illinois, United States. The population was 93 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Detroit is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , all of it land.-Demographics:...
.
History
IL 100 originally went from Godfrey from the intersection at Godfrey Road and Homer M. Adams Parkway (IL 111/US 67) to Grafton on the current IL 3. In 1987, IL 3, 143, and 100 alignments were changed to their current routes in the River Bend (Illinois)River Bend (Illinois)
The River Bend is a small region in western central Illinois and Southern Illinois that comprises parts of three counties: Madison, Calhoun, and Jersey. The name comes from a section of Mississippi River that flows roughly west to east instead of the usual north to south, causing a bend in the...
area when the Homer M. Adams Parkway Extension was opened.