Illinois Route 185 is an east–west state road in the south-central portion of the U.S. state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of Illinois

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,...

. Its western terminus is in Taylor Springs

Taylor Springs, Illinois

Taylor Springs is a village in Montgomery County, Illinois, United States. The population was 583 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Taylor Springs is located at ....

 at Illinois Route 127

Illinois Route 127

Illinois Route 127 is a north–south highway in central and southern Illinois. Its southern terminus is at Illinois Route 3 near Olive Branch and its northern terminus at Interstate 55, along with the southern terminus of Illinois Route 48 in Raymond. This is a distance of .- Route description...

, and the eastern terminus is at Farina

Farina, Illinois

Farina is a village in Fayette County, Illinois, United States. As of the 1990 census, the village population was 575, in 254 housing units. The population was 558 at the 2000 census...

 at Illinois Route 37

Illinois Route 37

Illinois Route 37, or Illinois 37, is a north–south route in southern Illinois. It is in length. Originally connecting Effingham to Cairo, it was a heavily-traveled highway before Interstate 57 was opened. That Interstate, which lies very close to most of Illinois 37 , supplanted it as a...

. This is a distance of 49.88 miles (80.27 km).

Route description

Illinois 185 runs geographically northwest-southeast through south-central Illinois. It overlaps both U.S. Route 40

U.S. Route 40

U.S. Route 40 is an east–west United States highway. As with most routes whose numbers end in a zero, U.S. 40 once traversed the entire United States. It is one of the original 1920s U.S. Highways, and its first termini were San Francisco, California, and Atlantic City, New Jersey...

 and U.S. Route 51

U.S. Route 51

U.S. Route 51 is a north–south United States highway that runs for 1,286 miles from the western suburbs of New Orleans, Louisiana to within of the Wisconsin-Michigan border. Much of the highway in Illinois and southern Wisconsin runs parallel to or overlaps Interstate 39...

 through the city of Vandalia

Vandalia, Illinois

Vandalia is a city in Fayette County, Illinois, United States, northeast of St. Louis, on the Kaskaskia River. From 1819 to 1839 it served as the state capital of Illinois. Vandalia was the western terminus of the National Road. Today it is the county seat of Fayette County and the home of the...

.

History

SBI Route 185 originally ran from Bluff City to Farina

Farina, Illinois

Farina is a village in Fayette County, Illinois, United States. As of the 1990 census, the village population was 575, in 254 housing units. The population was 558 at the 2000 census...

. In 1949, it was extended northwest to Taylor Springs.