Illinois Route 96 is a north–south state road in far western 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,...

. It runs from Illinois Route 100

Illinois Route 100

Illinois Route 100 is a 157 mile 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...

 in Kampsville

Kampsville, Illinois

Kampsville is a village in Calhoun County, Illinois, United States, located on the west bank of the Illinois River. The population was 350 at the 2000 census.-General information:...

, not far from a ferry

Ferry

A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...

 crossing across 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...

, to Illinois Route 94

Illinois Route 94

Illinois Route 94 is a north–south state highway in western Illinois. It runs from U.S. Route 24 just east of Camp Point to U.S. Route 67 just south of Oak Grove, just south of the Quad Cities area...

 north of Terre Haute

Terre Haute, Illinois

Terre Haute is an unincorporated town in Terre Haute Township, Henderson County, Illinois, USA.-Geography:Terre Haute is located at at an elevation of 709 feet....

. This is a distance of 141.16 miles (227.17 km).

Route description

Illinois 96 follows most of the Great River Road

Great River Road

The Great River Road is a collection of state, provincial, federal, and local roads which follow the course of the Mississippi River through ten states of the United States...

 in Illinois. From Kampsville, it runs west to the Mississippi River

Mississippi River

The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...

 and then turns north, passing U.S. Route 54

U.S. Route 54

U.S. Route 54 is an east–west United States highway that runs northeast-southwest for 1,197 miles from western Illinois to El Paso, Texas. It enters and leaves Texas twice...

 at a rural intersection and Interstate 72

Interstate 72

Interstate 72 is an Interstate Highway in the midwestern United States. Its western terminus is in Hannibal, Missouri, at an intersection with U.S. Route 61; its eastern terminus is at Country Fair Drive in Champaign, Illinois. In 2006, the Illinois General Assembly dedicated all of Interstate 72...

 at an old terminus near Kinderhook

Kinderhook, Illinois

Kinderhook is a village in Pike County, Illinois, United States. The population was 249 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Kinderhook is located at ....

. It overlaps Illinois Route 106

Illinois Route 106

Illinois Route 106 is an east–west state highway in western Illinois. It runs from a new interchange with Interstate 72 near East Hannibal to U.S. Route 67 in White Hall. This is a distance of .- Route description :...

 west of Kinderhook and then runs parallel to Illinois Route 57

Illinois Route 57

Illinois Route 57 is a north–south state highway in western Illinois. It runs from Interstate 172 in Fall Creek to U.S. Route 24 and Illinois Route 104 in Quincy, a distance of .- Route description :...

 into Quincy

Quincy, Illinois

Quincy, known as Illinois' "Gem City," is a river city along the Mississippi River and the county seat of Adams County. As of the 2010 census the city held a population of 40,633. The city anchors its own micropolitan area and is the economic and regional hub of West-central Illinois, catering a...

. Within Quincy it follows 36th Street, State Street and 24th Street before overlapping briefly with U.S. Route 24

U.S. Route 24

U.S. Route 24 is one of the original United States highways of 1926. It originally ran from Pontiac, Michigan, in the east to Kansas City, Missouri, in the west. Today, the highway's eastern terminus is west of Clarkston, Michigan, at an intersection with I-75 and its western terminus is near...

. It also overlaps U.S. Route 136

U.S. Route 136

U.S. Highway 136 is a spur of U.S. Highway 36. It runs from Edison, Nebraska, at U.S. Highway 6 and U.S. Highway 34 to the Interstate 74/Interstate 465 interchange in Speedway, Indiana. This is a distance of 804 miles .-Nebraska:...

 in Hamilton, IL (across from Keokuk, Iowa

Keokuk, Iowa

Keokuk is a city in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Iowa and one of the county seats of Lee County. The other county seat is Fort Madison. The population was 11,427 at the 2000 census. The city is named after the Sauk Chief Keokuk, who is thought to be buried in Rand Park...

) and Illinois Route 9

Illinois Route 9

Illinois Route 9 is a cross-state, east–west rural state highway in central Illinois. It runs from the Fort Madison Toll Bridge over the Mississippi River to Iowa in Niota east to State Road 26 at the Indiana border. This is a distance of ....

 from Niota

Niota, Illinois

Niota is an unincorporated community in Appanoose Township, Hancock County, Illinois. The community is located on the bank of the Mississippi River and is at the eastern end of the Fort Madison Toll Bridge, which connects Niota to Fort Madison, Iowa. Niota is the western terminus of Illinois Route...

 to Dallas City, Illinois

Dallas City, Illinois

Dallas City is a city in Hancock and Henderson counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. The population was 1,055 at the 2000 census.The Henderson County portion of Dallas City is part of the Burlington, IA–IL Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...

.

History

SBI Route 96 originally followed the modern-day Illinois 96 from Niota south to Kinderhook. In 1941 it was extended south to Hamburg

Hamburg, Illinois

Hamburg is a village in Calhoun County, Illinois, United States. The population was 126 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Hamburg is located at ....

 to a historical ferry crossing. The Hamburg ferry stopped running in 1960. In 1950, Illinois 96 was rerouted into Kampsville, where another ferry crossing is located nearby on Illinois Route 108

Illinois Route 108

Illinois Route 108 is an east–west highway in western Illinois. Its western terminus is at Illinois Route 100 in Kampsville, and its eastern terminus is at Interstate 55 in Zanesville Township near Raymond. This is a distance of .- Route description :...

.