Illinois Route 34 (IL 34) is a north–south state road in southern

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

. It runs from a former ferry crossing to Kentucky Route 297 across the

Ohio River The Ohio River is a long river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of Illino ...

in Rosiclare to Illinois Routes 14/ 37 in Benton. This is a distance of .

Route description

Illinois 34 overlaps Illinois Route 146 and

Illinois Route 145 Illinois Route 145 is a north–south state road in southern Illinois. It splits off from U.S. Route 45 near Metropolis, Illinois, Metropolis (across the Ohio River from Paducah, Kentucky) and runs north, rejoining U.S. 45 in Harrisburg, Illi ...

between Rosiclare and

Harrisburg Harrisburg is the capital city of the Pennsylvania, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, Dauphin County. With a population of 50,135 as of the 2021 census, Harrisburg is the List of c ...

. In Harrisburg, Illinois 34 formerly ran the length of Main Street where it at one time sharply turned at Raymond St, then crossed a five way stop between

U.S. Route 45 U.S. Route 45 (US 45) is a major north-south United States highway and a border-to-border route, from Lake Superior to the Gulf of Mexico. A sign at the highway's northern terminus notes the total distance as . US 45 is notable for incorporatin ...

, Sloan St, and

where it overlapped. Congestion in this area was greatly reduced when the concurrent highway was re-routed farther south to connect and is now concurrent with

, which it follows to the Bill Franks Bypass (

Illinois Route 13 Illinois Route 13 (IL 13) is a major east–west state route in southern Illinois. Illinois 13 has its western terminus at Centreville at Illinois Route 157 and its eastern terminus at the Kentucky state line and the Ohio River, at Kentucky ...

). Route 34 then travels west with Route 13 to Main Street, where it then departs Harrisburg heading north. Illinois Route 34 serves as a main north–south road for towns located in the eastern portion of the

Shawnee National Forest The Shawnee National Forest is a United States National Forest located in the Ozark and Shawnee Hills of Southern Illinois, United States. Administered by the U.S.D.A. Forest Service, it consists of approximately 280,000 acres (1,100 km²) ...

History

SBI Route 37 ran from Harrisburg to Elizabethtown, currently located northeast of Rosiclare on Illinois 146. There was also a spur west to

Golconda Fort (Telugu: గోల్కొండ, romanized: ''Gōlkōnḍa'') is a historic fortress and ruined city located in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. It was originally called Mankal. The fort was originally built by Kakatiya ruler Pratāparu ...

, which is located southwest of Rosiclare on modern-day Illinois 146. In 1937, the road was extended northwest to Benton and its southern end moved to the Rosiclare ferry, which stopped operating in the mid 1960s.

Major intersections

References

External links

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Illinois Highway Ends: Illinois Route 34
034 Transportation in Saline County, Illinois Transportation in Franklin County, Illinois Transportation in Hardin County, Illinois Transportation in Pope County, Illinois