Illinois Route 103 (IL 103) is a

state route A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either ''numbered'' or ''maintained'' by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered by a ...

in west-central

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 ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. The route, entirely in Schuyler County, runs from

U.S. Route 24 U.S. Route 24 (US 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 in Independence Township, Mic ...

(US 24) near Ripley east to the intersection of

US 67 U.S. Route 67 is a major north–south U.S. highway which extends for 1,560 miles (2,511 km) in the Central United States. The southern terminus of the route is at the United States-Mexico border in Presidio, Texas, where it continues so ...

and IL 100 across the

Illinois River The Illinois River ( mia, Inoka Siipiiwi) is a principal tributary of the Mississippi River and is approximately long. Located in the U.S. state of Illinois, it has a drainage basin of . The Illinois River begins at the confluence of the D ...

from Beardstown. In addition to connecting Ripley and Beardstown, IL 103 serves the community of Sugar Grove. The highway is part of both the National Highway System and the

Lincoln Heritage Trail The Lincoln Heritage Trail is a designation for a series of highways in the U.S. states of Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky that links communities with pre-presidential period historical ties to U.S. president Abraham Lincoln. History Fifty years ...

. It is maintained by the

Illinois Department of Transportation The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) is a state agency in charge of state-maintained public roadways of the U.S. state of Illinois. In addition, IDOT provides funding for rail, public transit and airport projects and administers fuel ...

. The route was established in 1924 between Ripley and its current eastern terminus; its western terminus was moved north to its current location in 1932.

Route description

Route 103 begins at a junction with

in Woodstock Township in southern Schuyler County, northeast of Ripley. The route follows the

LaMoine River La Moine River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed May 13, 2011 tributary of the Illinois River in western Illinois in the United States. Its watershed covers approxima ...

eastward, passing through a forested area. After the river turns to the south, the highway continues east through farmland. Route 103 intersects County Route 9 before entering the

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

of Sugar Grove, where it meets County Route 1. After passing through Sugar Grove, the highway enters Bainbridge Township, where it makes a small southward dip through a tree-lined area. After passing a small group of buildings and crossing a creek, the route returns to its eastward trajectory and passes north of the community of Cottonwood. Route 103 runs through open farmland at the eastern end of its route, crossing two creeks and passing several farm buildings. The highway ends at a junction with

U.S. Route 67 U.S. Route 67 is a major north–south U.S. highway which extends for 1,560 miles (2,511 km) in the Central United States. The southern terminus of the route is at the United States-Mexico border in Presidio, Texas, where it continues so ...

and

Illinois Route 100 Illinois Route 100 (IL-100) is a state 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 Roa ...

, across the

from Beardstown. US 24 and IL 103

Route 103 is an undivided two-lane road for its entire length. The entire route is part of the National Highway System, a network of roads deemed significant to the nation's economy, defense, and mobility. It is also part of the

, a series of highways connecting places with historic connections to

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

. According to the

, the

annual average daily traffic Annual average daily traffic, abbreviated AADT, is a measure used primarily in transportation planning, transportation engineering and retail location selection. Traditionally, it is the total volume of vehicle traffic of a highway or road for a y ...

on Route 103 in 2019 ranged from 1250 vehicles near the western terminus to 1400 on its eastern half; 70 of those vehicles were trucks.

History

The State of Illinois designated Route 103 in 1924 between Ripley and Beardstown. A road between Ripley and the route's current eastern terminus was first marked on state highway maps in 1924; this route began at Ripley and ran parallel to and south of the current route on its western half, before turning north and following the eastern half of the current alignment. Route 103 was first numbered on the 1929 Illinois highway map. The western terminus of Route 103 moved from Ripley to its current location in 1932, shifting the western half of the highway to its present alignment. The community of

Layton Layton or The Laytons may refer to: Places United States * Layton, Florida, a city * Layton, Indiana, an unincorporated community * Layton Township, Pottawattamie County, Iowa * Layton, New Jersey, an unincorporated community * Layton, Pennsyl ...

, which was near Sugar Grove, was marked along the route until 1951.

Major intersections

References

External links

{{commons category-inline, Illinois Route 103
Illinois Highways Page: Routes 101 thru 120

Illinois Highway Ends: Illinois Route 103
103 1924 establishments in Illinois Transportation in Schuyler County, Illinois