U.S. Route 6 (US 6) in the state of

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

is an east–west arterial surface road that runs from the city of Moline in the

Quad Cities The Quad Cities is a region of cities (originally four, see History) in the U.S. states of Iowa and Illinois: Davenport and Bettendorf in southeastern Iowa, and Rock Island, Moline and East Moline in northwestern Illinois. These cities are t ...

area to

Lansing Lansing () is the capital of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is mostly in Ingham County, although portions of the city extend west into Eaton County and north into Clinton County. The 2020 census placed the city's population at 112,644, makin ...

at the

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

state line.

Route description

In Illinois, U.S. Route 6 can be split into the following sections:

Quad Cities to LaSalle–Peru

U.S. Route 6 crosses the

I-74 Bridge The Interstate 74 Bridge, officially known as the Iowa-Illinois Memorial Bridge, and often called ''The Twin Bridges'', or the ''I-74 Bridge'', are basket-handle, through arch twin bridges that carry Interstate 74 across the Mississippi River ...

from

Bettendorf, Iowa Bettendorf is a city in Scott County, Iowa, United States. It is the 15th largest city of Iowa and the third-largest city in the "Quad Cities". It is part of the Davenport– Moline– Rock Island, IA- IL Metropolitan Statistical Area. The popul ...

south into Moline,

concurrent Concurrent means happening at the same time. Concurrency, concurrent, or concurrence may refer to: Law * Concurrence, in jurisprudence, the need to prove both ''actus reus'' and ''mens rea'' * Concurring opinion (also called a "concurrence"), a ...

with

Interstate 74 } Interstate 74 (I-74) is an Interstate Highway in the Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Its western end is at an interchange with I-80 in Davenport, Iowa (Quad Cities); the eastern end of its Midwest segment is at an interchange ...

. It remains with Interstate 74 for 5 miles (8 km) until the intersection with Interstate 280 south of the Rock River, where it continues south, then turns east at the

Quad Cities International Airport Quad Cities International Airport is a public airport in Rock Island County, Illinois, three miles (5 km) south of Moline, partly in Blackhawk Township and partly in Coal Valley Township. In 2012 it was named "Illinois Primary Airport o ...

. It intersects Interstate 80 as it leaves the Quad Cities area, and closely parallels I-80 for the rest of its length in Illinois. From the Quad Cities, US 6 travels east through the city of Geneseo. At

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire a ...

, US 6 overlaps

U.S. Route 34 U.S. Route 34 (US 34) is an east–west United States highway that runs for from north-central Colorado to the western suburbs of Chicago. Through Rocky Mountain National Park it is known as the Trail Ridge Road where it reaches elevation ...

through to

Princeton Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ni ...

. After an interchange with Interstate 180, US 6 runs with

Illinois Route 89 Illinois Route 89 (IL 89) is a rural, north–south state highway in central Illinois. It runs from U.S. Route 34 (US 34) in La Moille southward to IL 116 in Metamora. IL 26 and IL 89 are the main north–south road ...

to Spring Valley. In the LaSalle-

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...

area, US 6 intersects with Illinois Route 251,

Illinois Route 351 Illinois Route 351 is a north–south state route that leads from Illinois Route 71 and Illinois Route 251 by Oglesby through downtown LaSalle to Interstate 80. It is long. Route description Illinois 351 is the former Business U.S. Route 5 ...

and

Interstate 39 Interstate 39 (I-39) is a highway in the Midwestern United States. I-39 runs from Normal, Illinois, at I-55 to State Trunk Highway 29 (WIS 29) in the town of Rib Mountain, Wisconsin, which is approximately south of Wausau. I- ...

U.S. Route 51 U.S. Route 51 or U.S. Highway 51 (US 51) is a major south-north United States highway that extends from the western suburbs of New Orleans, Louisiana, to within of the Wisconsin–Michigan state line. As most of the United States Numbered Highw ...

LaSalle–Peru to Joliet

US 6 then runs past Ottawa, intersecting with the concurrent Illinois Routes 23/ 71 before joining with Illinois 71 for . Further east, US 6 runs through Marseilles and

Seneca Seneca may refer to: People and language * Seneca (name), a list of people with either the given name or surname * Seneca people, one of the six Iroquois tribes of North America ** Seneca language, the language of the Seneca people Places Extrat ...

, where Illinois Route 170 terminates. It then runs through

Morris Morris may refer to: Places Australia *St Morris, South Australia, place in South Australia Canada * Morris Township, Ontario, now part of the municipality of Morris-Turnberry * Rural Municipality of Morris, Manitoba ** Morris, Manitob ...

and overlaps

Illinois Route 47 Illinois Route 47 (IL 47) is a largely rural north–south state highway that runs from the Wisconsin state border at Highway 120 near Hebron, to IL 10, just south of Interstate 72 (I-72) near Seymour. IL 47 is in primarily rural ...

for a slight northward jog. At Channahon, US 6 has an interchange with

Interstate 55 Interstate 55 (I-55) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, connecting the Gulf of Mexico to the Great Lakes. The h ...

Joliet to Indiana

In the Joliet area, US 6 parallels the

Des Plaines River The Des Plaines River () is a river that flows southward for U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed May 13, 2011 through southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois''American Her ...

and passes beneath the

cantilever bridge A cantilever bridge is a bridge built using structures that project horizontally into space, supported on only one end (called cantilevers). For small footbridges, the cantilevers may be simple beams; however, large cantilever bridges designed ...

carrying Interstate 80 over the Des Plaines River. At this point, it is called Railroad Street, but it turns onto McDonough Street with U.S. Route 52 as it crosses the river. It then turns north, overlapping

Illinois Route 53 Illinois Route 53 (IL 53) is an arterial north–south state highway in northeast Illinois. IL 53 runs from Main Street west of historic U.S. Route 66 (US 66) in Gardner to IL 83 in Long Grove, a distance of . It mainly ...

(Chicago Street) and then east with

U.S. Route 30 U.S. Route 30 or U.S. Highway 30 (US 30) is an east–west main route in the system of the United States Numbered Highways, with the highway traveling across the northern tier of the country. With a length of , it is the third longest ...

(Cass Street). Two blocks north of leaving US 30, US 6 intersects the southern terminus of

Illinois Route 171 Illinois Route 171 (IL 171) is a north–south state highway in northeastern Illinois. It runs from U.S. Route 6 (US 6) in Joliet north to Illinois Route 72 at the Chicago– Park Ridge border. The section of IL 171 on Archer Av ...

and turns east onto Maple Road. In

New Lenox New Lenox is a village in central Will County, Illinois, United States. It is a southwestern suburb of Chicago and an eastern suburb of Joliet. The village population was 27,214 as of 2020. New Lenox has schools like Lincoln-Way West High School ...

it intersects with

Interstate 355 Interstate 355 (I-355), also known as the Veterans Memorial Tollway, is an Interstate Highway and tollway in the western and southwest suburbs of Chicago in the U.S. state of Illinois. Like most other toll roads in the northeastern portion of th ...

and becomes Southwest Highway. US 6 turns off Southwest Highway in

Orland Park Orland Park is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States, with a small portion in Will County. The village is a suburb of Chicago. Per the 2020 census, Orland Park had a population of 58,703. Located 25 miles (40 km) southwest of Chicago ...

, heads north on Wolf Road briefly, then turns east onto

159th Street 159th Street is a major east-west street in the southern suburbs of Chicago. It runs east from Thornton Street in Lockport, crossing Interstate 355 ( Veterans Memorial Tollway) in Lockport, Interstate 57 in Markham, Interstate 294 (Tri-State ...

, a major east–west arterial through that town and the southern suburbs of

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. In

Calumet City Calumet City ( ) is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 36,033 at the 2020 census, a decline of 2.7% from 37,042 in 2010. The ZIP code is 60409. Etymology The word ''Calumet'' is the Miꞌkmaq and French word for a ...

, US 6 joins with

Illinois Route 83 Illinois Route 83 (IL 83) is a major north–south state highway in northeast Illinois. It stretches from U.S. Route 30 (US 30, Lincoln Highway) by Lynwood and Dyer, Indiana, north to the Wisconsin border by Antioch at Wisconsin High ...

south to the Interstates 80/ 94 ( Kingery Expressway), and then follows the Kingery east into

. Although US 6 enters the

Chicago Metropolitan Area The Chicago metropolitan area, also colloquially referred to as Chicagoland, is a metropolitan area in the Midwestern United States. Encompassing 10,286 sq mi (28,120 km2), the metropolitan area includes the city of Chicago, its suburbs and h ...

, it never enters the city limits of Chicago.

History

US 6 first was shown on maps in 1932, mainly on its current routing except for a more southerly routing from Princeton to Spring Valley through De Pue and at the Illinois/Indiana line. In 1934, both portions were changed to its current routing, from Princeton to Spring Valley and in Lockport. By 1939, US 6 was rerouted in the Quad Cities, briefly forming U.S. Route 6 City. By 1953, the route was rerouted to travel along Torrence Avenue and part of the Kingery Expressway (from US 30 Alt. to Indiana state line). Prior to the formation of US 6, the road west of Princeton was ''

U.S. Route 32 U.S. Route 32 (US 32) was a U.S. Highway from 1926 to 1934, which ran along present-day: * U.S. Route 6 from Omaha, Nebraska to Princeton, Illinois * U.S. Route 34 from Princeton, Illinois to Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I ...

''. US 32 remained for several more years until the part east of Princeton became an extension of

Major intersections

References

{{state detail page browse, type=US, route=6, state=Illinois, stateafter=Indiana, statebefore=Iowa 06 Illinois Transportation in Rock Island County, Illinois Transportation in Henry County, Illinois Transportation in Bureau County, Illinois Transportation in LaSalle County, Illinois Transportation in Grundy County, Illinois Transportation in Will County, Illinois Transportation in Cook County, Illinois