Editing Interstate 55 (section)

==History==
{{See also|Interstate 55 in Illinois#History}}
When it was realized that a national highway system was needed, the [[Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956]] provided for a highway replacing the old [[U.S. Route 66|US&nbsp;66]] which I-55 filled. I-55 was originally constructed in the 1960s, to extend a section of US&nbsp;66 between [[Interstate 294|I-294]] and [[Gardner, Illinois|Gardner]] which had been converted into a freeway and had Interstate signage installed in 1960. During the rest of the 1960s, I-55 was built in portions throughout Illinois, eventually connecting [[St. Louis]] to [[Chicago]], where it became the fourth direct route between them. As it goes southward, most of the Interstate was purpose-built during the 1960s and 1970s. The entire length was completed in 1979.