Editing Interstate 255

{{Short description|Highway in Illinois and Missouri}}
{{For|the former I-255 in Memphis|Interstate 255 (Tennessee)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2021}}
{{Use American English|date=March 2022}}
{{Infobox road
|country=USA
|type=I
|route=255
|map={{maplink-road|from=Interstate 255.map}}
|map_custom=yes
|map_notes=I-255 highlighted in red
|maint=[[Illinois Department of Transportation|IDOT]] and [[Missouri Department of Transportation|MoDOT]]
|length_mi=30.82
|length_ref=<ref name="fhwa">{{cite web |first = Jeff |last = Price |date = May 6, 2019 |url = https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/national_highway_system/interstate_highway_system/routefinder/table02.cfm |work = Route Log and Finder List |title = Table 2: Auxiliary Routes of the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways as of December 31, 2018 |publisher = [[Federal Highway Administration]] |access-date = March 23, 2021 }}</ref>
|established=1986
|history=Completed by 1989<ref>{{Illinois road map |year=1989 |access-date=November 24, 2022}}</ref>
|spur_type=I
|spur_of=55
|direction_a=West
|terminus_a={{Jct|state=MO|I|55|I|270}} in [[Mehlville, Missouri|Mehlville, MO]]
|junction={{Plainlist|
*{{Jct|state=MO|US|50|US|61|US|67}} in Mehlville, MO
*{{Jct|state=IL|I|64|US|50}} in [[Washington Park, Illinois|Washington Park, IL]]
*{{Jct|state=IL|I|55|I|70|US|40}} in [[Collinsville, Illinois|Collinsville, IL]]
}}
|direction_b=North
|terminus_b={{Jct|state=IL|I|270|IL|255}} in [[Pontoon Beach, Illinois|Pontoon Beach, IL]]
|counties='''MO''': [[St. Louis County, Missouri|St. Louis]]<br/>'''IL''': [[Monroe County, Illinois|Monroe]], [[St. Clair County, Illinois|St. Clair]], [[Madison County, Illinois|Madison]]
|system1={{infobox road/browselinks/USA|state=MO}}
|system2={{infobox road/browselinks/USA|state=IL}}
|browse={{mo browse|previous_type=MO|previous_route=254|route=MO|next_type=MO|next_route=265}}
{{il browse|previous_type=IL|previous_route=251|route=IL|next_type=IL|next_route=255}}
}}
'''Interstate&nbsp;255''' ('''I-255''') is a [[bypass route]] of [[Interstate 55|I-55]] in [[Greater St. Louis]]. Along with [[Interstate 270 (Illinois-Missouri)|I-270]], it forms a [[loop route|loop]] around the central portion of the bi-state metro area; a majority of I-255 is located on the [[Metro East|Illinois half]]. It shares its southern terminus with I-270 at the junction with I-55; I-270 and I-255 go to the west and east, respectively. [[U.S. Route 50]] (US&nbsp;50) joins I-255 at Lemay Ferry Road. It crosses the [[Mississippi River]] on the [[Jefferson Barracks Bridge]], enters Illinois, and then turns northeast. There is a junction with [[Interstate 64 in Illinois|I-64]], where US&nbsp;50 breaks off and goes east, and then further north there is a junction with I-55 again, [[Interstate 70 in Illinois|I-70]], and [[U.S. Route 40 in Illinois|US&nbsp;40]], all of which are all cosigned together. The next junction is another one with I-270, which is the northern terminus of I-255. After that, the limited-access freeway continues on as [[Illinois Route 255]] (IL&nbsp;255). I-255 is {{convert|30.82|mi|km}} in length.

==Route description==
[[File:I-255 west of IL 3.jpg|thumb|left|I-255, west of [[Illinois Route 3|IL&nbsp;3]]]]
I-255's counterclockwise terminus is at an interchange with I-55 and I-270 in Mehlville, Missouri. The beltway is designated as I-270 (with [[Kansas City, Missouri|Kansas City]] as the control city) west of this interchange and as I-255 east (with [[Chicago]] as the control city) east of this interchange. The section of I-255 east from this interchange to the [[Jefferson Barracks Bridge]] was first built in the 1960s to carry [[U.S. Route 50|US&nbsp;50]] traffic across the Mississippi River. The roadway was upgraded between 2002 and 2004. Repairs included both new pavement and the replacement of the [[Missouri Route 231|Telegraph Road]] bridge.

Once it crosses the Mississippi River and enters Illinois, I-255 is signed as a north–south highway. It is considerably newer than the Missouri section; it was constructed in the 1980s. At the [[Illinois Route 3|IL&nbsp;3]] interchange, I-255 turns sharply to the north. It briefly overlaps with IL&nbsp;3 in [[Dupo, Illinois|Dupo]]. After Dupo, I-255 turns northeast, skirting [[Cahokia, Illinois|Cahokia]] and [[East St. Louis, Illinois|East St. Louis]]. An interchange at Mousette Lane in [[Sauget, Illinois|Sauget]] was constructed in the 1990s and provides motorist access to [[GCS Ballpark]] (home to the [[Gateway Grizzlies]] baseball team) and the [[St. Louis Downtown Airport]]. Given its proximity to the airport, this section of I-255 features shorter light poles to better accommodate takeoffs and landings.

North of Sauget, I-255 traverses a portion of the [[Frank Holten State Recreation Area]] before an interchange with [[Interstate 64 in Illinois|I-64]] west of [[Caseyville, Illinois|Caseyville]]. This section of freeway opened in 1986.<ref>{{cite news |work = Alton Telegraph |date = October 24, 1986 }}{{Full citation needed|date=March 2022}}</ref> Traffic can enter and exit I-255 at an interchange with Collinsville Road (formerly [[U.S. Route 40 in Illinois|US&nbsp;40]]) just east of the Fairmont Park Racetrack.

I-255 meets I-55/I-70 at an interchange in [[Collinsville, Illinois|Collinsville]], its original intended terminus. North of this interchange, the control city for I-255 changes from "Chicago" to "To I-270". In the 1980s, I-255 was extended approximately {{Convert|5|mi|km|spell=in}} north to meet I-270 in [[Pontoon Beach, Illinois|Pontoon Beach]], its current terminus. While the I-255 designation ends at the I-270 interchange, the freeway continues north and west (parallelling the bend in the Mississippi River) for approximately {{Convert|23|mi|km}} as [[Illinois Route 255|IL&nbsp;255]]. The decision to not extend the I-255 designation to the new freeway reflects the fact that state and not federal funds were used to pay for construction.

==History==
[[File:St Louis, Missouri 1955 Yellow Book.jpg|thumb|left|The Yellow Book plan in Greater St. Louis]]
I-255 route was proposed from I-55/I-244 near [[Green Park, Missouri|Green Park]] to I-55/70 west of [[Cahokia Mounds]] near the intersection with [[Illinois Route 111|IL&nbsp;111]] when plans surfaced in the 1950s Yellow Book.<ref>{{cite map|url=http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/world_cities/st.louis.jpg|title=St. Louis, Missouri|scale=1:500,000}}</ref> It was originally designed to be a four lane highway but was changed to six lanes.<ref>{{cite news |work = Alton Telegraph |date = April 29, 1977 }}{{Full citation needed|date=March 2022}}</ref>

Since that routing was to go through the American Bottoms, archaeological investigations had to be conducted prior to any construction, which would later become known as the FAI&nbsp;270 Series.<ref>{{Cite web |title=FAI-270 Series: American Bottom Archaeology |url=https://www.itarp.uiuc.edu/pubs/fai270_series.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720085217/http://www.itarp.uiuc.edu/pubs/fai270_series.html |archive-date=July 20, 2011 |access-date=March 12, 2022 |publisher=Illinois Transportation Archaeological Research Program}}</ref> When Cahokia Mounds was designated in the federal register, an alternative alignment for I-255 from I-64 to I-55/70 was selected.<ref>{{cite news |work = Edwardsville Intelligencer |date = July 9, 1973 }}{{Full citation needed|date=March 2022}}</ref> This delayed construction of I-255 until the late 1970s, making it the last Interstate Highway in metropolitan St. Louis to be built.

Both the western (I-270) and eastern (I-255) portions of the Interstate loop around St. Louis were originally designated as I-270.<ref>{{Illinois road map |year=1968 |access-date=November 24, 2022}}</ref> However, the route that Illinois selected ("Corridor&nbsp;413"<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dees |first=Dan C. |date=November 1, 1974 |title=Federal-aid Freeway System - Supplemental Freeways |url=http://www.midwestroads.com/illinois/il%20supp%20fwy.pdf |access-date=March 12, 2022 |via=MidwestRoads.com |publisher=[[Illinois Department of Transportation]]}}</ref>) included an interchange in Pontoon Beach between the new beltway (running north and south parallel to the Mississippi River) and the existing beltway (running east and west to a terminus at I-55/I-70). As such, two intersecting Interstate Highways would have carried the same route number.<ref name="ReferenceA">IDOT FAI-270/FAP 413 Draft EIS Volume 1, 1983</ref> As such, the [[Illinois Department of Transportation]] (IDOT) concluded a different route number would be necessary for the eastern leg of the beltway. While I-870 was initially considered,<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120314012318/http://img706.imageshack.us/img706/3282/is270eis1.jpg I-270/870 proposed routes]{{Full citation needed|date=March 2022}}</ref> informal use of I-255 in contemporary local media coverage led to its widespread adoption. By 1980, IDOT announced that the eastern portion of the St. Louis beltway was to be designated as I-255.

==Exit list==
{{jcttop|exit|state_col=state|length_ref=}}
{{MOint|exit
|sspan=6
|county=St. Louis
|cspan=6
|location=Concord
|mile=0.00
|mspan=2
|exit=
|road={{Jct|state=MO|I|270|dir1=north|city1=Kansas City}}
|notes=Clockwise terminus; continuation beyond I-55}}
{{MOint|exit
|location1=Concord
|location2=Mehlville
|type=incomplete
|mile=none
|exit=1
|road={{Jct|state=MO|I|55|city1=St. Louis|location2=[[Memphis, Tennessee|Memphis]]}}
|notes=I-55 exit 196; signed as exits 1A (south) & 1B (north); westbound exits and eastbound entrances}}
{{MOint|exit
|location=Mehlville
|lspan=4
|type=incomplete
|mile=0.5
|exit=1B
|road={{Jct|state=MO|US|61|US|67|name2=Lemay Ferry Road}}
|notes=Eastbound exit and westbound entrance}}
{{MOint|exit
|type=concur
|mile=1.2
|exit=1C
|road={{Jct|state=MO|US|50|dir1=west|name1=[[Lindbergh Boulevard]]|to2=to|US|61|US|67|name3=Lemay Ferry Road}}
|notes=West end of US&nbsp;50 overlap; westbound exit and eastbound entrance}}
{{MOint|exit
|mile=2.2
|exit=2
|road={{Jct|state=MO|Route|231|name1=Telegraph Road}}
|notes=}}
{{MOint|exit
|mile=3.2
|exit=3
|road=Koch Road
|notes=Orientation changes from east-west to north-south}}
{{jctbridge|exit
|river=[[Mississippi River]]
|river_wide=yes
|mile=3.5
|mile2=4.0
|bridge=[[Jefferson Barracks Bridge]]}}
{{ILint|exit
|sspan=14
|county=Monroe
|location=Columbia
|type=concur
|mile=6.0
|mile2=6.9
|exit=6
|road={{Jct|state=IL|IL|3|dir1=south|GRR|dir2=south|city1=Columbia}}
|notes=South end of IL&nbsp;3 / GRR overlap}}
{{ILint|exit
|county=St. Clair
|cspan=7
|location=Dupo
|lspan=2
|mile=9.2
|exit=9
|road=S. Main Street/Old Route 3&nbsp;– [[Dupo, Illinois|Dupo]]
|notes=}}
{{ILint|exit
|type=concur
|mile=10.6
|exit=10
|road={{Jct|state=IL|IL|3|dir1=north|GRR|dir2=north|city1=Cahokia|city2=East St. Louis}}
|notes=North end of IL&nbsp;3 / GRR overlap}}
{{ILint|exit
|location=Cahokia
|mile=13.0
|exit=13
|road={{Jct|state=IL|IL|157|city1=Cahokia|name1=Camp Jackson Road}}
|notes=}}
{{ILint|exit
|location=Centreville
|mile=15.0
|exit=15
|road=Mousette Lane
|notes=}}
{{ILint|exit
|location=Alorton
|mile=16.7
|exit=17
|road={{Jct|state=IL|IL|15|city1=Belleville|city2=East St. Louis|name1=New Missouri Avenue}}
|notes=Signed as exits 17A (east) and 17B (west)}}
{{ILint|exit
|location=East St. Louis
|mile=18.6
|exit=19
|road=State Street&nbsp;– [[East St. Louis, Illinois|East St. Louis]]
|notes=}}
{{ILint|exit
|location=Caseyville
|type=concur
|mile=20.1
|exit=20
|road={{Jct|state=IL|I|64|US|50|dir2=east|location1=[[St. Louis, Missouri|St. Louis]]|location2=[[Louisville, Kentucky|Louisville]]}}
|notes=I-64 exit 7; north end of US&nbsp;50 overlap}}
{{ILint|exit
|county1=St.&nbsp;Clair
|county2=Madison
|location=Collinsville
|lspan=2
|mile=23.6
|exit=24
|road=Collinsville Road
|notes=}}
{{ILint|exit
|county=Madison
|cspan=5
|mile=24.8
|exit=25
|road={{Jct|state=IL|I|55|I|70|US|40|noshield3=yes|city1=Chicago|location2=[[Indianapolis]]|location3=[[St. Louis]]}}
|notes=I-55/I-70 exit 10; signed as exits 25A (north/east) & 25B (south/west)}}
{{ILint|exit
|location=Pontoon Beach
|lspan=4
|mile=26.0
|exit=26
|road=Horseshoe Lake Road
|notes=}}
{{ILint|exit
|mile=29.2
|exit=29
|road={{Jct|state=IL|IL|162|city1=Granite City|city2=Glen Carbon}}
|notes=}}
{{ILint|exit
|mile=30.82
|mspan=2
|exit=30
|road={{Jct|state=IL|I|270|location1=[[Indianapolis, Indiana|Indianapolis]]|location2=[[Kansas City, Missouri|Kansas City]]}}
|notes=I-270 exit 7A westbound, 7 eastbound; counterclockwise terminus}}
{{ILint|exit
|mile=none
|exit=
|road={{Jct|state=IL|IL|255|dir1=north|name1=Alton Bypass|city1=Alton}}
|notes=Continuation north beyond I-270}}
{{jctbtm|col=8|keys=concur,incomplete}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
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{{3di|55}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Auxiliary Interstate Highways|55-2]]
[[Category:Interstate 55|2]]
[[Category:Interstate Highways in Illinois|55-2]]
[[Category:Interstate Highways in Missouri|55-2]]
[[Category:Roads in Greater St. Louis]]
[[Category:Transportation in Madison County, Illinois]]
[[Category:Transportation in Monroe County, Illinois]]
[[Category:Transportation in St. Clair County, Illinois]]
[[Category:Transportation in St. Louis County, Missouri]]
[[Category:Beltways in the United States]]