Here’s the first post about my vacation at the end of May. More will come starting Monday.
Champaign, Illinois, May 22 — I had the flexibility to put off this trip for a few days, and was glad I did. There were nothing but clear skies ahead, and I had my first 450-mile day in a long time.
Route: I-235, I-80, Business 61, I-280, I-80, I-74, US 6, IL 89, I-80, IL 178, US 6, IL 71, I-80 to exit 105, US 6, I-55, I-80, I-57
The style matches and it’s not Butt-Ugly Kansas-Style letters! This replacement is pretty seamless. Compare to previously existing setup.
“Business” tabs have replaced directional markers all along the old route of US 61 through Davenport except for the interchange with IA 22. There, they are still “north” and “south.” I don’t know why they took down the directional markers, since the business route would still be thought to run north and south. The I-280/US 6 interchange, however, did not have US 61 signs on 6. Business 61 was my only route clinch of the day. I technically have not clinched US 61 in Iowa since the Fort Madison bypass opened, but my travel on I-80 and I-280 closed this reroute gap.
I hopped on and off US 6 in Illinois, skipping some urban areas so I didn’t spend as much time. I got stuck behind a cement mixer between the QC and Geneseo and had to clean the windshield a third time in Atkinson. One of my switches back to I-80 was unintentional; IL 71 is the main road while 6 splits off.
Approaching IL 26 from US 6/34, guess what you see? Yup. “Jct 6/34/26.” This issue of having a “junction” with the road you are already on is a chronic one in Illinois.
The westward creep of Chicago sprawl continues. I was on US 6 “west of” Channahon according to DeLorme, but it was an intersection with a stoplight, opposing Osco Drug and Walgreens, and one bank-owned empty lot. I think it’s a law in Illinois that every corner with a Walgreens must also have a CVS or Jewel/Osco.
I-80’s control cities as seen on I-55 are Iowa and Indiana. Traffic was somewhat heavy on I-80 between I-55 and I-57. Practically all the BGSs on that part of I-80 (with the notable exception of I-57, see below) are Clearview now. All the pull-throughs are “Indiana” instead of “Toledo.”
You can’t really see it here, but these signs are button copy, and some of the last remaining non-Clearview BGSs on I-80 in the Chicago area.
I-57 traffic declined markedly after US 30. Unlike Iowa, there are not mileage signs after every exit. Those that exist have Memphis as the control city.
Illinois’ corn crop is coming in pretty nicely despite some standing water (!) in some fields on I-57. One thing I noticed after hearing it on WMT-AM earlier in the day is that while the talk used to be about planting “fence row to fence row”, farmers are now taking out the fences. End rows wrap around utility poles.
Nothing else to report about I-57, other than it seemed less busy than I-35 in southern Iowa. The setting sun wasn’t bad at all. It was a perfect day of driving and I ended up in Champaign shortly after 7 with 475 miles done. This also finished off I-57 in northern Illinois, plus every county north of (but not on) I-70.