Interstate 55 - Definition and Overview

Interstate 55 is an interstate highway in the central United States. Like other "interstates," it is commonly referred to as I-55. Its odd number indicates that it is primarily a north-south highway. It goes from Laplace, Louisiana (some 25 miles (40 km) west of New Orleans) at Interstate 10 to Chicago, Illinois at U.S. Highway 41 (Lake Shore Drive).

In the Chicagoland area the expressway is referred to as the Adlai E. Stevenson Expressway.

Length

Major Cities Along the Route

• Jackson, Mississippi
• Memphis, Tennessee
• Saint Louis, Missouri
• Chicago, Illinois

Intersections with other Interstates

• Interstate 10 in Laplace, Louisiana
• Interstate 12 in Hammond, Louisiana
• Interstate 20 in Jackson, Mississippi
• Interstate 40 in Memphis, Tennessee
• Interstate 57 in Miner, Missouri
• Interstate 44 in Saint Louis, Missouri
• Interstate 64 in Saint Louis, Missouri
• Interstate 70 in Saint Louis, Missouri. They stay joined until an exit near Troy, Illinois.
• Interstate 72 in Springfield, Illinois
• Interstate 74 in Normal, Illinois
• Interstate 39 in Normal, Illinois
• Interstate 80 in Shorewood, Illinois
• Interstate 90 in Chicago, Illinois
• Interstate 94 in Chicago, Illinois

Spur Routes

• Turrell to Jonesboro, Arkansas - I-555
• Caruthersville, Missouri to Dyersburg, Tennessee - I-155
• Saint Louis, Missouri - I-255
• Spur to Peoria, Illinois - I-155
• Metropolitan Chicago, Illinois - I-355

Notes

• I-255 was a bypass around Memphis, Tennessee; it is now I-240.

• A portion of I-55 in Saint Louis County, Missouri is named the Rosa Parks Highway.

• I-755 was planned to bypass downtown St. Louis, but the freeway was never built. Currently, the city can be bypassed by I-255, I-270 or I-170, known as the Inner Belt Expressway.

Reference

• 2005 Rand McNally "The Road Atlas 2005" - newest feature- interstate mileage by state