Bishop Ford Freeway
Encyclopedia
The Bishop Ford Freeway, formerly known as the Calumet Expressway, is a portion of Interstate 94
in northeastern Illinois
, south of downtown Chicago
. It runs from Interstate 57
south to the intersection with Interstate 80
, Interstate 294
(Tri-State Tollway
) and Illinois Route 394
. The Bishop Ford constitutes 10 of the 77 miles (16 of 124 km) that Interstate 94 runs in Illinois.
This South Side highway is named for Chicago religious activist Bishop Louis Henry Ford, the former presiding bishop of the 8.5 million member Church of God in Christ
. He spent 40 years preaching in the city of Chicago before dying at the age of 81 in 1995.
The Bishop Ford is the only freeway-grade, toll-free road in the Chicago area that is referred to as "Freeway." All of the others (Dan Ryan, Kennedy, Edens, Stevenson, Eisenhower, Elgin-O'Hare, Kingery, and Borman) are called "Expressway," even though there is little or no difference in the quality of the road between the Bishop Ford and the others—calling them "Expressway" is merely a Chicago colloquialism to which the Bishop Ford is the lone exception (likely due to the alliterative value of using "Freeway" instead of "Expressway" following a word beginning with the letter "F").
The Bishop Ford turns into the Dan Ryan Expressway
to the north, and the Kingery Expressway
to the east of the Tri-State Tollway.
The Calumet Expressway was originally an extension of Doty Avenue. There were traffic lights at the intersections of Doty with 111th, 115th, and 130th, but interchanges were built in the early 1960s. The expressway was originally designated as Illinois 1, Alternate U.S. 30, and certain portions as U.S. 6
and Illinois 83, but Illinois 1 returned to Halsted Street, and U.S. 6 and Illinois 83 were routed onto Torrence Avenue. In 1962, the connection between the Calumet Expressway and Dan Ryan Expressway opened, and is now signed as part of the Bishop Ford.
In 2006-2007, the portion south of 159th Street was reconstructed as part of the Kingery Expressway
-Southland Interchange project. The section between 159th Street and Martin Luther King, Jr. drive was rehabilitated and resurfaced in Summer and Fall 2009.
Interstate 94
Interstate 94 is the northernmost east–west Interstate Highway, connecting the Great Lakes and Intermountain regions of the United States. I-94's western terminus is in Billings, Montana at a junction with Interstate 90; its eastern terminus is the U.S...
in northeastern Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, south of downtown Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. It runs from Interstate 57
Interstate 57
Interstate 57 is an Interstate Highway in Missouri and Illinois that parallels the old Illinois Central rail line for much of its route. It goes from Miner, Missouri, at Interstate 55 to Chicago, Illinois, at Interstate 94. I-57 essentially serves as a shortcut route for travelers headed between...
south to the intersection with Interstate 80
Interstate 80
Interstate 80 is the second-longest Interstate Highway in the United States, following Interstate 90. It is a transcontinental artery running from downtown San Francisco, California to Teaneck, New Jersey in the New York City Metropolitan Area...
, Interstate 294
Interstate 294
Interstate 294 is a tolled Interstate Highway in northeastern Illinois, U.S.A.. It forms the southern portion of the Tri-State Tollway in Illinois. I-294 runs from South Holland at Interstates 80 and 94, and Illinois Route 394 to Northbrook at I-94. Interstate 294 is long; are shared with I-80....
(Tri-State Tollway
Tri-State Tollway
The Tri-State Tollway is a U.S. toll road maintained by the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority in northeastern Illinois which is considered one of the most heavily traveled highways in the country...
) and Illinois Route 394
Illinois Route 394
Illinois Route 394 is a four-lane state freeway that travels south from Thornton at the Interstate 294/Interstate 94/Interstate 80 interchange to Illinois Route 1 south of Steger and Crete. Before taking the Illinois 394 route, it was known as Illinois 1...
. The Bishop Ford constitutes 10 of the 77 miles (16 of 124 km) that Interstate 94 runs in Illinois.
This South Side highway is named for Chicago religious activist Bishop Louis Henry Ford, the former presiding bishop of the 8.5 million member Church of God in Christ
Church of God in Christ
The Church of God in Christ is a Pentecostal Holiness Christian denomination with a predominantly African-American membership. With nearly five million members in the United States and 12,000 congregations, it is the largest Pentecostal church and the fifth largest Christian church in the U.S....
. He spent 40 years preaching in the city of Chicago before dying at the age of 81 in 1995.
The Bishop Ford turns into the Dan Ryan Expressway
Dan Ryan Expressway
The Dan Ryan is an expressway in the city of Chicago that runs from the Circle Interchange with I-290 near downtown Chicago through the South Side of the city. It is designated as both Interstate 94 and Interstate 90 south to 66th Street, a distance of...
to the north, and the Kingery Expressway
Kingery Expressway
The Robert Kingery Expressway, formerly called the Tri-State Highway, is a three-mile-long , eight-lane expressway in northeastern Illinois...
to the east of the Tri-State Tollway.
History
U.S. Route 6 in Illinois
In the state of Illinois, U.S. Route 6 is an east–west arterial surface road that runs from the city of Moline in the Quad Cities area to Lansing at the Indiana state line. This is a distance of approximately .-Quad Cities to LaSalle–Peru:...
and Illinois 83, but Illinois 1 returned to Halsted Street, and U.S. 6 and Illinois 83 were routed onto Torrence Avenue. In 1962, the connection between the Calumet Expressway and Dan Ryan Expressway opened, and is now signed as part of the Bishop Ford.
In 2006-2007, the portion south of 159th Street was reconstructed as part of the Kingery Expressway
Kingery Expressway
The Robert Kingery Expressway, formerly called the Tri-State Highway, is a three-mile-long , eight-lane expressway in northeastern Illinois...
-Southland Interchange project. The section between 159th Street and Martin Luther King, Jr. drive was rehabilitated and resurfaced in Summer and Fall 2009.
Lingo
- The Steel Bridge is a common reference to the steel truss bridgeTruss bridgeA truss bridge is a bridge composed of connected elements which may be stressed from tension, compression, or sometimes both in response to dynamic loads. Truss bridges are one of the oldest types of modern bridges...
over the Calumet RiverCalumet RiverThe Calumet River refers to a system of heavily industrialized rivers and canals in the region between the neighborhood of South Chicago in Chicago, Illinois, and the city of Gary, Indiana.-Background:...
in DoltonDolton, IllinoisDolton is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 25,614 at the 2000 census. Dolton is located just west of the expressway Interstate 94 and immediately south of the city limits of Chicago. Its most common ZIP code is 60419....
.