Illinois Route 169 is an east–west state road in far southern 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,...

. It runs from Illinois Route 37

Illinois Route 37

Illinois Route 37, or Illinois 37, is a north–south route in southern Illinois. It is in length. Originally connecting Effingham to Cairo, it was a heavily-traveled highway before Interstate 57 was opened. That Interstate, which lies very close to most of Illinois 37 , supplanted it as a...

 north of Grand Chain east to U.S. Route 45

U.S. Route 45

U.S. Route 45 is a north–south United States highway. US 45 is a border-to-border route, from Lake Superior to the Gulf of Mexico. A sign at the highway's northern terminus notes the total distance as ....

 east of Boaz

Boaz, Illinois

Boaz is an unincorporated community in Massac County, Illinois, United States. Boaz is located along Illinois Route 169 east of Karnak....

. This is a distance of 9.04 miles (14.55 km).

Route description

Illinois 169 is the southernmost main arterial route between Illinois 37 and U.S. 45. It is also the southernmost east–west state route in Illinois. Illinois 169 is a two-lane surface road for its entire length.

History

SBI Route 169 originally ran from Shelbyville

Shelbyville, Illinois

Shelbyville is a city in Shelby County, Illinois, along the Kaskaskia River. As of the 2010 census, the population was at 4700. It is the county seat of Shelby County...

 to Dalton City

Dalton City, Illinois

Dalton City is a village in Moultrie County, Illinois, United States. It is in the center of the state near the Macon County line, located along Route 121 at its intersection with Route 128 and between the larger villages of Bethany and Mount Zion...

 on what is now Illinois Route 128

Illinois Route 128

Illinois Route 128 is a north–south state road in east-central Illinois. It runs from Interstate 70 in Altamont to Illinois Route 121 in Dalton City. This is a distance of .- Route description :...

. It was moved to its current route in 1949.