Illinois Route 6 is a 4-lane freeway in central 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 begins as a northern extension of Interstate 474

Interstate 474

Interstate 474 is an Interstate Highway loop route that provides a southern bypass around the north central Illinois city of Peoria. I-474's parent interstate is I-74. As the first digit of the interstate's number is even, it follows the established convention of providing a loop around a city....

 at Interstate 74

Interstate 74 in Illinois

In the U.S. state of Illinois, Interstate 74 is a major northwest-southeast Interstate Highway that runs across the northern portion of the state. It runs from the Iowa state line at the Mississippi River southeast to the Indiana state line east of Danville, Illinois. This is a distance of 220.34...

 west of Peoria, and ends at Illinois Route 29

Illinois Route 29

Illinois Route 29 is a two to four lane state road that runs south from U.S. Route 6/Illinois Route 89 at Spring Valley to U.S. Route 51/Illinois Route 16 at Pana, running through Pekin, Peoria and Springfield. The nearest major north–south highway, Interstate 39, runs parallel to Illinois...

 in Mossville

Mossville, Illinois

Mossville, Illinois is an unincorporated community between Peoria and Chillicothe in Peoria County, Illinois. Mossville is part of the Peoria, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area and resides closely to the northern part of Peoria...

, south of Chillicothe

Chillicothe, Illinois

Chillicothe is a city on the Illinois River in Peoria County, Illinois. The population was 5,996 at the 2000 census. Chillicothe is just north of the city of Peoria and is part of the Peoria, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area.- Geography :...

. The freeway currently has a total length of 10.11 miles (16.27 km), including the connector ramp to Illinois 29.

Route description

Although fairly short, Illinois 6 draws more traffic than a rural highway because it passes through the developing north and northwest edge of Peoria. A one-mile (1.6 km) stretch of road around the U.S. Route 150

U.S. Route 150

U.S. Route 150 is a 571 mile long northwest-southeast United States highway, signed as east–west. It runs from U.S. Route 6 outside of Moline, Illinois to U.S. Route 25 in Mount Vernon, Kentucky .-Illinois:In the state of Illinois, U.S. 150 runs from the Quad City International Airport at U.S...

 (War Memorial Drive) exit has become a major commercial development area that now includes a major mall and a nearby strip mall with over 30 movie screens between them. In addition, new development is occurring rapidly around the other interchanges of Allen Road (old Illinois Route 174

Illinois Route 174

Illinois Route 174 was a state highway in Illinois from 1924 to 1983. The route connected Illinois Route 40 and Illinois Route 91 through the community of Alta...

), Knoxville Avenue (Illinois Route 40

Illinois Route 40

Illinois Route 40 is a north–south route in central portion of the U.S. state of Illinois. It runs from Interstate 74 in East Peoria north to Illinois Route 78 at Mt. Carroll, just south of U.S. Route 52 and Illinois Route 64. This is a distance of ....

), and Illinois Route 29

Illinois Route 29

Illinois Route 29 is a two to four lane state road that runs south from U.S. Route 6/Illinois Route 89 at Spring Valley to U.S. Route 51/Illinois Route 16 at Pana, running through Pekin, Peoria and Springfield. The nearest major north–south highway, Interstate 39, runs parallel to Illinois...

.

Plans have been considered to either extend Illinois 6 into a loop by building a bridge over the Illinois River

Illinois River

The Illinois River is a principal tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately long, in the State of Illinois. The river drains a large section of central Illinois, with a drainage basin of . This river was important among Native Americans and early French traders as the principal water route...

 and running the highway south to Interstates 74 and 474 near Interstate 155

Interstate 155 (Illinois)

Interstate 155 is a north–south spur of Interstate 55 that provides an interstate connection for the Illinois cities of Peoria and Lincoln. The northern terminus for the interstate is just east of Peoria, at Interstate 74 exit 101 in Morton. The southern terminus, which is northwest of...

 in Morton

Morton, Illinois

Morton is a village in Tazewell County, Illinois, USA, known for its pumpkins and annual Pumpkin Festival. The population was 15,198 at the 2000 census. Morton, the home of a Caterpillar distribution facility and a Libby's pumpkin plant, is part of the Peoria, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical...

, or to build north or northeast from the current terminus to make Illinois 6 part of an often-proposed Peoria-to-Chicago Highway

Peoria-to-Chicago Highway

The Peoria-to-Chicago Highway refers to an effort in the U.S. state of Illinois made in the late 1990s to directly connect the cities of Peoria and Chicago with a multilane freeway. Plans for any highway failed due to grass-roots efforts against the highway....

. As of 2009, plans are being considered for an eastern connection to loop the highway around to the current eastern end of Interstate 474 (which is the most heavily studied option) or the north end of Interstate 155. The possibility of another bridge over the Illinois River is still on the table. Recently, a Republican Illinois State Senator, Dale Risinger

Dale Risinger

Dale Risinger is a former Republican member of the Illinois Senate he represented the 37th district. He served as Senate Republican Caucus Chairman in 2008....

, has put forth a bill that would make the proposed route a toll road (it would likely cost drivers more to drive around another way than to have to pay the toll).

Exit list

The entire route is in Peoria

Peoria, Illinois

Peoria is the largest city on the Illinois River and the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, in the United States. It is named after the Peoria tribe. As of the 2010 census, the city was the seventh-most populated in Illinois, with a population of 115,007, and is the third-most populated...

, Peoria County

Peoria County, Illinois

Peoria County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 186,494, which is an increase of 1.7% from 183,433 in 2000. Its county seat is Peoria....

.
{| class=wikitable
!Mile
!#

Exit number

An exit number is a number assigned to a road junction, usually an exit from a freeway. It is usually marked on the same sign as the destinations of the exit, as well as a sign in the gore....

!Destinations
!Notes
|-
|
|
|, Indianapolis

Indianapolis

Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...

|Continuation beyond I-74
|-
|0.00
|
|
|Southbound exit and northbound entrance; signed as exits A (east) and B (west)
|-
|2.32
|2
|
|
|-
|5.51
|5
|Allen Road
|
|-
|6.54
|6
|
|
|-
|9.18
|9
|
|Northbound exit and southbound entrance