Illinois Route 37

Illinois Route 37
Route information
Maintained by IDOT
Length:	155.07 mi[1] (249.56 km)
Existed:	November 5, 1918[2] – present
Major junctions
South end:	US 51 in Cairo
	I-64 in Mt. Vernon US 50 in Salem
North end:	US 45 in Watson
Location
Counties:	Alexander, Pulaski, Johnson, Williamson, Franklin, Jefferson, Marion, Fayette, Clay, Effingham
Highway system
Illinois State Highway System Interstate U.S. State Tollways ← US 36 IL 38 →

Illinois Route 37, or Illinois 37, is a north–south route in southern Illinois. It is 155.07 miles (249.56 km) in length.^[1]

Route description

Between Effingham and a point near Watson, a segment in which it shared a route with U.S. Route 45, Illinois 37 has been decommissioned in favor of US 45. Between Watson and just north of Salem, it angles westward and toward the south before meeting US 50 at Salem, Illinois 15 and Illinois 142 at Mount Vernon, Interstate 64 south of Mount Vernon, Illinois 14 and Illinois 34 at Benton, Illinois 149 at West Frankfort, Illinois 13 at Marion, and US 51 and Illinois 3 at its current southern terminus at Urbandale. Both of Illinois Route 148's termini branch from Route 37, the north terminus at Mount Vernon, and the southern terminus just north of Pulley's Mill. It has no direct connection to Interstate 24, which is far better approached from Interstate 57.

All of Illinois 37 is an undivided surface route.

History

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 (indeed the entire route north of Pulleys Mill), supplanted it as a through route. Illinois 37 was long a part of the most direct route between Chicago and Memphis. Despite its obvious significance in pre-Interstate times, it was never part of the U.S. Highway system. Illinois 37 has become a route of local significance instead of the busy, long-distance, inter-city highway that it was until the 1970s. As a town-to-town route, it especially serves communities which have no access to Interstate 57.

Major intersections

County	Location	mi	km	Destinations	Notes
Pulaski	​			US 51 / Great River Road
	​			IL 169 east
Johnson	West Vienna			IL 146
Williamson	​			IL 148 north to I-57
	Marion			IL 13 (Deyoung Street)
Franklin	West Frankfort			IL 149 (Main Street)
	Benton			IL 14 west / IL 34 east (Main Street)	South end of IL 14 overlap
				IL 14 east (Bailey Lane)	North end of IL 14 overlap
	​			IL 154 west to I-57
Jefferson	​			I-64 – East St. Louis, Evansville
	Mt. Vernon			IL 142 south / IL 148 south (Veterans Memorial Drive)
				IL 15 (Broadway Street, Main Street)
Marion	​			IL 161 west
	Salem			US 50 (Main Street)
Fayette	Farina			IL 185 west (Washington Street)
Clay	No major junctions
Effingham	​			To I-57
	​			US 45
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus

References

1. Illinois Technology Transfer Center (2006). "T2 GIS Data". Retrieved 2007-11-08.
2. Carlson, Rich. Illinois Highways Page: Routes 21 thru 40. Last updated March 15, 2005. Retrieved April 7, 2006.

External links

Route map: Bing / Google

• Illinois Highway Ends: Illinois Route 37