Route 66 Alignments in Springfield

Route 66 Alignments in Springfield. . Springfield is the state capital of Illinois, located in the heart of the state. Route 66 has always served as an important transportation artery for the city. As Springfield grew and changed, so did the alignments of Route 66, creating a complex network of roads. By 1930, the route had definitely shifted east to a secondary highway that ran straighter between the state capital and Litchfield, following Peoria Road/9th Street, cutting west on S. Grand Avenue, and back south on 6th Street to Glenarm and Divernon (Whittall, 2021). In 1940, another alignment of Route 66 opened to bypass the city on the east using what today is called Dirksen Highway and Stevenson Drive. This route was called Bypass 66 from 1940-45, Beltline 66 from 1945-55, and US 66 from 1955-77. The 1930-40 route through the city continued to serve travelers as City 66 from 1940-60 and Business 66 from 1960-77 (Joppich, 2006). South of the city, the 1930-1977 route again follows Interstate 55. The 1930 alignment originally turned east off its current route using Toronto Road and North Cotton Hill Road, crossing Sugar Creek over a bridge and connecting to Olde Carriage Way. In the mid-1930s, the creek was dammed to create Lake Springfield and the roadway flooded. Old pavement from this alignment still runs below the lake.