Interstate 74
Interstate 74 (abbreviated I-74) is an interstate highway in the Midwestern and southeastern United States. Its western end is at an intersection with Interstate 80 in Davenport, Iowa; the eastern end of its Midwest segment is at an intersection with Interstate 75 in Cincinnati, Ohio. It also exists as several other disconnected sections of highways in North Carolina.
In Illinois, Interstate 74 is a major northwest-southeast interstate highway that runs across the northern portion of the state. It runs from the Iowa-Illinois state line at the Mississippi River southeast to the Indiana state line east of Danville, Illinois. This is a distance of 220.34 miles (354.60 km).[1]
Route description
In November 2006 major work was completed on the Upgrade 74 project for the portion of I-74 in the Midwest. This multi-year project, begun in April 2002, saw the complete renovation of I-74 through East Peoria, Illinois and Peoria, Illinois. Most notably the interstate was widened to three lanes through the cities, many blind or hairpin exits and entrances to the highway were removed or corrected, and many bridges crossing the highway were replaced. The biggest part of this project was work on the Murray Baker Bridge, over which I-74 crosses the Illinois River. The bridge was completely closed to traffic while being partially dismantled and reconstructed from April 2 to October 15, 2005. During this time I-74 was disconnected between Peoria and East Peoria.[2]