Interstate 39 - History

History

The genesis of Interstate 39 dates back to 1945, when the United States began planning the first 40,000 mile interstate system. An initial request was made for a north-south highway from South Beloit to Salem, Illinois. and in 1956, legislation provided funding for the highway. However, the project was deemed a low priority and was shelved. During 1962 there were 531 crashes along U.S. 51 between Rockford and Decatur, with 11 fatalities. In 1969, the Illinois legislation started prompting the need for a highway in this corridor and the project was revived. When I-39 was being planned in the mid-1970s, it was to run from U.S Route 20 in Rockford to Interstate 57 near Salem, but only the area between Rockford and Decatur got the high priority funding. Due to budgetary difficulties, I-39 only made it to Bloomington. U.S 51 was instead upgraded to a four-lane divided expressway between Bloomington and Decatur, with some traffic lights. When traveling on Interstate 72, between mileposts 139 and 140, one can see embankments for an expressway interchange that was never constructed, which was supposed to be where I-39 was to merge. At one time there were pavement stubs leading onto the embankments but they have since been removed. Interstate 39 was considered at one point for the unbuilt Peoria-to-Chicago Highway.

I-39 was established in 1984 on the section from Illinois Route 5 (now called Interstate 88) in Rochelle, to U.S. Route 20 in Rockford. I-39 was completed south from Route 5 to I-80 in 1986. By December 1987, construction on the section of I-39 between I-80 and Illinois Route 251 was finished. The next section, between Illinois Route 251 and Interstate 55 in Bloomington, opened in 1992, completing the southern part of I-39. In December 1989, the section from Bloomington to Hudson opened, a distance of about 4.4 miles (7.1 km) In early September 1992, another segment opened from IL 116 north to IL 17. Illinois Department of Transportation has not finished I-39, since its plans called for it to extend south to Decatur, Illinois. US 51 between Bloomington and Decatur has been improved to be a 4-lane divided highway with minimal stops.

In Wisconsin, the route was officially designated in 1992. In October 1993, AASHTO established part of I-39 in its northern section between Rockford and Rib Mountain, Wisconsin, then designated I-39 along existing portions of I-90, I-94, and U.S. Route 51. However, this part of the highway was not marked as I-39 for another four years, primarily because the Wisconsin Highway Department had to reconstruct the interchange connecting I-90 and I-94 with Wisconsin Highway 78 near Portage. Signs denoting I-39 were placed along the highway in Wisconsin until 1996, when the section between Portage and Rothschild, Wisconsin (near Wausau) received its signs. This occurred after then Governor Tommy Thompson designated the stretch between Portage and Wausau in 1996 after a five-year push to get the interstate designation approved. The remaining segment along I-90/I-94 was not signed for I-39 until late 1998 The section between the I-90/I-94 interchange and US 51's interchange in Portage was previously a part of WIS 78. That route was truncated back to its current terminus when the Interstate's designation went into effect. The designation of I-39 violated Wisconsin's rule of not having any state trunkline number duplicated—Interstate, U.S. or state—as WIS 39 already existed.