U.S. Route 60 and U.S. Route 62 (US 60/US 62) run for a very short distance within the state of Illinois. The highways run concurrently for their entire existence within the state. The joint highway runs around Fort Defiance in Cairo, from the Cairo Mississippi River Bridge over the Mississippi River east to the Cairo Ohio River Bridge over the Ohio River; the Ohio River Bridge also carries US 51. The bridges cross the two rivers just north of the mouth of the Ohio.
  U.S. Route 60 and U.S. Route 62 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 US 60 / US 62 highlighted in red | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by IDOT | ||||
| Length | 0.92 mi[1] (1,480 m) | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| West end |   US 60 / US 62 at Missouri state line in Cairo | |||
| East end |  US 51 / US 60 / US 62 at Kentucky state line in Cairo | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | Illinois | |||
| Counties | Alexander | |||
| Highway system | ||||
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Route description
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US 60/US 62 enters Illinois via the Cairo Mississippi River Bridge, a narrow, through truss bridge.[2] The bridge deposits the highway onto a viaduct which rises above farmland in the alluvial plain. At the northern end of the causeway is the entrance to Fort Defiance Park, a former Civil War military post and later state park. Fort Defiance marks the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers and Illinois' southernmost and lowest points. The lone intersection for US 60/US 62 is with US 51, which joins from the north. The three highway designations come together to head northeast and rise onto the Cairo Ohio River Bridge and into Kentucky.[3][4]
The Great River Road's National Route overlaps US 60/US 62 from the intersection with US 51 to the Kentucky state line.
History
editUntil the Mississippi River Bridge opened c. 1929, US 60 used a ferry directly from Bird's Point, Missouri, across that river (below the Ohio) to Wickliffe, Kentucky.[5] After that it ran into Cairo and used a ferry from roughly 22nd Street to East Cairo, Kentucky.[6] US 62 was designated around 1930,[citation needed] and the Ohio River Bridge replaced the ferry in 1937.
Originally, the Mississippi River bridge opened in 1929. It was a boon to economies of Southeast Missouri and Northern Arkansas.[7] The toll drivers would have had to pay on the Mississippi bridge was $1.40 (equivalent to $25.53 in 2023[8]).[9]
Meanwhile, the Ohio River bridge was delayed. An Act of Congress gave them more time.[10] It was eventually dedicated on November 11, 1938, and made toll free exactly ten years later. It had a cost of $3 million (equivalent to $50.9 million in 2023[11]).[12]
Major intersections
editThe entire route is in Cairo, Alexander County.
| mi[1] | km | Destinations | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.00– 0.55 | 0.00– 0.89 |     US 60 west / US 62 west to I-57 south – Charleston, Sikeston | Continuation into Missouri | ||
| Cairo Mississippi River Bridge Missouri–Illinois state line | |||||
   Great River Road info / Lincoln Heritage Trail (Southern Branch) south (Ohio River Scenic Byway south) | Western end of Lincoln Heritage Trail concurrency | ||||
| 0.72 | 1.16 |     US 51 north / Great River Road (National Route) north / Lincoln Heritage Trail (Southern Branch) north (Ohio River Scenic Byway north) to I-57 north – Cairo | Eastern end of Lincoln Heritage Trail concurrency; western end of US 51/Great River Road concurrency | ||
| 0.75– 0.92 | 1.21– 1.48 | Cairo Ohio River Bridge Illinois–Kentucky state line | |||
  US 51 south / US 60 east / US 62 east / Great River Road (National Route) south – Paducah | Continuation into Kentucky | ||||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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References
edit- ^ a b "Illinois Technology Transfer Center". Illinois Department of Transportation. 2013. Archived from the original (ESRI shapefile) on June 26, 2013. Retrieved July 27, 2014.
- ^ Federal Highway Administration (2012). "NBI Structure Number: 000002000500887". National Bridge Inventory. Federal Highway Administration.
- ^ Federal Highway Administration (2012). "NBI Structure Number: 000002000600888". National Bridge Inventory. Federal Highway Administration.
- ^ "Overview Map of US 60/US 62 in Illinois" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved January 14, 2015.
- ^ "United States Numbered Highways". American Highways. April 1927.[full citation needed]
- ^ United States Geological Survey (1939). Cairo (Map). Scale not given. Reston, VA: United States Geological Survey. Retrieved July 13, 2008 – via University of Texas Libraries.
- ^ Cairo citizen (November 10, 1931). "Is the Bridge a Benefit?". The Daily Free Press. Carbondale, IL. p. 2. Retrieved January 14, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
- ^ Mr. Hughes (March 20, 1931). "Krauses Enjoy Texas Vacation; Visit L. Wayman". Arlington Heights Herald. p. 5. Retrieved January 14, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "From Far and Near". The Jacksonville Daily Journal. February 4, 1931. p. 1. Retrieved January 14, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Johnston, Louis; Williamson, Samuel H. (2023). "What Was the U.S. GDP Then?". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved November 30, 2023. United States Gross Domestic Product deflator figures follow the MeasuringWorth series.
- ^ "Ohio River Bridge at Cairo Made Toll Free". Alton Evening Telegraph. Associated Press. November 12, 1948. p. 1. Retrieved January 14, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
External links
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- Fort Defiance Illinois. Miss and Ohio Rivers on YouTube
- Visitors Guide to the Fort Defiance Park at Greatriverroad.com
