Illinois Route 251

Illinois Route 251
Route information
Maintained by IDOT
Length:	135.32 mi[1] (217.78 km)
Existed:	Early 1970s[2] – present
Major junctions
South end:	I-39 / US 51 in Hudson
	US 24 in El Paso I-39 / US 51 in LaSalle US 6 in Peru I-80 in Peru US 52 in Troy Grove US 34 in Mendota US 52 in Mendota US 30 in Compton I-88 / IL 110 (CKC) in Rochelle US 20 in Rockford
North end:	US 51 / IL 75 in South Beloit
Highway system
Illinois State Highway System Interstate U.S. State Tollways ← IL 250 I-255 →

Illinois Route 251 is a north–south state road that runs on the former alignment of U.S. Route 51 before Interstate 39 was built in central Illinois. It runs from U.S. 51 at the border with Wisconsin to I-39 and U.S. 51 south of Kappa. Illinois 251 is 135.32 miles (217.78 km) long.^[1]

Route description

Illinois 251 runs parallel to Interstate 39 and U.S. 51 for most of the length of I-39 in Illinois. Like Illinois Route 351, it can be considered a spur, loop or alternate of its parent route, U.S. 51. Illinois 251 terminates about 8 mi (13 km) north of the southern terminus of I-39.

The road parallels the east bank of the Rock River through Rockford, where the highway goes north on Eleventh Street, west on Harrison, north on Kishwaukee, west on Walnut then split between northbound Third and southbound Second through downtown Rockford. After donwtown, both directions take the southbound lanes' Second Street name as a divided urban expressway (also badged as Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Drive) for a couple of miles north of downtown Rockford. It stays Second Street through Loves Park, Machesney Park and Roscoe until its north endpoint at US 51 and Illinois 75 in South Beloit

History

Illinois 251 was established in 1982 when first segment of I-39 opened between Rockford and Bloomington. In 1992, the final segment of I-39 opened north of Bloomington. The remaining stretch of Former U.S. 51 became Illinois 251.^[3] The initial designation of I-39 was U.S. Route 51 until 1992.

Major intersections

County	Location	mi	km	Destinations	Notes
McLean	​			I-39 / US 51 – Bloomington–Normal, Rockford
Woodford	El Paso			US 24 (West Main Street)
	​			IL 116 west	South end of IL 116 overlap
	​			IL 116 east	North end of IL 116 overlap
Marshall	​			IL 17 west	South end of IL 17 overlap
	Wenona			IL 17 east (Elm Street)	North end of IL 17 overlap
LaSalle	​			IL 18 (North 13th Road)
	Tonica			CR 54 (Ray Richardson Road, Ed Lambert Road)
	​			IL 71 / IL 351 north
	​			I-39 / US 51 – Bloomington–Normal, Rockford
	Illinois River			Peru Bridge
	Peru			US 6 – LaSalle, Spring Valley	Interchange
	​			I-80 – Moline, Rock Island, Joliet
	​			CR 33 (North 33rd Road)
	​			US 52 east (North 37th Road)	South end of US 52 overlap
	Mendota			US 34 (Washington Street, Walter Payton Memorial Highway)
				US 52 west	North end of US 52 overlap
Lee	​			US 30
Ogle	​			I-88 / IL 110 (CKC) (Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway)
	Rochelle			IL 38 west / Lincoln Highway (Lincoln Avenue)	South end of IL 38 overlap
				IL 38 east / Lincoln Highway (May Mart Drive)	North end of IL 38 overlap
	​			IL 64
	Davis Junction			IL 72 (Chicago Avenue)
Winnebago	Rockford			US 20 (Rockford Bypass) – Freeport, Belvidere	Interchange
				US 20 Bus. (1st Avenue, Jefferson Street)
				Whitman Street Bridge	Interchange
				Auburn Road, Spring Creek Road	Interchange
				Forest Hills Road	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
	Machesney Park			IL 173 east (West Lane Road)
	Roscoe			CR 76 (Prairie Hill Road)
	Rockton			CR 9 (Rockton Road)	Interchange
	South Beloit			US 51 / IL 75 (Gardner Street)
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus       Incomplete access

External links

• Illinois Highway Ends: Illinois Route 251

References

1. Illinois Technology Transfer Center (2006). "T2 GIS Data". Retrieved 2007-11-08.
2. Carlson, Rich. Illinois Highways Page: Routes 200 thru end. Last updated April 15, 2005. Retrieved May 12, 2006.
3. AARoads. Interstate 39 @ Interstate-Guide.com.