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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

  
 
2    WHEREAS, The State of Illinois and the Illinois Department 
3of Transportation (IDOT) have jurisdiction over more than 
42,248 miles of primary and auxiliary highway roadways in 
5Illinois that are designated by the United States Department 
6of Transportation (USDOT) as part of the Interstate Highway 
7System; and
  
 
8    WHEREAS, The longest interstate highway in Illinois is 
9Interstate 57; with more than 359 miles of highway in 
10Illinois, this segment is more than 94% of the 381-mile total 
11length of the highway within the United States; and
  
 
12    WHEREAS, Interstate highways are marked with guide signs, 
13including directional signs that indicate the direction that a 
14highway is going should a motor vehicle and its driver turn 
15onto it; these directional signs are posted according to USDOT 
16guidelines; and
 
17    WHEREAS, Many Illinois interstate highway directional 
18signs refer to municipalities outside of the State of 
19Illinois; they are semiotic indicators of the directions that 
20traffic on each interstate highway will go; if a sign reads 
21"Toledo", it indicates the highway is heading east; and
 
 
 
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1    WHEREAS, Within the system of directional signs for 
2Interstate 57 in Illinois, many northbound signs read 
3"Chicago", and many southbound signs read "Memphis"; and
 
4    WHEREAS, While Interstate 57 contains mileage within the 
5city of Chicago and the northern terminus of this highway is in 
6Chicago, Interstate 57 does not go anywhere near Memphis, 
7Tennessee; after leaving Illinois at Cairo, southbound traffic 
8on Interstate 57 drives for 22 miles in Missouri and then, near 
9Sikeston, Missouri, is fed onto Interstate 55 that continues 
10in a southward direction from Sikeston; only after an 
11additional 138 miles on Interstate 55, in Missouri and in 
12Arkansas, does this Interstate 55 traffic get to Memphis; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Interstate 57 is thus separated by 138 miles of 
14highway, representing at least two hours of driving time, from 
15Memphis; and
 
16    WHEREAS, In contrast to this two-hour separation from 
17Memphis, Interstate 57 has many Illinois cities and towns of 
18local and national fame and renown adjacent to its 
19right-of-way within and through Illinois; and
  
 
20    WHEREAS, Champaign, located on Interstate 57  with its 
21neighbor Urbana, is the home of the University of Illinois, 
22one of the world's great research universities, and the 
 
 
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1Champaign-Urbana metro area is the home of many of Illinois's 
2most eminent residents; many more Illinoisans go to 
3Champaign-Urbana than go to Memphis; and
  
 
4    WHEREAS, Cairo, located on Interstate 57,  possesses one of 
5the most historic, dramatic, and easily-remembered locations 
6in the United States, being the place where the Ohio River 
7flows into the Mississippi River; and
  
 
8    WHEREAS, Interstate 57 directional signs that have been 
9erected and maintained by Illinois tax money should direct 
10motorists toward destinations that are located on the 
11interstate highway of the same name, especially if these 
12locations are placed within Illinois; therefore, be it
  
 
13    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE 
14HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that 
15we urge the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) to 
16alter the directional signage that surrounds Interstate 57 to 
17change the directional name of Interstate 57 heading south to 
18a city or town that is located on Interstate 57 within 
19Illinois; and be it further
 
20    RESOLVED, That if IDOT needs to negotiate with the federal 
21Department of Transportation to accomplish this directional 
22sign renaming, that these negotiations should start at once; 
 
 
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1and be it further
 
2    RESOLVED, That any negotiations and directional signage 
3changes be based upon the principal of "truth in signage", 
4with all directional signs that advertise and guide motor 
5vehicles toward southbound Interstate 57 being signed to a 
6location that is in fact served by Interstate 57; and be it 
7further
 
8    RESOLVED, That if this truth-in-signage principle requires 
9the re-signing of other Illinois Interstate Highways that 
10these roadways be re-signed as well; and be it further
  
 
11    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be 
12delivered to Illinois Secretary of Transportation Omer Osman.