HR0891 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0891 LRB102 28072 MST 39872 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The State of Illinois and the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) have jurisdiction over more than 2,248 miles of primary and auxiliary highway roadways in Illinois that are designated by the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) as part of the Interstate Highway System; and

WHEREAS, The longest interstate highway in Illinois is Interstate 57; with more than 359 miles of highway in Illinois, this segment is more than 94% of the 381-mile total length of the highway within the United States; and

WHEREAS, Interstate highways are marked with guide signs, including directional signs that indicate the direction that a highway is going should a motor vehicle and its driver turn onto it; these directional signs are posted according to USDOT guidelines; and

WHEREAS, Many Illinois interstate highway directional signs refer to municipalities outside of the State of Illinois; they are semiotic indicators of the directions that traffic on each interstate highway will go; if a sign reads "Toledo", it indicates the highway is heading east; and

WHEREAS, Within the system of directional signs for Interstate 57 in Illinois, many northbound signs read "Chicago", and many southbound signs read "Memphis"; and

WHEREAS, While Interstate 57 contains mileage within the city of Chicago and the northern terminus of this highway is in Chicago, Interstate 57 does not go anywhere near Memphis, Tennessee; after leaving Illinois at Cairo, southbound traffic on Interstate 57 drives for 22 miles in Missouri and then, near Sikeston, Missouri, is fed onto Interstate 55 that continues in a southward direction from Sikeston; only after an additional 138 miles on Interstate 55, in Missouri and in Arkansas, does this Interstate 55 traffic get to Memphis; and

WHEREAS, Interstate 57 is thus separated by 138 miles of highway, representing at least two hours of driving time, from Memphis; and

WHEREAS, In contrast to this two-hour separation from Memphis, Interstate 57 has many Illinois cities and towns of local and national fame and renown adjacent to its right-of-way within and through Illinois; and

WHEREAS, Champaign, located on Interstate 57 with its neighbor Urbana, is the home of the University of Illinois, one of the world's great research universities, and the Champaign-Urbana metro area is the home of many of Illinois's most eminent residents; many more Illinoisans go to Champaign-Urbana than go to Memphis; and

WHEREAS, Cairo, located on Interstate 57, possesses one of the most historic, dramatic, and easily-remembered locations in the United States, being the place where the Ohio River flows into the Mississippi River; and

WHEREAS, Interstate 57 directional signs that have been erected and maintained by Illinois tax money should direct motorists toward destinations that are located on the interstate highway of the same name, especially if these locations are placed within Illinois; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we urge the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) to alter the directional signage that surrounds Interstate 57 to change the directional name of Interstate 57 heading south to a city or town that is located on Interstate 57 within Illinois; and be it further

RESOLVED, That if IDOT needs to negotiate with the federal Department of Transportation to accomplish this directional sign renaming, that these negotiations should start at once; and be it further

RESOLVED, That any negotiations and directional signage changes be based upon the principal of "truth in signage", with all directional signs that advertise and guide motor vehicles toward southbound Interstate 57 being signed to a location that is in fact served by Interstate 57; and be it further

RESOLVED, That if this truth-in-signage principle requires the re-signing of other Illinois Interstate Highways that these roadways be re-signed as well; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be delivered to Illinois Secretary of Transportation Omer Osman.