Interstate 57 (
I-57) is an
Interstate Highway in
Missouri and
Illinois that parallels the old
Illinois Central rail line for much of its route. It goes from
Sikeston, Missouri, at
Interstate 55 to
Chicago, Illinois, at
Interstate 94. I-57 essentially serves as a shortcut route for travelers headed between the south (Memphis, New Orleans, etc.) and Chicago, bypassing
St. Louis, Missouri. Between the junction of I-55 and I-57 in Sikeston, Missouri and the junction of I-55 and I-90/94 in Chicago, I-55 travels for , while the combination of I-57 and I-94 is only long between the same two points. In fact, both the control cities on the overhead signs, as well as destination mileage signs, reference Memphis along southbound I-57, even as far north as its northern origin at I-94 in Chicago. Likewise, at its southern end, Chicago is the control city listed for I-57 on signs on northbound I-55 south of Sikeston, Missouri, even though I-55 also goes to Chicago.