Interstate Business Route 72
The lone business route for Interstate 72 serves the Morgan County seat of Jacksonville
Illinois
Business Loop I-72 at Jacksonville connects Interstate 72, which bypasses the city to the south along side U.S. 36, with the city along a 9.7 mile loop. The north-south leg overlaps with the U.S. 67 freeway from a full cloverleaf interchange (Exit 60) north to Morton Avenue (old U.S. 36) east. Morton Avenue forms a commercial boulevard east with Illinois 104 across Jacksonville to Mauvaise Terre Creek. East from there, the two routes separate, with Business Loop I-72 expanding into a four-lane divided highway to the rural diamond interchange (Exit 68) with I-72 & U.S. 36 outside the city limits.
Springfield
U.S. 54 formerly overlapped with U.S. 36 along Wabash Avenue east to MacArthur Boulevard north and Grand Avenue to U.S. 66 Business. The pair then took 9th Street north and Cook Street east to split at U.S. 66, which bypassed Springfield along an at-grade route on Dirksen Parkway.

Guide signs posted along Interstate 72 & U.S. 36 east for Exit 60 and the concurrent section of Business Loop I-72 east & U.S. 67 north to the west side of Jacksonville. U.S. 67 constitutes an expressway south to Manchester and north to Chapin. These photos taken by Bill Burmaster (2003).

Sources:
- Geelhart, Chris. “Interstate Business Route.” Online posting. 07 Feb. 1999. misc.transport.road.
Page updated August 29, 2016.
