Interstate and U.S. Routes
The Peoria area is served by two Interstate highways: Interstate 74, which runs from northwest to southeast through the downtown area, and Interstate 474, a southern bypass of I-74 through portions of Peoria and the suburbs of Bartonville and Creve Coeur. I-74 crosses over the Illinois River via the Murray Baker Bridge, while I-474 crosses via the Shade-Lohman Bridge. The nearest metropolitan centers accessible on I-74 are Galesburg to the west, and Bloomington-Normal to the east.
From 2004 to 2006, Interstate 74 between Interstate 474 on the west and Illinois Route 8 on the east was reconstructed as part of the Upgrade 74 project.
In addition, U.S. Route 24 runs along the bank of the Peoria side of the Illinois River, becoming a major arterial downtown as part of Adams Street and Jefferson Avenue, and then continuing southwest towards Bartonville as Washington Street, which turns into Adams Street on the south end of Peoria. U.S. Route 150 serves as the main arterial for the northern portion of the Peoria area, becoming War Memorial Drive before heading west towards Kickapoo. Both of these routes enter from the Iron Workers Memorial Bridge; east of the bridge, U.S. 150 runs southeast to Morton, while U.S. 24 runs due east to Washington.
State Routes
The following state routes run through Peoria:
Illinois Route 6 runs along the northwestern portion of the city as an extension of I-474. It is a four-lane freeway that runs from the I-74/474 intersection northeast to Illinois Route 29 south of Chillicothe. It is marked as a north-south road.
Illinois Route 8 roughly parallels I-74 to the south. It enters Peoria from Farmington and runs southeast through the city, passing just southwest of the downtown area. Illinois 8 crosses into East Peoria via the Cedar Street Bridge with Illinois Routes 29 and 116. Illinois 8 is marked as an east-west road.
Illinois Route 29 runs with U.S. 24 through Peoria along the Illinois River from Chillicothe through downtown Peoria. It then joins Illinois 8 and 116 across the Cedar Street Bridge. Illinois 29 is marked as a north-south road, and is called Galena Road north of U.S. 150.
Illinois Route 40 enters Peoria from the north as Knoxville Avenue. It runs south through the center of the city and exits southeast over the Bob Michel Bridge. Illinois 40 is marked as a north-south road.
Illinois Route 91 briefly enters Peoria at the intersection with U.S. 150 in the far northwestern portion of the city. Traffic on Illinois 91 mainly accesses the Grand Prairie Mall, or continues to Dunlap.
Illinois Route 116 enters from the west at Bellevue. It runs directly east and crosses into East Peoria over the Cedar Street Bridge.
The planned Illinois Route 336 project will also connect Illinois 336 with I-474 between Illinois 8 and Illinois 116. Construction on the segment nearest Peoria has not started, nor has funding been allocated.
Rail transportation
Metro Peoria is served by ten common carrier railroads. Four are Class 1's: BNSF, Canadian National, Norfolk Southern and Union Pacific. The last one, Union Pacific, has a north-south oriented line which skirts the west edge of the city but a line branches off of it to enter Peoria. One Class II/Regional, Iowa Interstate, serves the city, coming out of Bureau Junction. Five Class III/Shortline railroads: Central Illinois Railroad (which operates a portion of the City-owned Peoria, Peoria Heights and Western Railroad), two Genesee & Wyoming-owned operations, Illinois & Midland Railroad (the former Chicago and Illinois Midland, comes up from Springfield) and Tazewell and Peoria Railroad (leases the Peoria and Pekin Union Railway from its owners - Canadian National, Norfolk Southern and Union Pacific), Pioneer Railcorp's Keokuk Junction Railway (which now owns the Toledo, Peoria and Western's West End from Lomax and La Harpe in Western Illinois, plus the branch from Keokuk) and finally, RailAmerica's Toledo, Peoria and Western Railway, which uses BNSF trackage to reach Galesburg and its own line to reach Logansport, Indiana.
Aviation
The Greater Peoria Regional Airport serves Peoria and surrounding communities. The airport is served by 5 passenger airlines (United, American, Delta, Northwest and Allegiant Air) and numerous cargo carriers. Nonstop destinations include, Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Las Vegas, Minneapolis/St. Paul, and Tampa. Cargo carriers serving Peoria include FedEx, UPS and Airborne. Numerous general aviation airports are located in the tri-county region.
