Interstate 57

Interstate 57 (I-57) is a north–south Interstate Highway that exists in two segments. It runs through Arkansas, Missouri, and Illinois. I-57 parallels the old Illinois Central Railroad for much of its route east of I-55. The Interstate begins at I-40 in North Little Rock, Arkansas, traveling northward concurrently with U.S. Highway 67 (US 67) until it reaches Walnut Ridge, Arkansas, where the Interstate ends as of 2024. I-57 will run northward to meet up with the existing segment in southeastern Missouri. I-57 resumes its run from Sikeston, Missouri, at I-55 to Chicago, Illinois, at I-94. I-57 essentially serves as a shortcut route for travelers headed between the Southern United States (Memphis, New Orleans, etc.) and Chicago, bypassing St. Louis, Missouri and Springfield, Illinois. Between the junction of I-55 and I-57 in Sikeston and the junction of I-55 and I-90/I-94 in Chicago, I-55 travels for 436 miles (702 km), while the combination of I-57 and I-94 is only 396 miles (637 km) long between the same two points. In fact, both the control cities on the overhead signs and the 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 in Missouri, Chicago is the control city listed for I-57 on signs on northbound I-55 south of Sikeston, even though I-55 also goes to Chicago. A southward extension of I-57 from Sikeston, Missouri to North Little Rock, Arkansas, is currently in various stages of development and completion. On November 7, 2024, 122.80 miles (197.63 km) of US 67 from North Little Rock to Walnut Ridge was officially redesignated as I-57. Signs started going up in March 2025.