Illinois Route 103

Route 103 begins at a junction with U.S. Route 24 in Woodstock Township in southern Schuyler County, northeast of Ripley. The route follows the LaMoine River eastward, passing through a forested area. After the river turns to the south, the highway continues east through farmland.{{google maps |url=https://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=IL-103+E&daddr=IL-103+E&hl=en&geocode=FaDXYgId5C2Z-g%3BFcbKYgIdWLyb-g&mra=me&mrcr=0&mrsp=1,0&sz=14&sll=40.031229,-90.463915&sspn=0.034503,0.077162&ie=UTF8&t=h&ll=40.017624,-90.522881&spn=0.138039,0.308647&z=12 |title=Overview map of State Highway 103 |access-date=December 18, 2010}} Route 103 intersects County Route 9 before entering the unincorporated community of Sugar Grove, where it meets County Route 1. After passing through Sugar Grove, the highway enters Bainbridge Township, where it makes a small southward dip through a tree-lined area. After passing a small group of buildings and crossing a creek, the route returns to its eastward trajectory and passes north of the community of Cottonwood. Route 103 runs through open farmland at the eastern end of its route, crossing two creeks and passing several farm buildings. The highway ends at a junction with U.S. Route 67 and Illinois Route 100, across the Illinois River from Beardstown.{{cite map |publisher=Illinois Department of Transportation |title=Schuyler County General Highway Map |url=http://www.dot.state.il.us/maps/county/schuyler.pdf |format=PDF |edition= |year=1984 |cartography= |scale= |series= |page= |section= |inset= |access-date=December 18, 2010 |isbn= |id= |ref= |archive-date=March 6, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120306041018/http://www.dot.state.il.us/maps/county/schuyler.pdf |url-status=dead }}

File:Western end of Illinois Route 103.jpg

Route 103 is an undivided two-lane road for its entire length. The entire route is part of the National Highway System, a network of roads deemed significant to the nation's economy, defense, and mobility.{{cite web |title=National Highway System Map of Illinois |url=http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/nhs/maps/il/il_Illinois.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081016160644/http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/nhs/maps/il/il_Illinois.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 16, 2008| publisher=Federal Highway Administration|access-date=December 19, 2010}} It is also part of the Lincoln Heritage Trail, a series of highways connecting places with historic connections to Abraham Lincoln.{{cite web |title=Illinois Official Highway Map 2009-2010 |url=http://www.dot.il.gov/maps/frontsideborder.pdf |publisher=Illinois Department of Transportation |access-date=December 19, 2010 |archive-date=July 16, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716132241/http://www.dot.il.gov/maps/frontsideborder.pdf |url-status=dead }} According to the Illinois Department of Transportation, the annual average daily traffic on Route 103 in 2019 ranged from 1250 vehicles near the western terminus to 1400 on its eastern half; 70 of those vehicles were trucks.{{cite web |title=Average Annual Daily Traffic |url=http://www.gettingaroundillinois.com/gai.htm?mt=aadt |website=Getting Around Illinois |publisher=Illinois Department of Transportation |access-date=August 1, 2020}}

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File:Eastern end of Illinois Route 103.jpg

The State of Illinois designated Route 103 in 1924 between Ripley and Beardstown.{{cite book|title=Illinois Blue Book, 1923-1924 |year=1923 |publisher=State of Illinois |url=http://idaillinois.org/cdm/compoundobject/collection/bb/id/29703/rec/20 |access-date=November 10, 2010 |page=263}} A road between Ripley and the route's current eastern terminus was first marked on state highway maps in 1924; this route began at Ripley and ran parallel to and south of the current route on its western half, before turning north and following the eastern half of the current alignment.{{cite web |title=1924 Illinois Road Map |url=http://www.idaillinois.org/cdm/compoundobject/collection/isl9/id/14 |publisher=Illinois Automobile Department |access-date=November 12, 2010}} Route 103 was first numbered on the 1929 Illinois highway map.{{cite map |title=1929 Official Illinois Highway Map |url=http://www.idaillinois.org/cdm/compoundobject/collection/isl9/id/40 |publisher=Illinois Automobile Department |section=I-5 |access-date=November 9, 2010}} The western terminus of Route 103 moved from Ripley to its current location in 1932, shifting the western half of the highway to its present alignment.{{cite web|title=1932 Official Illinois Highway Map|url=http://www.idaillinois.org/cdm/compoundobject/collection/isl9/id/46 |publisher=Illinois Automobile Department |access-date=December 19, 2010}} The community of Layton, which was near Sugar Grove, was marked along the route until 1951.{{cite web|title=1951 Official Illinois Highway Map |url=http://www.idaillinois.org/cdm/compoundobject/collection/isl9/id/94 |publisher=Illinois Automobile Department |access-date=December 19, 2010}}

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• [http://www.n9jig.com/101-120.html Illinois Highways Page: Routes 101 thru 120]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20121006150342/http://highwayexplorer.com/il_EndsPage.php?id=1103§ion=1 Illinois Highway Ends: Illinois Route 103]

103

Category:1924 establishments in Illinois

Category:Transportation in Schuyler County, Illinois