It runs from the Mark Morris Memorial Bridge over the Mississippi River, connecting to Iowa Highway 136 in Clinton, Iowa, east to U.S. Route 30 (US 30) east of Fulton.

At the foot of the bridge is a signal-controlled intersection with 4th Street in Fulton, which is signed as the Lincoln Highway.

IL 136 continues east along 14th Avenue, a residential street dotted by churches and businesses.

The final two miles (3.2 km) of IL 136, which run along Fulton Road, are part of the Lincoln Highway and are signed as such.

[1] SBI Route 136 originally traveled from IL 1 to the village of Flat Rock in rural Crawford County, a distance of about 3,000 feet (910 m).