Interstate 44 in Missouri

Interstate 44
Route information
Maintained by MoDOT
Length:	293.183 mi[1] (471.832 km)
Existed:	1956 – present
Major junctions
West end:	I‑44 / Will Rogers Turnpike near Joplin
	US 166 / US 400 near Joplin I-49 / US 71 near Joplin US 160 in Springfield US 65 in Springfield US 63 in Rolla US 50 near Union I-270 in Sunset Hills US 50 / US 61 / US 67 in Kirkwood I-55 / I-64 / US 40 in St. Louis
East end:	I-70 in St. Louis
Highway system
Interstate Highway System Main Auxiliary Suffixed Business Missouri State Highway System Interstate US State Supplemental ← Route 43 Route 45 →

Interstate 44 (I-44) in the U.S. state of Missouri runs northeast from the Oklahoma state line near Joplin to I-70 in downtown St. Louis. It runs for about 293 miles (472 km) in the state.

Route description

I-44 approached by U.S. 71 just south of Joplin.

Interstate 44 enters Missouri in Newton County at the eastern terminus of the Will Rogers Turnpike, 200 yards south of the Kansas state line. The first interchange in Missouri is the eastern terminus of both U.S. Highway 166 and U.S. Highway 400. This highway next goes through southern Joplin and then begins a concurrency with Interstate 49/U.S. Highway 71 at Exit 11 just after entering Jasper County. The freeway turns to a more easterly heading (the old route of US 166), and then I-49/U.S. 71 splits off to the north at Exit 18.

I-44 next enters Lawrence County. Near Mount Vernon, the highway curves to the northeast. The section of highway to Halltown is a completely new highway, not supplanting any previous highways. At Halltown, the road curves back to due east, beginning to follow the general pathway of old U.S. Highway 66, which it does all the way to downtown St. Louis. I-44 then goes around the western and northern sides of Springfield, serving as the western terminus of the James River Freeway, as well as crossing both Route 13 and U.S. Highway 65. The Interstate Highway continues northeast, bypassing Lebanon.

In Pulaski County, I-44 enters the Mark Twain National Forest, and then leaves it to provide access to Waynesville, St. Robert, and Fort Leonard Wood, before re-entering the national forest. The freeway leaves the forest in Phelps County west of Rolla. I-44 then goes through Rolla, where it meets U.S. Highway 63. It continues its northeast course, passing near St. James, Cuba, Bourbon, Sullivan, and Saint Clair.

I-44 west in Springfield, Missouri

I-44 near the west end of its concurrency with U.S. 50 in Franklin County.

I-44 next goes north of Pacific before moving into St. Louis County. I-44 then bisects Eureka before serving as the southern boundary of Route 66 State Park (the former site of Times Beach, known for its dioxin contamination and its eventual demolition and Superfund cleanup). I-44 then runs across unincorporated land before entering Fenton and having an interchange with Interstate 270 in Sunset Hills. I-44 then goes through Crestwood, Kirkwood, Oakland, Webster Groves, and Shrewsbury before entering the City of St. Louis. I-44 runs on a due east course through St. Louis until it meets Interstate 55 south of downtown. The two highways run concurrently for about two miles until I-55 turns east to cross the Mississippi River on the Poplar Street Bridge. I-44 then continues north through Downtown St. Louis on the former route of Interstate 70 to its junction with that highway at the Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge.

History

I-44 follows the general route of, and completely replaced, historic U.S. Route 66 from Halltown (exit 58, the junction with a cut-off section of US 66 since renumbered as Missouri State Highway 96) to downtown St. Louis. From rural Joplin at exit 15 to Mount Vernon at exit 49, it largely follows a decommissioned section of U.S. Route 166.

A section of I-44 was moved slightly north between Powellville and Doolittle. The old alignment of the old double-carriageway US 66 had been demolished with the roadbed largely overgrown with vegetation, although it was highly visible for eastbound traffic near Powellville as late as 2009. As of April 2006, the rocks That were carved away for the new roadbed virtually had no lichen, reflecting that this construction occurred rather recently.^[2]

The eastern terminus of I-44 was changed when the Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge opened in February 2014, rerouting I-70 over the river along a more northern alignment. I-44 now takes the old I-70 alignment through the below-grade section of roadway in St. Louis, making the new eastern terminus being the interchange with I-70 near Cass Avenue.^[3] The eastbound lanes of I-44 will meet the westbound lanes of I-70, and the eastbound lanes of I-70 will meet the westbound lanes of I-44.^[3]

Business loops

All of Interstate 44's business loops are in Missouri. Most of these Business Loops were the former U.S. Route 66. Missouri also has the unusual occurrence of a business loop and business spur from the same interstate intersecting (the Waynesville-St. Robert loop and the Ft. Leonard Wood spur).

Exit list

County	Location	mi[1]	km	Exit	Destinations	Notes
Newton		0.000	0.000		I‑44 / Will Rogers Turnpike west	Continuation into Oklahoma
		0.348	0.560	1	US 166 west / US 400 west (Downstream Boulevard) – Baxter Springs
		3.987	6.416	4	Route 43 south – Seneca, Joplin	Western terminus of concurrency with Route 43
	Joplin	6.618	10.651	6	Business Loop I-44 east / Route 43 north / Route 86 – Racine, Joplin	Eastern terminus of concurrency with Route 43
		8.817	14.190	8	Business Loop I-49 (Range Line Road)	Diverging diamond interchange[4]
Jasper		11.677	18.792	11A	I-49 south / US 71 south to Route FF – Neosho, Fort Smith, Fayetteville	Western terminus of concurrency with I-49 / US 71
		11.880	19.119	11B	Route 249 north to Route 66 – Joplin
		13.190	21.227	12	Prigmor Road (CR 190) – Joplin	Opened November 2015
		15.483	24.917	15	Business Loop I-44 west / Route 66 west – Duenweg	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
	Fidelity	18.481	29.742	18	I-49 north / US 71 north / Route 59 south – Carthage, Kansas City, Diamond	Eastern terminus of concurrency with I-49 / US 71; split into exits 18A (south) and 18B (north)
		22.497	36.205	22	CR 100
		26.507	42.659	26	Business Loop I-44 east / Route 37 – Sarcoxie, Reeds
		29.929	48.166	29	Business Loop I-44 west / Route U – Sarcoxie, La Russell
Lawrence		33.517	53.940	33	To Route 97 south (CR 1010)
		38.498	61.957	38	Route 97 – Pierce City, Stotts City
		44.298	71.291	44	Business Loop I-44 east / Route H – Mount Vernon, Monett
	Mount Vernon	46.930	75.527	46	Business Loop I-44 west / Route 39 / Route 265 – Mount Vernon, Aurora
		49.725	80.025	49	Route 174 – Chesapeake, Mount Vernon
		58.133	93.556	57	Route 96 – Avilla	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance; former US 66 west
		58.796	94.623	58	Route O / Route Z – Halltown
		61.964	99.721	61	Route K / Route PP
Greene		67.011	107.844	67	Route N / Route T – Republic, Bois D'Arc
		68.958	110.977	69	Route 360 east (James River Freeway) to US 60
		70.166	112.921	70	Route B / Route MM
		72.472	116.632	72	Business Loop I-44 east / Route 266 (Chestnut Expressway)	Former US 66
	Springfield	75.480	121.473	75	US 160 (West Bypass) – Willard
		77.713	125.067	77	Route 13 (Kansas Expressway) – Bolivar	First diverging diamond interchange in North America, existing interchange converted in 2009[5]
		80.372	129.346	80	Business Loop I-44 west (Glenstone Avenue) / Route H – Pleasant Hope
		82.465	132.715	82	US 65 – Branson, Sedalia	Signed as exits 82A (south) and 82B (north)
		84.734	136.366	84	Route 744
	Strafford	88.917	143.098	88	Route 125 – Strafford, Fair Grove
Webster		96.021	154.531	96	Route B – Northview
	Marshfield	100.938	162.444	100	Route 38 / Route W – Marshfield
		107.553	173.090	107	Sampson Road / Sparkle Brook Road
Laclede	Conway	113.230	182.226	113	Route J / Route Y – Conway
	Phillipsburg	118.027	189.946	118	Route A / Route C – Phillipsburg	Former US 66
		123.011	197.967	123	County Road
	Lebanon	127.207	204.720	127	Business Loop I-44 east (Elm Street, Evergreen Pkwy) / Route W / Morgan Road	Former US 66
		129.057	207.697	129	Route 5 / Route 32 (Jefferson Avenue) to Route 64 – Hartville
		130.160	209.472	130	Business Loop I-44 west (Elm Street) / Route MM – Lebanon
		135.239	217.646	135	Route F – Sleeper	Former US 66
		139.999	225.307	140	Route N / Route T – Stoutland
Pulaski		145.711	234.499	145	Route 133 / Route AB – Richland
		150.630	242.415	150	Route 7 / Route P – Richland, Laquey
		153.411	246.891	153	Route 17 – Buckhorn
	Waynesville	156.396	251.695	156	Business Loop I-44 east / Route H – Waynesville, Fort Leonard Wood
	St. Robert	159.832	257.225	159	Business Loop I-44 – St. Robert, Waynesville	Former US 66
		161.160	259.362	161	Business Loop I-44 west / Route Y – St. Robert, Fort Leonard Wood
		163.836	263.668	163	Route 28 – Dixon
		169.086	272.118	169	Route J
Phelps		172.574	277.731	172	Route D – Jerome, Dixon	No westbound entrance
		176.531	284.099	176	Sugar Tree Road
	Doolittle	179.447	288.792	179	Route C / Route T – Newburg, Doolittle
	Rolla	184.579	297.051	184	Business Loop I-44 east (Kingshighway) to US 63 south – Rolla	Former US 66 east
		185.651	298.776	185	Route E – Rolla
		186.642	300.371	186	Business Loop I-44 west / US 63 / Route 72 (Bishp Avenue) – Rolla, Jefferson City	Former US 66
		189.744	305.363	189	Route V (Hy Point Industrial Park Drive)
	St. James	195.613	314.809	195	Route 8 / Route 68 – St. James	Former US 66
Crawford		203.388	327.321	203	Route F / Route ZZ
	Cuba	208.284	335.201	208	Route 19 – Cuba, Owensville
		210.782	339.221	210	Route UU
		214.250	344.802	214	Route H – Leasburg
	Bourbon	218.492	351.629	218	Route C / Route J / Route N – Bourbon
Franklin	Sullivan	224.286	360.953	225	Route 185 north / Route D – Sullivan
		225.831	363.440	226	Route 185 south / Route AF – Sullivan, Potosi
		230.240	370.535	230	Route W / Route JJ – Stanton
	St. Clair	238.816	384.337	239	Route 30 / Route AB / Route WW – St. Clair
		240.309	386.740	240	Route 47 – St. Clair, Union
		242.189	389.765	242	Route AH
		247.088	397.650	247	US 50 west / Route O / Route AT – Union, Jefferson City	Western terminus of concurrency with US 50
		251.485	404.726	251	Route 100 west – Washington	Former US 66
		253.289	407.629	253	Business Loop I-44 east / Route 100 east – Gray Summit	Former US 66
	Pacific	256.555	412.885	257	Business Loop I-44 – Pacific
St. Louis	Eureka	261.505	420.852	261	Business Loop I-44 west / Six Flags Road – Allenton
		264.459	425.606	264	Route 109 – Eureka
		265.262	426.898	265	Williams Road	Eastbound exit and entrance
		266.557	428.982	266	Lewis Road
		268.788	432.572	269	Beaumont Antire Road
		272.385	438.361	272	Route 141 – Fenton, Valley Park
	Fenton	273.844	440.709	274A	Bowles Avenue	Signed as exit 274 westbound
		274.664	442.029	274B	Mraz Lane	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
		275.630	443.583	275	North Highway Drive / Soccer Park Road	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
	Sunset Hills	275.872– 276.932	443.973– 445.679	276	I-270 – Memphis, Chicago
		276.132– 276.844	444.391– 445.537	277A	Route 366 east (Watson Road)	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance, former US 66
	Sunset Hills– Kirkwood city line	277.619	446.784	277B	US 50 east / US 61 / US 67 (Lindbergh Boulevard)	Eastern terminus of concurrency with US 50
	Kirkwood–Crestwood city line	278.634	448.418	278	Big Bend Road
	Webster Groves	279.736	450.191	279	Berry Road	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
		280.739	451.806	280	Elm Avenue
		282.300	454.318	282	Murdoch Avenue / Laclede Station Road	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
	Shrewsbury	282.485	454.616	283	Shrewsbury Avenue	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
City of St. Louis		284.175	457.335	284A	Jamieson Avenue	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
		284.432	457.749	284B	Arsenal Street	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
		284.800	458.341	285	Southwest Avenue	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
		285.602	459.632	286	Hampton Avenue – Forest Park, Saint Louis Zoo
		286.779	461.526	287A	Kingshighway Boulevard – Tower Grove Park	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
		287.127	462.086	287B	Vandeventer Avenue – Missouri Botanical Garden	Also signed westbound for Kingshighway Boulevard
		288.254	463.900	288	Grand Boulevard
		289.265	465.527	289	Jefferson Avenue
		289.595– 290.274	466.058– 467.151	290A	I-55 south – Memphis	Western terminus of concurrency with I-55; eastbound exit and westbound entrance
		289.906	466.558	207C	Truman Parkway	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
		290.123	466.908	290C	12th Street / Gravois Avenue (Route 30)	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
		290.296	467.186	290B	Lafayette Avenue	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance; former Route 755
		290.591	467.661	290D	Park Avenue / 7th Street
		291.167– 291.528	468.588– 469.169	291A	I-55 north / I-64 east / US 40 east to I-70 east – Illinois	Eastern terminus of concurrency with I-55; westbound exit and eastbound entrance to I-64 / US 40
		291.267	468.749	291B	Walnut Street – Downtown, Gateway Arch, Busch Stadium
		291.369	468.913	292	3rd Street / Washington Avenue / Eads Bridge	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
		292.146	470.163	292A	Convention Plaza / Martin L. King Bridge – Illinois	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
		292.605	470.902	292B	Broadway	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
		292.919	471.407	293	Madison Street / St. Louis Avenue	Eastbound exit only
		293.183	471.832	–	I-70 west – Kansas City
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus       Incomplete access       Tolled       Unopened

References

Route map: Bing / Google

1. Missouri Department of Transportation (January 5, 2015). Flex Map Viewer (Map). Missouri Department of Transportation. Retrieved January 5, 2015.
2. Google (June 8, 2009). "Interstate 44 in Missouri" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved June 8, 2009.
3. MoDOT Downtown St. Louis signing plans
4. Staff (July 20, 2013). "I-44 and Range Line interchange open". The Joplin Globe. Archived from the original on October 20, 2013. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
5. Tang, Didi (2010-01-28). "Missouri test drives 'diverging diamond' interchange". USA Today.