The 3-Trails Crossing Memorial Highway is the official name for an
interchange in south
Kansas City,
Missouri
Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...
that was once considered one of Missouri's most congested locations. Although it is known as Grandview Triangle, it is not located in
Grandview, a suburb of Kansas City. It is actually north of Grandview, still within the
city limits of Kansas City. After several years of reconstruction, the interchange itself is largely congestion free during non-peak hours despite the high traffic on the highways approaching the interchange. During rush-hour moderate to major delays and numerous accidents are reported.
The name "Three Trails Crossing" refers to the
Santa Fe,
Oregon
Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...
, and
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
Trails that cross there.
It is a major interchange of five major highways in the Kansas City area:
I-49,
I-435
Interstate 435 (I-435) is an Interstate Highway beltway that encircles much of the Kansas City metropolitan area within the states of Kansas and Missouri in the United States.
Route description
I-435, a loop route of I-35, is long and in ...
,
I-470,
US 50,
US 71, and Missouri State Highway W.
I-49/US 71 brings in traffic from the southeastern suburbs of the Kansas City area in
Jackson and
Cass counties. I-49 currently ends at the triangle, but the road continues northwest into Kansas City as US 71. The I-49 designation went into effect in December 2012.
I-435 is a
beltway around the
Kansas City metropolitan area
The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more th ...
.
I-470 is a major traffic corridor that connects southern Kansas City to the suburbs of eastern Jackson County, mainly
Lee's Summit.
US 50 travels
concurrently with I-435 entering the Triangle, and then travels concurrently with I-470 at Exit 71A.
State Highway W, also known as Bannister Road, which forms the northern leg of the triangle, is a major east-west arterial thoroughfare through southern Kansas City, and also serves as a detour for traffic seeking an alternate route when I-435 is congested.
The 3-Trails Crossing currently handles approximately 250,000 vehicles per day.
Now that the reconstruction is completed, the interchange should be able to accommodate more than 400,000 vehicles per day.
See also
*
References
External links
Map of the 3-Trails Crossing Memorial Highway (Google Local)
{{coord, 38.93524, N, 94.53220, W, type:landmark_source:enwiki, display=title
Transportation in Kansas City, Missouri
Road interchanges in the United States
Interstate 49
U.S. Route 50
U.S. Route 71