Interstate 29 (I-29) is an

Interstate Highway The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Highway System in the United States. T ...

in the

Midwestern United States The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of the United States. I ...

. I-29 runs from Kansas City, Missouri, at a junction with

I-35 Interstate 35 (I-35) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route. It stretches from Laredo, Texas, near the Mexican border ...

and I-70, to the Canada–US border near Pembina, North Dakota, where it connects with Manitoba Provincial Trunk Highway 75 (PTH 75), which continues on to

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749 ...

. The road follows the course of three major rivers, all of which form the borders of US states. The southern portion of I-29 closely parallels the Missouri River from Kansas City northward to

Sioux City, Iowa Sioux City () is a city in Woodbury and Plymouth counties in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 85,797 in the 2020 census, making it the fourth-largest city in Iowa. The bulk of the city is in Woodbury County, ...

, where it crosses and then parallels the Big Sioux River. For the northern third of the highway, it closely follows the

Red River of the North The Red River (french: rivière Rouge or ) is a river in the north-central United States and central Canada. Originating at the confluence of the Bois de Sioux and Otter Tail rivers between the U.S. states of Minnesota and North Dakota, it f ...

. The major cities that I-29 connects to includes (from south to north)

Council Bluffs, Iowa Council Bluffs is a city in and the county seat of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States. The city is the most populous in Southwest Iowa, and is the third largest and a primary city of the Omaha-Council Bluffs Metropolitan Area. It is loc ...

;

Sioux Falls, South Dakota Sioux Falls () is the most populous city in the U.S. state of South Dakota and the 130th-most populous city in the United States. It is the county seat of Minnehaha County and also extends into Lincoln County to the south, which continues up ...

; and

Fargo, North Dakota Fargo ( /ˈfɑɹɡoʊ/) is a city in and the county seat of Cass County, North Dakota, United States. According to the 2020 census, its population was 125,990, making it the most populous city in the state and the 219th-most populous city in ...

Route description

, -align=right , align=center, MO , 128.71 , 207.14 , -align=right , align=center, IA , 151.83 , 244.35 , -align=right , align=center, SD , 252.50 , 406.36 , -align=right , align=center, ND , 217.54 , 350.10 , -align=right , align=center, Total , 750.58 , 1,207.94

Missouri

Near its southern terminus, I-29 is concurrent with I-35 and U.S. Route 71 (US 71). The Interstate diverts from US 71 just north of St. Joseph and follows a sparsely populated corridor along the Missouri River to Council Bluffs. During the design phase there was an alternative sending the route further along US 71 through the bigger towns of Maryville, Missouri, and Clarinda, Iowa. During the Great Flood of 1993, the Missouri River flooded this section and traffic was rerouted to US 71 through Maryville and Clarinda. I-29 was closed again for about two months during the

2011 Missouri River Flood The 2011 Missouri River floods was a flooding event on the Missouri River in the United States.The flooding was triggered by record snowfall in Rocky Mountains of Montana and Wyoming along with near-record spring rainfall in central and easter ...

. Almost all of I-29 in Missouri is in an area called the

Platte Purchase The Platte Purchase was a land acquisition in 1836 by the United States government from American Indian tribes of the region. It comprised lands along the east bank of the Missouri River and added to the northwest corner of the state of Miss ...

that was not originally part of Missouri when it entered the Union.

Iowa

I-29 begins in Iowa near

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; nds, label=Hamburg German, Low Saxon, Hamborg ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg (german: Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg; nds, label=Low Saxon, Friee un Hansestadt Hamborg),. is the List of cities in Germany by popul ...

. It goes northwest to an interchange with Iowa Highway 2 (Iowa 2), then goes north until Council Bluffs. It briefly runs concurrent with I-80 until separating from I-80 less than east of

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County, Nebraska, Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. List of ...

, to follow the Missouri River north, winding its way along the western and northern edges of Council Bluffs. North of Council Bluffs, I-29 intersects

I-680 Interstate 680 may refer to: *Interstate 680 (California), a connecting freeway between I-80 and I-280 in the San Francisco Bay Area, California *Interstate 680 (Nebraska–Iowa), a bypass in Omaha, Nebraska *Interstate 680 (Ohio), a loop through Y ...

at exit 61. At exit 71,

I-880 Interstate 880 may refer to: *Interstate 880 (California), an auxiliary Interstate Highway that travels from San Jose to Oakland, California ** Interstate 880 (California 1964–1981), a former auxiliary Interstate Highway in Sacramento, Calif ...

begins, while I-29 continues on a northwesterly path toward Sioux City. At Sioux City, I-129 spurs off of I-29 to go west toward

South Sioux City, Nebraska South Sioux City is a city in Dakota County, Nebraska, United States. It is located immediately across the Missouri River from Sioux City, Iowa, and is part of the Sioux City, IA-NE- SD Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the ...

. After continuing toward downtown Sioux City on a northerly route, I-29 turns west and enters South Dakota.

South Dakota

I-29 enters South Dakota at North Sioux City by crossing over the Big Sioux River. It runs northwest until its interchange with Highway 50 (SD 50) near Vermillion, where it turns north. The highway alignment is due north until just before Sioux Falls. In the Sioux Falls area, I-29 serves the western part of Sioux Falls while

I-229 Interstate 229 (I-229) is the designation for two Interstate Highways in the United States, both related to Interstate 29: * Interstate 229 (South Dakota), a bypass of Sioux Falls, South Dakota * Interstate 229 (Missouri) Interstate 229 (I-2 ...

spurs off and serves eastern Sioux Falls. In northwestern Sioux Falls, I-29 meets I-90. After that, it continues north past

Brookings Brookings may refer to: Organizations * Brookings Institution, a nonprofit, nonpartisan public policy organization based in Washington, D.C. Places * Brookings, Oregon, USA * Brookings, South Dakota, USA * Brookings County, South Dakota, USA ...

and an intersection with US 14. At the intersection with SD 28, I-29 turns northwest toward Watertown. After Watertown, the highway continues north and passes an intersection with US 12 before continuing into

North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minnesota to the east, S ...

North Dakota

I-29 enters North Dakota from the south near Hankinson. At Fargo, it meets I-94/ US 52 and continues north along the Red River toward

Grand Forks Grand Forks is the third-largest city in the state of North Dakota (after Fargo and Bismarck) and the county seat of Grand Forks County. According to the 2020 census, the city's population was 59,166. Grand Forks, along with its twin city o ...

. At its northern terminus, I-29 enters

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...

and becomes PTH 75 in

Manitoba , image_map = Manitoba in Canada 2.svg , map_alt = Map showing Manitoba's location in the centre of Southern Canada , Label_map = yes , coordinates = , capital = Win ...

, which leads to

History

Interstate 31

The portion from

, to the Canada–US border was originally considered for designation as Interstate 31 (I-31) in 1957 for present-day I-29. Official Route Numbering for the National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, August 14, 1957 No freeway was initially planned south of Fargo. However, it was subsequently decided in 1958 to connect I-29 and I-31 between Sioux Falls and Fargo. The entire freeway was then built and numbered as I-29. Official Route Numbering for the National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, June 27, 1958

Interstate 49

Residents of Missouri, Arkansas, and Louisiana began campaigning in the 1960s to extend I-29 via the US 71 corridor from Kansas City, Missouri, to

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

. That extension came to be called I-49, which was not part of the 1957 master plan. It was assigned a separate number instead of I-29 to conform with the numbering rules for Interstate Highways (increasing from west to east for north–south routes), as it would lie east of

and west of I-55. When I-49 is complete, the goal of the association will have been accomplished, with only a brief gap (served by other Interstates or US 71) and name change in Kansas City, Missouri.

2019 closures

In March and April 2019, as a result of the 2019 Midwestern US floods, I-29 was closed in both directions for approximately between St. Joseph and Council Bluffs. Much of this section of I-29, including at the Missouri–Iowa border, runs over or through a large floodplain for the

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

and Platte rivers. As such, multiple elevated sections of the highway collapsed and other sections were submerged or washed out by floodwaters. This was the largest closure of an Interstate Highway in terms of distance in the history of the Interstate Highway System. A signed detour was not officially designated in most areas, as the roads that would be used as detours are mostly rural farm roads that were also submerged by flooding. However, along I-80 in Iowa, traffic from I-80 in Iowa was officially detoured via I-35 from Des Moines, Iowa, to Kansas City, Missouri. US 75, paralleling I-29 on the other side of the Missouri River, was also closed in large sections due to flooding. By May 2019, the vast majority of I-29 had been repaired and reopened, with the exception of around Council Bluffs where the highway ran concurrent with

(now the portion of I-29 between I-680 and I-880). However, throughout the remainder of the spring and summer, and even early fall, more rainfall and flooding resulted in sections of I-29 being closed again, including on the recently repaired sections. At a few times, the entire section between St. Joseph and Council Bluffs was completely shut down, although this was rare after May 2019. As of October 2019, all of I-29 is open to traffic in both directions, although some Missouri River bridges and local farm roads remain closed due to flooding.

Junction list

;Missouri : in Kansas City. I-29 / I-35 travel concurrently through Kansas City. I-29 / US 71 travel concurrently to east of

Amazonia The Amazon rainforest, Amazon jungle or ; es, Selva amazónica, , or usually ; french: Forêt amazonienne; nl, Amazoneregenwoud. In English, the names are sometimes capitalized further, as Amazon Rainforest, Amazon Forest, or Amazon Jungle. ...

. : on the

Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British statesman and Liberal politician. In a career lasting over 60 years, he served for 12 years as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, spread over four non-con ...

–Kansas City city line : on the Gladstone–Kansas City city line : in Kansas City : in Kansas City. The highways travel concurrently to

Platte City Platte City is a city in and the county seat of Platte County, Missouri within the United States. The population was 4,691 at the 2010 census. The city is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. History Platte City was founded by Zadock ...

. : south-southeast of St. Joseph : in St. Joseph : in St. Joseph : in St. Joseph : north-northeast of St. Joseph. The highways travel concurrently to east of

. : north of St. Joseph : northwest of Amazonia. The highways travel concurrently for approximately . : north of

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idah ...

: south-southeast of Mound City : east of Craig : in Rock Port ;Iowa : west of Glenwood. I-29 / US 275 travel concurrently to Council Bluffs. : in Council Bluffs. : in Council Bluffs : west-southwest of Crescent : west-southwest of Loveland : in Missouri Valley : in Sioux City : in Sioux City ;South Dakota : south-southwest of Worthing. The highways travel concurrently for approximately . : in Sioux Falls : in Sioux Falls : in

: in Watertown : northeast of Watertown. The highways travel concurrently to east of

Manvel, North Dakota Manvel is a city in Grand Forks County, North Dakota, United States. It sits on the banks of the Turtle River. It is part of the "Grand Forks, ND- MN Metropolitan Statistical Area" or "Greater Grand Forks". The population was 377 at the 2020 c ...

. : northwest of Summit ;North Dakota : in

Fargo Fargo usually refers to: * Fargo, North Dakota, United States * ''Fargo'' (1996 film), a crime film by the Coen brothers * ''Fargo'' (TV series), an American black comedy–crime drama anthology television series Fargo may also refer to: Othe ...

: in Fargo : in

: south-southwest of Joliette. The highways travel concurrently to the

Canada–United States border The border between Canada and the United States is the longest international border in the world. The terrestrial boundary (including boundaries in the Great Lakes, Atlantic, and Pacific coasts) is long. The land border has two sections: Can ...

north of Pembina. : / at the Canada–United States border north of Pembina

Auxiliary routes

* St. Joseph, Missouri:

: I-129 *

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:29 Interstate Highway System