Interstate 44 (I-44) in the US state of
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 ...
runs northeast from the
Oklahoma state line near
Joplin to
I-70
Interstate 70 (I-70) is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the United States that runs from I-15 near Cove Fort, Utah, to a park and ride lot just east of I-695 in Baltimore, Maryland, and is the fifth-longest Interstate in the c ...
in
Downtown St. Louis
Downtown St. Louis is the central business district of St. Louis, Missouri, the hub of tourism and entertainment, and the anchor of the St. Louis metropolitan area. The downtown is bounded by Cole Street to the north, the river front to the eas ...
. It runs for about in the state, and is the longest
Interstate Highway in the state.
Route description
I-44 enters Missouri in
Newton County at the eastern terminus of the
Will Rogers Turnpike
The Will Rogers Turnpike is a freeway-standard toll road in the northeast portion of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The highway begins as a continuation of the Creek Turnpike in Tulsa, continuing northward from the I-44/ US-412 interchange there ...
, south of the
Kansas
Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to th ...
state line. The first interchange in Missouri is the eastern terminus of both
U.S. Route 166 (US 166) and
US 400. This highway next goes through southern
Joplin and then begins to
run concurrently with
I-49/
US 71 at exit 11 just after entering
Jasper County. The freeway turns to a more eastern heading (the old route of US 166), and then I-49/US 71 splits off to the north at exit 18.
I-44 next enters
Lawrence County. Near
Mount Vernon
Mount Vernon is an American landmark and former plantation of Founding Father, commander of the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War, and the first president of the United States George Washington and his wife, Martha. The estate is on ...
, 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
US 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
James River Freeway is a freeway located largely on the south side of Springfield, Missouri. Its western terminus is at Interstate 44 (I-44) north of Brookline and its eastern terminus is at U.S. Route 65 (US 65) in southeastern Springfie ...
, as well as crossing both
Route 13 and
US 65. The Interstate Highway continues northeast, bypassing
Lebanon
Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...
.
In
Pulaski County, I-44 enters the
Mark Twain National Forest
Mark Twain National Forest (MTNF) is a U.S. National Forest located in the southern half of Missouri. MTNF was established on September 11, 1939. It is named for author Mark Twain, a Missouri native. The MTNF covers of which is public owned, ...
and then leaves it to provide access to
Waynesville,
St. Robert, and
Fort Leonard Wood
Fort Leonard Wood is a U.S. Army training installation located in the Missouri Ozarks. The main gate is located on the southern boundary of The City of St. Robert. The post was created in December 1940 and named in honor of General Leonard W ...
before reentering the national forest. The freeway leaves the forest in
Phelps County west of
Rolla. I-44 then goes through Rolla, where it meets
US 63. It continues its northeastern course, passing near
St. James,
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
,
Bourbon Bourbon may refer to:
Food and drink
* Bourbon whiskey, an American whiskey made using a corn-based mash
* Bourbon barrel aged beer, a type of beer aged in bourbon barrels
* Bourbon biscuit, a chocolate sandwich biscuit
* A beer produced by Bras ...
,
Sullivan, and
Saint Clair
Saint Clair (also spelled St. Clair, St Clair or even Sinclair, and sometimes also pronounced that way) may refer to:
Saints
* Clair of Nantes (3rd century), first bishop of Nantes, the Saint named Clair
* Clare of Assisi (1194–1253), source na ...
. At this point, it roughly parallels the
Meramec River
The Meramec River (), sometimes spelled Maramec River, is one of the longest free-flowing waterways in the U.S. state of Missouri, draining Blanc, Caldwell, and Hawk. "Location" while wandering Blanc, Caldwell, and Hawk. "Executive Summary" fr ...
.
I-44 next goes north of
Pacific
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contine ...
before moving into
St. Louis County. I-44 then bisects
Eureka
Eureka (often abbreviated as E!, or Σ!) is an intergovernmental organisation for research and development funding and coordination. Eureka is an open platform for international cooperation in innovation. Organisations and companies applying th ...
before serving as the southern boundary of
Route 66 State Park (the former site of
Times Beach
Times Beach is a ghost town in St. Louis County, Missouri, United States, southwest of St. Louis and east of Eureka. Once home to more than two thousand people, the town was completely evacuated early in 1983 due to TCDD—also known as diox ...
, known for its
dioxin contamination and its eventual demolition and
Superfund cleanup). I-44 then runs across unincorporated land before entering
Fenton and meeting an interchange with
I-270 I-270 may refer to:
* Interstate 270 (disambiguation), one of several highways
* Mikoyan-Gurevich I-270
The Mikoyan-Gurevich I-270 (Design Ж ("Zh") under Mikoyan-Gurevich's in-house designation sequence, USAF/DoD designation: Type 12) was a ...
in
Sunset Hills. I-44 then goes through
Crestwood,
Kirkwood,
Oakland,
Webster Groves
Webster Groves is an inner-ring suburb of St. Louis in St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. The population was 22,995 at the 2010 census.
The city is home to the main campus of Webster University.
Geography
Webster Groves is located at ( ...
, and
Shrewsbury before entering the city of
St. Louis
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
. I-44 runs on a due east course through St. Louis until it meets
I-55
Interstate 55 (I-55) 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, connecting the Gulf of Mexico to the Great Lakes. The h ...
south of downtown. The two highways run concurrently for about until I-55 turns east at an interchange with
I-64
Interstate 64 (I-64) is an east–west Interstate Highway in the Eastern United States. Its western terminus is at I-70, U.S. Route 40 (US 40), and US 61 in Wentzville, Missouri. Its eastern terminus is at an interchang ...
to cross the
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it fl ...
on the
Poplar Street Bridge
The Congressman William L. Clay Sr. Bridge, formerly known as the Bernard F. Dickmann Bridge and popularly as the Poplar Street Bridge or PSB, completed in 1967, is a deck girder bridge across the Mississippi River between St. Louis, Missouri, ...
. I-44 then continues north through
Downtown St. Louis
Downtown St. Louis is the central business district of St. Louis, Missouri, the hub of tourism and entertainment, and the anchor of the St. Louis metropolitan area. The downtown is bounded by Cole Street to the north, the river front to the eas ...
on the former route of
I-70
Interstate 70 (I-70) is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the United States that runs from I-15 near Cove Fort, Utah, to a park and ride lot just east of I-695 in Baltimore, Maryland, and is the fifth-longest Interstate in the c ...
to its junction with that highway at the
Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge; drivers wishing to access eastbound I-70 must cross the Poplar Street Bridge via I-55 and I-64.
History
I-44 follows the general route of, and completely replaced, historic
US 66 from
Halltown (exit 58, the junction with a cutoff section of US 66 since renumbered as
Route 96) to downtown St. Louis. From rural
Joplin at exit 15 to
Mount Vernon
Mount Vernon is an American landmark and former plantation of Founding Father, commander of the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War, and the first president of the United States George Washington and his wife, Martha. The estate is on ...
at exit 49, it largely follows a
decommissioned section of
US 166.
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 a directional interchange with I-70 near Cass Avenue;
[ ] the eastbound lanes of I-44 join the westbound lanes of I-70, and the westbound lanes of I-44 branch off the eastbound lanes of I-70.
Exit list
Business loops
All of I-44's
business routes
A business route (or business loop, business spur, or city route) in the United States is a short special route connected to a ''parent'' numbered highway at its beginning, then routed through the central business district of a nearby city or ...
are in Missouri. Most of these business loops were the former
US 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).
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Interstate 44 In Missouri
44
Missouri
U.S. Route 66 in Missouri
Transportation in Newton County, Missouri
Transportation in Jasper County, Missouri
Transportation in Lawrence County, Missouri
Transportation in Greene County, Missouri
Transportation in Webster County, Missouri
Transportation in Laclede County, Missouri
Transportation in Pulaski County, Missouri
Transportation in Phelps County, Missouri
Transportation in Crawford County, Missouri
Transportation in Franklin County, Missouri
Transportation in St. Louis County, Missouri
Roads in St. Louis