Interstate 635 (I-635) is a connector highway between

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 ...

Overland Park, Kansas Overland Park ( ) is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of Kansas. Located in Johnson County, Kansas, it is one of four principal cities in the Kansas City metropolitan area and the most populous suburb of Kansas City, Missouri. As o ...

, and

I-29 Interstate 29 (I-29) is an Interstate Highway in the Midwestern United States. I-29 runs from Kansas City, Missouri, at a junction with I-35 and I-70, to the Canada–US border near Pembina, North Dakota, where it connects with Manitoba P ...

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...

, approximately long. It is mostly in the US state of

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 the ...

, servicing the city of

Kansas City, Kansas Kansas City, abbreviated as "KCK", is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas, and the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is an inner suburb of the older and more populous Kansas City, Missouri, after which it is named. As of ...

, but extends into Kansas City, Missouri, as well. The freeway's southern terminus is at a

stack interchange A directional interchange, colloquially known as a stack interchange, is a type of grade-separated junction between two controlled-access highways that allows for free-flowing movement to and from all directions of traffic. These interchanges e ...

with I-35. South of this, the mainline becomes an expressway carrying U.S. Route 69 (US 69). The freeway provides a route around

Downtown Kansas City Downtown Kansas City is the central business district (CBD) of Kansas City, Missouri and the Kansas City metropolitan area. It is between the Missouri River in the north, to 31st Street in the south; and from the Kansas–Missouri state line east ...

by crossing through residential areas of

, and

Riverside, Missouri Riverside is a city in Platte County, Missouri and is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area within the United States. The population was 2,937 at the 2010 census. History Riverside lies on the edge of the Missouri River and was formally ...

. It also provides another direct route to

Kansas City International Airport Kansas City International Airport (originally Mid-Continent International Airport) is a public airport in Kansas City, Missouri located northwest of Downtown Kansas City in Platte County, Missouri., effective December 30, 2021. The airport o ...

Route description

Kansas

I-635 begins at

in Johnson County near

Shawnee, Kansas Shawnee is a city in Johnson County, Kansas, United States. It is the seventh most populous municipality in the Kansas City metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 67,311. History Territory of Kansas Before ...

, at exit 1A. There is a

parclo interchange A partial cloverleaf interchange or parclo is a modification of a cloverleaf interchange. The design has been well received, and has since become one of the most popular freeway-to-arterial interchange designs in North America. It has also be ...

with Merriam Drive at exit 1B almost immediately after its terminus. It then enters

Wyandotte County Wyandotte County (; county code WY) is a county in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 169,245, making it Kansas's fourth-most populous county. Its county seat and most populous city is Kansas City, with which ...

and

. There is a diamond interchange with Shawnee Drive at exit 1C and a parclo interchange with Metropolitan Avenue at exit 1A upon entering the

Argentine Argentines (mistakenly translated Argentineans in the past; in Spanish (masculine) or (feminine)) are people identified with the country of Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Argentines, s ...

neighborhood. There is an interchange with

K-32 K32 or K-32 may refer to: * K-32 (Kansas highway) K-32, also known as the Kaw Valley Scenic Highway, is an approximately east–west state highway in the Kansas City metropolitan area of Kansas. K-32's western terminus is just outside Lawren ...

/Kansas Avenue at exit 3 and then crosses the

Kansas River The Kansas River, also known as the Kaw, is a river in northeastern Kansas in the United States. It is the southwesternmost part of the Missouri River drainage, which is in turn the northwesternmost portion of the extensive Mississippi River dr ...

into central Kansas City, Kansas. Immediately after crossing the river, there is an interchange with

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 co ...

at exits 4A and 4B. There are several interchanges further north, including State Avenue (exit 5), Parallel Parkway (exit 6), and Leavenworth Road and North 38th Street (exit 7). The last public interchange before entering

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 ...

is K-5. A private maintenance facility crossing at grade exists between this exit and the Missouri River.

Missouri

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 ...

, I-635's mileposts do not reset after crossing into Missouri. I-635 crosses the Missouri River from Kansas into Platte County and the city of

. There is an interchange with Horizons Parkway at exit 9 and then US 69 at exit 10. US 69 briefly runs concurrently with I-635 north before exiting at the interchange with Route 9 (exits 11A and 11B). I-635 runs a few more miles north, then terminates at

/ US 71 at exits 12A and 12B.

History

Interstate 635 approaching Interstate 70, Kansas

Missouri began the plans for I-635 in 1958 when

American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) is a standards setting body which publishes specifications, test quality control, protocols, and guidelines that are used in highway design and construction through ...

(AASHTO) approved proposals that also included what would become

and

I-470 Interstate 470 may refer to: *Interstate 470 (Kansas), a loop around Topeka *Interstate 470 (Missouri), a connection at Kansas City * Interstate 470 (Ohio–West Virginia), a loop around Wheeling, West Virginia *Three highways which are part of what ...

; the plan for I-635 took the route eastward along what is now K-5 to US 69 and northward across the Fairfax Bridge toward

. When money from the

Highway Trust Fund The Highway Trust Fund is a transportation fund in the United States which receives money from a federal fuel tax of 18.4 cents per gallon on gasoline and 24.4 cents per gallon of diesel fuel and related excise taxes. It currently has two account ...

became available for a new Missouri River crossing, I-635 got a more westward alignment after 1968. Part of the original alignment was built as a spur going into Fairfax as K-5. In 1990, the highway was given the name Harry Darby Memorial Highway, in honor of US Senator

Harry Darby Harry Darby (January 23, 1895January 17, 1987) was an American politician from Kansas. Life and career Born in Kansas City, Kansas, Darby graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, University of Illinois, and served in the ...

. The interchange with

and the bridge over the Santa Fe Railyard in

were reconstructed in 2004. Maintenance work on the bridge over the Missouri River finished in September 2005.

Exit list

References

External links

* Kansas Highway Maps
CurrentHistoric
KDOT {{DEFAULTSORT:Interstate 635 (Kansas-Missouri) 35-6 Kansas-Missouri 35-6 35-6 6 Transportation in Johnson County, Kansas Transportation in Wyandotte County, Kansas Transportation in Platte County, Missouri Transportation in the Kansas City metropolitan area 1975 establishments in Kansas 1975 establishments in Missouri