Route 171 is a short highway in western
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 ...
. Its northern terminus is at 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 where it continues as
K-171 near
Opolis, Kansas
Opolis is an unincorporated community in Crawford County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the community and nearby areas was 104.
History
Opolis was originally called Stateline (from the community's proximity t ...
. Its southern terminus is at the junction of
Interstate 49
Interstate 49 (I-49) is a north–south Interstate Highway that exists in multiple segments: the original portion entirely within the state of Louisiana with an additional signed portion extending from I-220 in Shreveport to the Arkansas st ...
/
U.S. Route 71
U.S. Route 71 or U.S. Highway 71 (US 71) is a major north–south United States highway that extends for over 1500 miles (2500 km) in the central United States. This original 1926 route has remained largely unchanged by encroaching Interstat ...
,
Route 96 and
Route 571 in
Carthage
Carthage was the capital city of Ancient Carthage, on the eastern side of the Lake of Tunis in what is now Tunisia. Carthage was one of the most important trading hubs of the Ancient Mediterranean and one of the most affluent cities of the cla ...
. The last ten southbound miles are
concurrent
Concurrent means happening at the same time. Concurrency, concurrent, or concurrence may refer to:
Law
* Concurrence, in jurisprudence, the need to prove both ''actus reus'' and ''mens rea''
* Concurring opinion (also called a "concurrence"), a ...
with
Business I-49.
Route description
Some (about half) of those last to Carthage, from its junction with I-49 Business at Madison Ave. in
Webb City, are routed in a northeasterly direction. This results in going northeast on southbound Route 171 and vice versa along this stretch. However, I-49 Business is going more or less in its designated direction, north, in a
wrong-way concurrency
A concurrency in a road network is an instance of one physical roadway bearing two or more different route numbers. When two roadways share the same right-of-way, it is sometimes called a common section or commons. Other terminology for a concurr ...
at the same time.
Also, because of this curve back to the northeast, Route 171 and
Route 96 intersect each other on opposite sides of the Joplin/Webb City area. Going "southbound," Route 96 and Route 171 meet each other about two miles (3 km) north of Carl Junction and then again about two miles (3 km) west of Carthage. Route 96 maintains a straight east–west routing between these two points except at the very east end before the intersection with Route 171 and I-49 Business.
At Carthage, Route 171 meets its "parent" route, US 71, along with I-49. Route 171's "southern" terminus and I-49 Business' northern terminus are here while the northern terminus of Route 571 approaches from the east. Route 96 continues through this interchange. This results in three x71's meeting in the same location.
History
Route 171 was once Route 57. That was changed when I-57 was established on the eastern side of the state. Kansas did not change
K-57's number to match until 2004, when it became K-171 after it was decided to shorten K-57 because it had numerous concurrencies along its routing.
Major intersections
References
{{reflist
171
Year 171 ( CLXXI) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Severus and Herennianus (or, less frequently, year 924 '' Ab urbe co ...
Transportation in Jasper County, Missouri