Route 7 is a state highway with its northern

terminus Terminus may refer to: * Bus terminus, a bus station serving as an end destination * Terminal train station or terminus, a railway station serving as an end destination Geography *Terminus, the unofficial original name of Atlanta, Georgia, United ...

U.S. Route 24 U.S. Route 24 (US 24) is one of the original United States highways of 1926. It originally ran from Pontiac, Michigan, in the east to Kansas City, Missouri, in the west. Today, the highway's eastern terminus is in Independence Township, Mic ...

in northeast

Independence Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...

and its southern terminus at

Interstate 44 Interstate 44 (I-44) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. Although it is nominally an east–west road as it is even-numbered, it follows a more southwest–northeast alignment. Its western terminus is in Wichita Fal ...

southeast of Richland (near the town of Laquey which it doesn't quite reach). The section between Harrisonville (at a junction with

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 s ...

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 ...

) and Clinton (at a junction with Route 13) provides an important link for traffic between

Springfield Springfield may refer to: * Springfield (toponym), the place name in general Places and locations Australia * Springfield, New South Wales (Central Coast) * Springfield, New South Wales (Snowy Monaro Regional Council) * Springfield, Queenslan ...

and

Kansas City 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 ...

Route description

The route begins at

, exit 150, as a two-lane highway. It then heads northwest into Richland, intersecting with Route 133. From there, it continues northwest to a concurrency with Route 5, starting three miles south of Camdenton. In Camdenton, it crosses U.S. 54, and continues northwest, crossing the

Lake of the Ozarks Lake of the Ozarks is a reservoir created by impounding the Osage River in the northern part of the Ozarks in central Missouri. Parts of three smaller tributaries to the Osage are included in the impoundment: the Niangua River, Grandglaize Creek ...

. After crossing the lake, Route 5 enters Greenville, and the highway diverges north, and Route 7 heads west, pass through Climax Springs and

Edwards Edwards may refer to: People * Edwards (surname) * Edwards family, a prominent family from Chile * Edwards Barham (1937-2014), a former member of the Louisiana State Senate * Edwards Pierrepont (1817–1892), an American attorney, jurist, and ora ...

then continues west to another concurrency with

US 65 U.S. Route 65 (US 65) is a north–south United States highway in the southern and midwestern United States. The southern terminus of the route is at U.S. Route 425 in Clayton, Louisiana. The northern terminus is at Interstate 35 just south of In ...

. The combined route crosses Harry S. Truman Reservoir and the

Osage River The Osage River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed May 31, 2011 tributary of the Missouri River in central Missouri in the United States. The eighth-largest river i ...

and then enters

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

, where the concurrency ends; Route 7 heads west and crosses more arms of the Truman Reservoir. At Clinton, it intersects Route 13 and

Route 52 The following highways are numbered 52: Australia * Kings Highway (Australia) * Isis Highway ( Childers to Ban Ban Springs) - Queensland State Route 52 (Wide Bay–Burnett Region) * Gillies Highway - Queensland State Route 52 (Far North Queensl ...

, and then becomes a four-lane highway, running northwest to

US 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 ...

in Harrisonville. After a brief concurrency with I-49/U.S. 71, Route 7 heads north as a two-lane highway, crossing Route 58 in Pleasant Hill, Route 150, and

US 50 U.S. Route 50 or U.S. Highway 50 (US 50) is a major east–west route of the U.S. Highway system, stretching from Interstate 80 (I-80) in West Sacramento, California, to Maryland Route 528 (MD 528) in Ocean City, Maryland, on the Atlantic ...

. In Blue Springs, it crosses

US 40 U.S. Route 40 or U.S. Highway 40 (US 40), also known as the Main Street of America, is a major east–west United States Highway traveling across the United States from the Mountain States to the Mid-Atlantic States. As with most routes wh ...

and

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 ...

. Continuing north, Route 7 is the eastern terminus of

Route 78 The following highways are numbered 78: International * AH78, Asian Highway 78 * European route E78 Australia * Waterfall Way- New South Wales State Route B78 China * G78 Shantou–Kunming Expressway, G78 Expressway Iran *Road 78 (Iran), Ro ...

, before itself terminating at

US 24 U.S. Route 24 (US 24) is one of the original United States highways of 1926. It originally ran from Pontiac, Michigan, in the east to Kansas City, Missouri, in the west. Today, the highway's eastern terminus is in Independence Township, Mic ...

History

Missouri Route 7 links the Kansas City area to the Ozarks, however it was not always called Route 7. Starting in 1926-27 it connected US 71 to US 50 only, by 1937 it had been extended to US 40. The section that runs east from US 71 - US 65 (1935), to US 54, and later on to US 66 (1953) was once called State Route 35. This was changed to Route 7 in 1959. In the early 1970s with the creation of Truman Lake, the Osage River Bridge was bypassed with a new mile long span.

Business route

A one mile business route of MO 7 exists in Pleasant Hill.

Major intersections

References

External links

{{Attached KML 007 Transportation in Pulaski County, Missouri Transportation in Camden County, Missouri Transportation in Benton County, Missouri Transportation in Henry County, Missouri Transportation in Cass County, Missouri Transportation in Jackson County, Missouri