Route 32 is a highway in

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 ...

. Its eastern terminus is at 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 f ...

near Ste. Genevieve; its western terminus is at

U.S. Route 54 U.S. Route 54 (US 54) is an east–west United States Highway that runs northeast–southwest for from El Paso, Texas, to Griggsville, Illinois. The Union Pacific Railroad's Tucumcari Line (former Southern Pacific Railroad, Southern Pacific and ...

in El Dorado Springs. It is currently one of the longest highways in the state. Most of the highway east of

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 the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...

is hilly and curvy, passing through a large part of the Missouri

Ozarks The Ozarks, also known as the Ozark Mountains, Ozark Highlands or Ozark Plateau, is a physiographic region in the U.S. states of Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma and the extreme southeastern corner of Kansas. The Ozarks cover a significant port ...

. Route 32 is one of the original Missouri highways from 1922. It originally ran only from

Licking Licking is the action of passing the tongue over a surface, typically either to deposit saliva onto the surface, or to collect liquid, food or minerals onto the tongue for ingestion, or to communicate with other animals. Many animals both gro ...

to Flat River (now Park Hills). Other portions were defined as Route 66 (El Dorado Springs to

Fair Play Fair play or Fairplay usually refers to sportsmanship. Fair play or Fairplay may also refer to: Media * ''Fair Play'' (1925 film), an American silent film * ''Fair Play'', a 1972 TV movie starring Paul Ford * ''Fair Play'' (2014 film), a Czech ...

), Route 13 (Fair Play to Buffalo), and Route 68 (

Farmington Farmington may refer to: Places Canada *Farmington, British Columbia * Farmington, Nova Scotia (disambiguation) United States *Farmington, Arkansas *Farmington, California *Farmington, Connecticut *Farmington, Delaware * Farmington, Georgia * ...

to Ste. Genevieve). Route 66 replaced Route 13 to Buffalo in 1925, but by 1927 it became part of

US 54 U.S. Route 54 (US 54) is an east–west United States Highway that runs northeast–southwest for from El Paso, Texas, to Griggsville, Illinois. The Union Pacific Railroad's Tucumcari Line (former Southern Pacific and Rock Island Lines "Golden S ...

. Route 32 also absorbed Route 68 in 1926 or 1927. Route 64, which had been designated in 1922 between

Collins Collins may refer to: People Surname Given name * Collins O. Bright (1917–?), Sierra Leonean diplomat * Collins Chabane (1960–2015), South African Minister of Public Service and Administration * Collins Cheboi (born 1987), Kenyan middle- ...

and Preston (now US 54), was extended east to

in the early 1930s, and by 1935 it had swapped alignments with US 54, becoming the El Dorado Springs-Lebanon route that now mostly carries Route 32. Route 32 was extended west to Lebanon by 1946, and it was later extended west, leaving only the Louisburg-Lebanon section of Route 64, which has since been extended west.

Route description

The highway begins at the beginning of state maintenance, at a point in the 300 block of 4th Street in Ste. Genevieve. City streets connect to a ferry providing passage across the

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

. Just before leaving the city, the route comes to an intersection with

U.S. Route 61 U.S. Route 61 or U.S. Highway 61 (U.S. 61) is a major United States highway that extends between New Orleans, Louisiana and the city of Wyoming, Minnesota. The highway generally follows the course of the Mississippi River and is designate ...

. Six miles further west is an interchange with

Interstate 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 ...

and eleven miles (18 km) west of the interstate is the northern junction of Route 144. At Farmington, the highway joins

U.S. Route 67 U.S. Route 67 is a major north–south U.S. highway which extends for 1,560 miles (2,511 km) in the Central United States. The southern terminus of the route is at the United States-Mexico border in Presidio, Texas, where it continues so ...

for seven miles (6 km), then it exits at Leadington and turns into four lane to Saint Joe State Park U.S. Route 67 Business. At Caledonia, the highway turns south and forms a four-mile (6 km)

concurrency 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 Route 21, then turns west and enters the

Mark Twain National Forest Mark Twain National Forest (MTNF) is a U.S. United States National Forest, 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 cover ...

. In the national forest, the highway forms a six-mile (10 km) concurrency with Route 49. As the highway nears the western boundary of the Mark Twain National Forest, the highway joins Route 72, the two highways will be united to the west side of Salem. Nine miles west of Salem is the northern terminus of Route 119. At Licking is the northern terminus of Route 137 and an intersection with

U.S. Route 63 U.S. Route 63 (US 63) is a , north–south United States Highway primarily in the Midwestern and Southern United States. The southern terminus of the route is at Interstate 20 (I-20) in Ruston, Louisiana; the northern terminus is at US ...

. West of Licking, Route 32 enters another section of the Mark Twain National Forest. At Success, Route 32 turns north, joining Route 17 for four miles (6 km) then turns west again at Roby. At Lynchburg is the northern terminus of

Route 95 Route 95, or Highway 95, may refer to routes in the following countries: __TOC__ International * European route E95 Australia * Great Northern Highway (Western Australia) * Fossickers Way (New South Wales) Canada * British Columbia Highway 95 * ...

and Route 32 turns north. Three miles northwest of Falcon, the highway leaves the Mark Twain National Forest. At Lebanon, Route 32 joins Route 5 and has an interchange with

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 ...

, which also serves as the eastern terminus of Route 64. In Lebanon, the highway turns southwest and leaves the concurrency with Route 5 and Route 64. At Buffalo, Route 32 forms a brief concurrency with Route 73, which it joins to the terminus of Route 73 at

U.S. Route 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 ...

. The road then continues west, forming the main highway between the two county seats of Buffalo and Bolivar. At Bolivar, the highway intersect Route 83, and then intersects Route 13. At Fair Play, Route 32 briefly joins Route 123 and begins a northwest route to the north side of

Stockton Lake Stockton Lake is a reservoir located in southeastern Cedar County, Missouri, Cedar County, northeastern Dade County, Missouri, Dade County, and southwestern Polk County, Missouri. The lake is 'V' shaped, and covers , with of shoreline. It has th ...

where the highway passes over the dam. At Stockton, it joins Route 39 briefly and continue west eventually reaching the northern terminus of Route 97. At this intersection, the highway turns due north for five miles (8 km) before reaching

and ending in eastern El Dorado Springs.

History

The section of Route 32 between Route 17 and

Plato Plato ( ; grc-gre, Πλάτων ; 428/427 or 424/423 – 348/347 BC) was a Greek philosopher born in Athens during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. He founded the Platonist school of thought and the Academy, the first institution ...

was formerly designated as Route 17A.

Major intersections

References

032 Transportation in Cedar County, Missouri Transportation in Polk County, Missouri Transportation in Dallas County, Missouri Transportation in Laclede County, Missouri Transportation in Texas County, Missouri Transportation in Dent County, Missouri Transportation in Iron County, Missouri Transportation in Washington County, Missouri Transportation in St. Francois County, Missouri Transportation in Ste. Genevieve County, Missouri {{attached KML