Route 240 is a highway in the central part of
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
U.S. Route 40 about two miles (3 km) west of
Columbia; its western terminus is 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 ...
in
Marshall
Marshall may refer to:
Places
Australia
* Marshall, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria
Canada
* Marshall, Saskatchewan
* The Marshall, a mountain in British Columbia
Liberia
* Marshall, Liberia
Marshall Islands
* Marshall Islands, an i ...
. Spur Route 240 connects the road with
Rocheport.
From 1922 until 1926, Route 240 from Rocheport to
Fayette was Route 67. It was renumbered
Route 3 in 1926; that route has since been extended north and truncated, leaving Route 240 behind.
The highway was mentioned in the title of
David R. Holsinger's four-movement piece "One Day In a Small Town...". The fourth movement is titled "Chasing the Band Bus on MO240".
Route description
Route 240 begins its journey east in
Marshall
Marshall may refer to:
Places
Australia
* Marshall, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria
Canada
* Marshall, Saskatchewan
* The Marshall, a mountain in British Columbia
Liberia
* Marshall, Liberia
Marshall Islands
* Marshall Islands, an i ...
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 ...
, concurrent with southbound Business Loop 65. Less than ½ mile down the road, Route 240 dumps Business Loop 65 and picks up southbound
Route 41. Route 41 leaves a few miles east of Marshall, leaving Route 240 to head on its own. Route 240 heads north-northeast through gently rolling hills to
Slater
A slater, or slate mason, is a tradesperson who covers buildings with slate.
Tools of the trade
The various tools of the slater's trade are all drop-forged.
The slater's hammer is forged in one single piece, from crucible-cast steel, and ha ...
, where Route turns east. The highway then passes through
Gilliam, crosses the
Missouri River, then enters Glasgow. At the Glasgow end of the bridge, Route 240 becomes concurrent with the southbound directions of
Route 5 and
Route 87, and at the same time gains a business loop. As the highway exits Glasgow, Routes 5 and 240 turn off of Route 87 and head east-northeast (despite being signed as a southbound direction) until meeting the other end of Business Loop 240, after which the duplex turns east. The duplex later turns south-south east and meets the southern terminus of
Route 3. North of
Fayette, Route 240 turns off of Route 5, but still heads in the southeasterly direction as it passes through Downtown Fayette. South of the city, Route 240 serves as the western end of Route 124. Route 240 then becomes hillier until it meets
U.S. Route 40, where it flattens out and meets Alternate Route 240, which provides easier access from eastbound Route 240 to westbound Route 40, and vice versa (''see below'').
Intersections
Glasgow business loop
Business Loop 240 runs entirely on the old routing of Route 240. It begins at the Glasgow end of the bridge over the Missouri River. It heads north concurrent with Route 5 through Downtown Glasgow. After passing through downtown, Route 5 leaves, and Business 240 runs eastward to the new routing of Routes 5 and 240.
Howard County alternate
Alternate Route 240 in rural Howard County is technically a spur route that provides easy access from eastbound Route 240 to westbound
U.S. Route 40, and vice versa, utilizing an old alignment of U.S. Route 40. The route runs northeast from U.S. Route 40 at the southeastern edge of the Davidsdale Conservation Area, then passes through some farmland. After running along the northwestern edge of a small pond, it intersects Howard County Road 435A, and immediately the shared intersection of Howard County Roads 442 and 435. Before reaching its northeastern terminus, the road curves east, where a connecting road leads to westbound Route 240, while the existing road curves to the southeast and ends at eastbound Route 240.
Rocheport spur
Route 240 Spur is a spur route from
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 ...
/MO 240 that runs towards
Rocheport, Missouri
Rocheport is a city in Boone County, Missouri, United States. It is part of the Columbia, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 239 at the 2010 census. Rocheport includes the Rocheport Historic District, an area with buildi ...
. Though cardinal direction signs read "East," it actually runs south from its parent route, taking the
Lewis and Clark Trail with it. The road then curves to the southeast where it has a wye intersection with Howard County Road 440. Spur Route 240 officially enters Rocheport, just before crossing a bridge over
Moniteau Creek where it also crosses the Howard-Boone County Line, then ends at Route BB (Third Street), which takes the Lewis and Clark Trail with it, while Spur Route 240 continues south as Central Avenue which leads to a portion of the
Katy Trail State Park
The Katy Trail State Park is a state park in the U.S. state of Missouri that contains the Katy Trail, the country's longest recreational rail trail. It runs , largely along the northern bank of the Missouri River, in the right-of-way of the f ...
.
References
{{reflist
240
Transportation in Saline County, Missouri
Transportation in Howard County, Missouri
Transportation in Boone County, Missouri