Route 66 is a fourteen-mile (21 km) long road in southwest

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 ...

, USA, which had previously been

U.S. Route 66 U.S. Route 66 or U.S. Highway 66 (US 66 or Route 66) was one of the original highways in the United States Numbered Highway System. It was established on November 11, 1926, with road signs erected the following year. The h ...

for its final six years. The highway begins 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 ...

, passes through Duenweg, Duquesne, and Joplin, then crosses into

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 ...

becoming K-66.

Route description

Route 66 begins at the

state line in Jasper County, where it continues west into that state as K-66. From the state line, the route heads northeast on West 7th Street, a four-lane

divided highway A dual carriageway ( BE) or divided highway ( AE) is a class of highway with carriageways for traffic travelling in opposite directions separated by a central reservation (BrE) or median (AmE). Roads with two or more carriageways which are ...

also marked as "Historic Route 66". The road intersects Old Route 66, at which point it curves to the east. Route 66 passes through wooded areas with some development, passing through Central City. Farther east, the median becomes a

center left-turn lane A reversible lane (British English: tidal flow) is a lane in which traffic may travel in either direction, depending on certain conditions. Typically, it is meant to improve traffic flow during rush hours, by having overhead traffic lights and li ...

as the highway passes businesses. The route crosses into Joplin and intersects the southern terminus of Route P. Route 66 continues as a four-lane undivided road through commercial areas, running to the north of a

Missouri and Northern Arkansas Railroad The Missouri and Northern Arkansas Railroad, LLC is a Class III shortline railroad headquartered in Carthage, Missouri. It is not to be confused with the Missouri and North Arkansas Railroad which connected Joplin, Missouri with Helena, Arkansa ...

line for a time. The road passes a mix of homes and businesses before it heads into downtown Joplin and intersects I-44 Bus./ Route 43. At this point, I-44 Bus. turns east to form a concurrency with Route 66. The two routes continue east on East 7th Street, passing through more of the downtown before coming to a bridge over the Missouri and Northern Arkansas Railroad and Kansas City Southern's Heavener Subdivision. The road gains a center left-turn lane and passes through residential and commercial areas, crossing the Missouri and Northern Arkansas Railroad. I-44 Bus./Route 66 head into an area of businesses and become a divided highway as they cross I-49 Bus. The roadway continues into Duquesne where it passes homes along with some commercial establishments as a five-lane road with a center left-turn lane. The routes leave Duquesne and pass through a mix of rural areas and development. I-44 Bus./Route 66 reach an interchange with the Route 249 freeway. Past this interchange, the road continues into Duenweg, where it narrows to two lanes and passes homes and businesses in the northern part of town. East of Duenweg, the two routes pass through a mix of fields and woods, intersecting the southern terminus of Route AA. I-44 Bus./Route 66 pass through

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

before merging into eastbound

I-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 ...

/northbound I-49/

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 Intersta ...

at a partial interchange.

History

Although all of Route 66 once served as US 66, only five of the six westernmost miles are marked as "Historic Route 66" being that the historic alignment comes in from the north (westbound) on Main Street in Joplin. The very westernmost mile of Historic Route 66 turns off Route 66 on a county road known as "Route 66 Boulevard"and enters Kansas at a different location than the current state highway.

Major intersections

References

{{reflist

066 66 may refer to: * 66 (number) * One of the years 66 BC, AD 66, 1966, 2066 * "66" (song), a song by Lil Yachty featuring Trippie Redd *66, a song by The Afghan Whigs, from the album 1965 *Sixty-Six (card game), a German card game * ''Sixty Six'' (f ...

Transportation in Jasper County, Missouri Joplin, Missouri, metropolitan area

Route description

History

Major intersections

See also

References