U.S. Route 24 (US 24) is one of the original United States highways of 1926. It originally ran from

Pontiac, Michigan Pontiac ( ') is a city in and the county seat of Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 61,606. A northern suburb of Metro Detroit, Pontiac is about northwest of Detroit. Founde ...

, in the east to

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...

, in the west. Today, the highway's eastern terminus is in Independence Township, Michigan at an intersection with I-75, and its western terminus is near Minturn, Colorado at an intersection with I-70. The highway transitions from north–south to east–west signage at the Ohio-Michigan state line.

Route description

Colorado

In Colorado, US 24 begins at the interchange of I-70 and US 6 (Exit 171) near Minturn. From this interchange, US 24 proceeds southeast through Minturn and continues south to the

Continental Divide A continental divide is a drainage divide on a continent such that the drainage basin on one side of the divide feeds into one ocean or sea, and the basin on the other side either feeds into a different ocean or sea, or else is endorheic, not ...

at Tennessee Pass. It continues south to Johnson Village and then joins with US 285 northbound to the Trout Creek Pass. After the pass, US 24 separates from US 285 and continues east to Colorado Springs and then northeast to Limon, where US 24 joins I-70 for most of the rest of its routing to the Kansas state line. When the United States Highway System was started in 1926, US 24 in Colorado was designated US 40S. It began in Grand Junction and went east along the current I-70 corridor to Minturn, from which it follows the current route to Limon. From Limon east to the Kansas border, the current US 24 was designated US 40N. US 40S west of Limon and US 40N east of Limon received the US 24 designation in 1936, when US 24 was extended west from Kansas City, Missouri. The segment between Grand Junction and Minturn was decommissioned in 1975.

Kansas

In Kansas, US 24 enters from Colorado west of Kanorado; it overlaps I-70 for to Colby. US 24 does not meet I-70 again until

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 ...

. On December 1, 2008, US 24 was rerouted southward on US 73 to I-70 west of Kansas City, continuing east on I-70 on the final in Kansas. US 24 serves Manhattan, as well as the northern sides of Topeka and Lawrence. The original designation for the current US 24 route in Kansas was US 40N. It went from the Colorado border to Manhattan. In 1936, US 24 received its current designation after an extension west from Kansas City. In Kansas, US 24 is merged with US 59 from Williamstown to a place in North Lawrence called Teepee Junction. From there it is merged with US 40 until Kansas City.

Missouri

In Missouri, US 24 serves

, Independence,

Buckner Buckner may refer to: People * Buckner H. Payne (1799-1889), American clergyman, publisher, and racist pamphleteer *Buckner Thruston (1763–1845), U.S. Senator and judge from Kentucky * Buckner (surname) Music * Buckner & Garcia was an American ...

, Lexington, Waverly, Carrollton, Keytesville, Moberly, Madison, Monroe City, Palmyra and West Quincy. It runs concurrently with US 65 between Waverly and Carrollton, passing over the Missouri River via the Waverly Bridge when concurrent. After becoming a two-lane road, it is then concurrent with

Route 5 Route 5, or Highway 5, may refer to routes in the following countries: International * AH5, Asian Highway 5 * European route E05 * European route E005 Argentina * National Route 5 (Argentina), National Route 5 Australia New South Wales * ...

in Keytesville (where it is called Jackson Street), and then passes by the city of Huntsville before turning into a four-lane highway and crossing US 63 at Moberly. It is finally concurrent (for the third time) with US 36 east of Monroe City and with US 61 from south of Palmyra to West Quincy. The segment shared with US 61 is part of the Avenue of the Saints. Along the route within Independence is the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum.

Illinois

Crossing into Illinois, US 24 uses the pairing of the cable-stayed Quincy Bayview Bridge (westbound) and the older

Quincy Memorial Bridge The Quincy Memorial Bridge is a truss bridge over the Mississippi River in Quincy, Illinois. It brings eastbound U.S. Highway 24 into the city of Quincy from Missouri. It was built in 1930, initially as a toll bridge, and remains structurally so ...

(eastbound) over the Mississippi River in Quincy. , it is the main arterial highway from Quincy northeast to Peoria. Between these two cities, the highway follows the old Peoria to Quincy stage coach route. US 24 travels onto the

Shade–Lohmann Bridge The Shade–Lohmann Bridge is a pair of twin cantilever bridges that carry Interstate 474 (I-474) and U.S. Route 24 (US 24) over the Illinois River near the Peoria Lock and Dam located at River Mile 158.0 in Tazewell County, in the U.S. sta ...

on I-474 to bypass Peoria, and it gets off at exit 9. In East Peoria, US 24 forms a wrong-way concurrency with IL 116 and US 150 as it parallels the

Illinois River The Illinois River ( mia, Inoka Siipiiwi) is a principal tributary of the Mississippi River and is approximately long. Located in the U.S. state of Illinois, it has a drainage basin of . The Illinois River begins at the confluence of the D ...

. From East Peoria, US 24 runs directly east (parallel to Toledo, Peoria and Western Railway) through a number of small towns en route to Indiana. US 24 crosses into Indiana at the state line east of Sheldon.

Indiana

In Indiana, US 24 runs east from the Illinois state line to Huntington. At Huntington, US 24 turns northeast and runs to

Fort Wayne Fort Wayne is a city in and the county seat of Allen County, Indiana, United States. Located in northeastern Indiana, the city is west of the Ohio border and south of the Michigan border. The city's population was 263,886 as of the 2020 Censu ...

; it then overlaps I-69 and I-469 to bypass the city before entering Ohio at the state line east of Fort Wayne. The segment of US 24 between Logansport and Toledo, Ohio is part of the Hoosier Heartland Industrial Corridor project of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act.

Ohio

From Fort Wayne, US 24 follows the path of the Maumee River towards Toledo. In Ohio, the roadway enters the state east of Woodburn, Indiana, near

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

. Between the Indiana state line and Toledo, this portion of the roadway is known as the Fort to Port segment of the Hoosier Heartland Industrial Corridor. Between Napoleon and Toledo, modern US 24 lies north of the Maumee River as a highway built to

Interstate Highway standards Standards for Interstate Highways in the United States are defined by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) in the publication ''A Policy on Design Standards: Interstate System''. For a certain highway to ...

. Just north of Waterville is the site of the Battle of Fallen Timbers of 1794. General Anthony Wayne after, constructing a trail from Fort Wayne to (Fort) Defiance, fought and defeated a Native American consortium, thus opening northern Ohio to white settlement. At a point on the Toledo's north side US 24 veers from northeast–southwest to true north–south, turning on to Telegraph Road, while Detroit Avenue continues as a city street that connects to M-125 (Dixie Highway) at the Michigan border. The path through Toledo of US 24 follows the course of old US 25, old US 25 being farther away from the course of north–south I-75. Partially truncated as a state route, what had been US 24 was renumbered as Ohio State Route 25 where it remained a state highway, and US 25 in greater Toledo became US 24.

Michigan

In Michigan, US 24 enters from Toledo, Ohio and serves the city of Monroe and the Detroit Metro Area, where it is known as Telegraph Road. It continues north through the western edge of Detroit. It passes through Michigan's "mixing bowl", which is where I-696 (Walter P. Reuther Freeway), M-10 (John C. Lodge Freeway/Northwestern Highway), and Lahser Road intersect. US 24 continues north along Telegraph Road as the border between Waterford and Pontiac until its intersection with Dixie Highway where it travels to the northwest until its termination at I-75 in Independence Township, Michigan.

History

Between Dixie Highway in

, and Laskey Road in Toledo, Ohio, the highway is known as Telegraph Road, named before the highway system existed after the telegraph wires to which it once ran parallel. Mark Knopfler of the rock band

Dire Straits Dire Straits were a British rock band formed in London in 1977 by Mark Knopfler (lead vocals and lead guitar), David Knopfler (rhythm guitar and backing vocals), John Illsley (bass guitar and backing vocals) and Pick Withers (drums and percuss ...

wrote the song " Telegraph Road" about the development and decay of the road, which he spotted en route to a concert. It is a major surface route through western areas of Metro Detroit. US 24 (Telegraph Road) along the west edge of Detroit, Michigan was one of the first roads where Michigan left turns were implemented. This pattern was introduced at the time of, or soon after, its widening to a six- to eight-lane divided highway between 1960 and 1963. Several other channelization techniques are also used; for instance, the M-153 (Ford Road) intersection includes a southbound jughandle and a cutoff for northbound left-turning traffic. US 24 from Minturn, Colorado to Limon, Colorado is a former route of US 40S. Between Limon and Manhattan, Kansas, US 24 follows the old route of US 40N. US 24 followed State Avenue in Kansas City, Kansas until December 1, 2008, when it was rerouted onto K-7 and I-70. As Michigan enacted alcohol prohibition earlier than Ohio, for a time this road was notorious for its use by bootleggers, bringing booze from Cincinnati and Cleveland into Detroit. From 2008 to 2012, US 24 from Fort Wayne to Toledo was mostly expanded to Interstate Standards as part of an overall "Fort to Port" project, in reference to Fort Wayne and the port of Toledo.U.S. 24 Proposed Pedestrian Bridge Upgraded to Interchange and Design Work Pending for S.R. 14 Adjacent to Inverness Pond, INDOT Press Release, August 7, 2009
/ref> As of 2018, US 24 has been moved to follow I-435 south and I-70 west in Kansas City, Missouri; the original US 24 that used to follow Independence Avenue is now a business route of US 24.

Major intersections

;Colorado : northwest of Minturn : in Johnson Village. The highways travel concurrently to Antero Junction. : in Colorado Springs. The highways travel concurrently through the city. : in Limon. The highways travel concurrently to east of Limon. : in Limon : east of Limon. The highways travel concurrently to

Seibert Seibert is a surname of German origin. It comes from the German personal name ''Seibert'', which is derived from one of three related "battle names" which were originally spelled ''Siegfried'', ''Siegbert'', and ''Sigismund''; translating as "V ...

. : in Burlington. The highways travel concurrently through the city. : in Burlington. The highways travel concurrently to south-southwest of

Levant, Kansas Levant is an unincorporated community in Thomas County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the community and nearby areas was 68. It is located approximately west of Colby. History Levant has a post office with ...

. ;Kansas : south-southeast of Gem : in Hill City : in

Stockton Stockton may refer to: Places Australia * Stockton, New South Wales * Stockton, Queensland, a locality in the Cassowary Coast Region New Zealand *Stockton, New Zealand United Kingdom *Stockton, Cheshire *Stockton, Norfolk *Stockton, Chirbu ...

: in

Osborne Osborne may refer to: * Osborne (name) Places Australia * Osborne, South Australia (disambiguation), places associated with the suburb in the Adelaide metropolitan area * Osborne, New South Wales, a rural community in the Riverina region Can ...

. The highways travel concurrently to south of Portis. : east of Glasco : in

Riley Riley may refer to: Names * Riley (given name) * Riley (surname) Places * Riley Park–Little Mountain, a neighborhood in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada * Riley Creek (Ontario), a tributary of the Black River in Central Ontario, Canada * Ri ...

. The highways travel concurrently to east of Riley. : in Topeka : in Williamstown. The highways travel concurrently to Lawrence. : in Lawrence. US 24/US 40 travel concurrently to

. : on the

– Bonner Springs city line. The highways travel concurrently into Bonner Springs proper. : in Bonner Springs. I-70/US 24 travel concurrently to

. : on the Kansas City– Edwardsville city line : in Kansas City : in Kansas City. The highways travel concurrently through the city. : in Kansas City : in Kansas City. US 24/US 169 travel concurrently to

. ;Missouri : in

. The highways travel concurrently through the city. : in Kansas City : in Kansas City : east of Waverly. The highways travel concurrently to Carrollton. : in Moberly : in Monroe City. The highways travel concurrently to northeast of Rensselaer. : south of Palmyra. The highways travel concurrently to Taylor. ;Illinois : south of Bloomfield : in Rushville : northeast of Beaty. The highways travel concurrently to Duncan Mills. : on the Peoria– Bartonville line. I-474/US 24 travel concurrently to Creve Coeur. : in East Peoria. The highways travel concurrently through the city. : in East Peoria : in El Paso : in Chenoa : in Gilman : in Gilman. The highways travel concurrently through the city. : in Sheldon. The highways travel concurrently to Kentland, Indiana. ;Indiana : in Kentland : in Remington. The highways travel concurrently to Wolcott. : east of Remington : in Reynolds. The highways travel concurrently to Monticello. : west of Logansport. The highways travel concurrently to southeast of Logansport. : in Peru Township : in Huntington : in

. The highways travel concurrently through the city. : in Fort Wayne. US 24/US 30 travel concurrently to east of New Haven. : in Fort Wayne : in Fort Wayne. I-469/US 24 travel concurrently to east of New Haven. ;Ohio : in Emerald Township : in Napoleon Township. The highways travel concurrently to Liberty Township. : in Maumee : in Maumee. : in

Toledo Toledo most commonly refers to: * Toledo, Spain, a city in Spain * Province of Toledo, Spain * Toledo, Ohio, a city in the United States Toledo may also refer to: Places Belize * Toledo District * Toledo Settlement Bolivia * Toledo, Orur ...

;Michigan : in Ash Township : in Taylor : in

Dearborn Dearborn may refer to: People * Dearborn (surname) ** Henry Dearborn (1751–1829), U.S. Secretary of War under President Thomas Jefferson, Senior Officer of the U.S. Army during the War of 1812 Places in the United States Forts * Fort Dearborn, ...

: in Redford Charter Township : in Southfield : in Springfield Township

References

External links

Endpoints of U.S. Highway 24Maumee Valley Heritage CorridorMichigan US-24 endpoint photosIllinois Highway Ends: US-24Indiana Highway Ends: US-24Live webcam view of US Hwy 24 from Woodland Park, ColoradoUS24 Fort to Port Project
Interstate 70 24 024 Ronald Reagan Trail 24