Interstate 49 (I-49) is an

Interstate Highway The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Highway System in the United States. T ...

in the US state of

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 ...

that was designated on December 12, 2012. It

overlap Overlap may refer to: * In set theory, an overlap of elements shared between sets is called an intersection, as in a Venn diagram. * In music theory, overlap is a synonym for reinterpretation of a chord at the boundary of two musical phrases * O ...

s U.S. Route 71 (US 71) in the western part of the state, beginning at the Arkansas state line, and ending at

I-435 Interstate 435 (I-435) is an Interstate Highway beltway that encircles much of the Kansas City metropolitan area within the states of Kansas and Missouri in the United States. Route description I-435, a loop route of I-35, is long and in ...

and I-470 on the southeast side of

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 th ...

. Upon completion, the highway will connect Kansas City to

Texarkana, Arkansas Texarkana is a city in the U.S. state of Arkansas and the county seat of Miller County, on the southwest border of the state. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 29,387. The city is located across the state line from its twin city ...

, and

Shreveport Shreveport ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the third most populous city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge, respectively. The Shreveport–Bossier City metropolitan area, with a population of 393,406 in 2020, is ...

and

Lafayette, Louisiana Lafayette (, ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, and the most populous city and parish seat of Lafayette Parish, located along the Vermilion River. It is Louisiana's fourth largest incorporated municipality by population and the 234t ...

Route description

I-49 enters Missouri from the Arkansas state line on the Bella Vista Bypass near Pineville. After continuing north for , US 71 rejoins I-49 at exit 4 and is concurrent with it for the remainder of its length. It passes through many smaller communities before reaching Joplin. In Joplin, I-49 junctions with

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 ...

and begins a short overlap with I-44 between exits 11 and 18, heading east. Just a few miles east of Joplin, I-49 leaves I-44, heads north, and enters

Carthage Carthage was the capital city of Ancient Carthage, on the eastern side of the Lake of Tunis in what is now Tunisia. Carthage was one of the most important trading hubs of the Ancient Mediterranean and one of the most affluent cities of the classi ...

. I-49 then passes through

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

and other communities before reaching the Kansas City area. I-49 intersects with I-470 and I-435, which provide connections to

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 c ...

, Downtown Loop,

I-35 Interstate 35 (I-35) 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. It stretches from Laredo, Texas, near the Mexican border ...

, and

I-29 Interstate 29 (I-29) is an Interstate Highway in the Midwestern United States. I-29 runs from Kansas City, Missouri, at a junction with I-35 and I-70, to the Canada–US border near Pembina, North Dakota, where it connects with Manitoba ...

. In south Kansas City, at Bannister Road just north of the Grandview Triangle, the I-49 designation ends, and the freeway continues as I-435 north to I-70 west and the expressway continues as US 71, which proceeds into downtown Kansas City as Bruce R. Watkins Memorial Drive.

History

Northern end of the future Bella Vista Bypass

Arkansas and Missouri pursued an I-49 designation for US 71 and I-540 for a number of years. In the early 2000s, there were plans by both states to renumber the roadway as such between I-44 west of Joplin and I-40 at Fort Smith once new roadway had been completed around

Bella Vista, Arkansas Bella Vista is a city in Benton County, Arkansas, United States. First established in 1917 as a summer resort destination, Bella Vista has evolved and redesigned itself over the succeeding years. Bella Vista became a retirement community in 1965 ...

, and north to Pineville, Missouri. However, the

American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) is a standards setting body which publishes specifications, test protocols, and guidelines that are used in highway design and construction throughout the United ...

(AASHTO) Special Committee on U.S. Route Numbering denied the I-49 designation at their annual meeting in September 2007 because none of the new roadway was under construction. The I-49 upgrade involved removing all at-grade intersections and constructing interchanges and overpasses at 15 sites between Harrisonville and Lamar. The two-year project represented a shift in funding priorities for the

Missouri Department of Transportation The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT, ) is a state government organization in charge of maintaining public roadways of the U.S. state of Missouri under the guidance of the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission. MoDOT designs ...

(MoDOT), which, in 2007, had announced the indefinite postponement of its portion of the Bella Vista bypass project, citing a $139-million (equivalent to $ in ) funding gap in Arkansas between construction costs and toll revenues, and Arkansas's commitment to only a two-lane bypass constructed over six years. MoDOT announced the Joplin-to-Kansas City upgrade of US 71 in August 2010, to be done with the intention of bringing the I-49 designation to Missouri. MoDOT began installing I-49 trailblazer signage (without shields) as well as gantry signs and milemarkers, about 1200 signs in all, in February 2012. Signage bearing I-49 shields were covered or turned from view until the I-49 designation was given final approval by the

Federal Highway Administration The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is a division of the United States Department of Transportation that specializes in highway transportation. The agency's major activities are grouped into two programs, the Federal-aid Highway Program ...

(FHWA). This includes milemarkers at intervals along the entire alignment apart from I-44. The I-49 designation in Missouri became official at noon on December 12, 2012. The designation applies to of current US 71 between Bannister Road (Route W) in south Kansas City and Route H at Pineville (McDonald County) which was upgraded to Interstate standards beginning in 2010. The last of the upgrade projects were completed in December 2012, but some designations about north of the

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the O ...

state line still have not been built to meet Interstate standards. In 2012, Missouri had $40 million (equivalent to $ in ) available for its portion of the Bella Vista bypass but moved the money elsewhere in 2013. They planned on using money from a proposed constitutional amendment which would have raised the sales tax; however, this was defeated by voters in August 2014. Arkansas announced it will not extend its section to Missouri until construction begins on the Missouri section. In March 2019, the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission approved the remaining funding needed to complete the portion of the Bella Vista Bypass within the state. On April 1, 2020, the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission awarded a $58.7 million contract for the construction of the portion of highway. Construction started on May 11, 2020, and the entire bypass opened on October 1, 2021, following a ribbon-cutting ceremony held the day prior. With this, I-49 is fully complete within the state. I-435 north to I-70 west to the Downtown Loop was via an alternate route for traffic to avoid the three at-grade crossings.

Exit list

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Interstate 49 In Missouri 49 Missouri Transportation in McDonald County, Missouri Transportation in Newton County, Missouri Transportation in Jasper County, Missouri Transportation in Barton County, Missouri Transportation in Vernon County, Missouri Transportation in Bates County, Missouri Transportation in Cass County, Missouri Transportation in Jackson County, Missouri