U.S. Route 24 or U.S. Highway 24 (US 24) is one of the original

United States Numbered Highway The United States Numbered Highway System (often called U.S. Routes or U.S. Highways) is an integrated network of roads and highways numbered within a nationwide grid in the contiguous United States. As the designation and numbering of these h ...

s of 1926 which runs east and west for most of its routing. It originally ran from

Pontiac, Michigan Pontiac ( ') is a city in and the county seat of Oakland County, Michigan, Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. Located roughly northwest of downtown Detroit, Pontiac is part of the Metro Detroit, Detroit metropolitan area, and is vari ...

, in the east to

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City, Missouri, abbreviated KC or KCMO, is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri by List of cities in Missouri, population and area. The city lies within Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson, Clay County, Missouri, Clay, and Pl ...

, in the west. Today, the highway's eastern terminus is in

Independence Township, Michigan Independence Township is a charter township of Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 36,686 at the 2020 census. Independence Township was first organized in 1834. The township surrounds the city of Clarkston, but t ...

, at an intersection with

Interstate 75 Interstate 75 (I-75) is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. As with most Interstates that end in 5, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, traveling from S ...

(I-75), and its western terminus is near

Minturn, Colorado Minturn is a List of cities and towns in Colorado#Home rule municipality, home rule municipality in Eagle County, Colorado, Eagle County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 1,033 at the 2020 United States census. Geography Minturn ...

, at an intersection with

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 I-695 and Maryland Route 570 (MD 570) in Woodlawn, just outside Baltimore, Maryland. I-70 appr ...

. The highway transitions from north–south to east–west signage at the Ohio–Michigan state line.

Route description

, - , CO , , - , KS , , - , MO , , - , IL , , - , IN , , - , OH ,
Paulding CountyDefiance CountyHenry CountyLucas County
/ref> , - , MI , , - , Total ,

Colorado

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

, 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

Trout Creek Pass Trout Creek Pass, elevation , is a mountain pass located in the Rocky Mountains of south-central Colorado in the United States. The pass sits atop the southern end of the Mosquito Range on the Park- Chaffee county line, between South Park (th ...

. After the pass, US 24 separates from US 285 and continues east to

Colorado Springs Colorado Springs is the most populous city in El Paso County, Colorado, United States, and its county seat. The city had a population of 478,961 at the 2020 census, a 15.02% increase since 2010. Colorado Springs is the second-most populous c ...

and then northeast to Limon, where US 24 joins I-70 for most of the rest of its routing to the

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

state line. When the U.S. Numbered 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 followed 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

, 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 t ...

. 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 Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

, as well as the northern sides of

Topeka Topeka ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Shawnee County, Kansas, Shawnee County. It is along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, in northeaste ...

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 northern Lawrence called Teepee Junction. From there, it is merged with US 40 until Kansas City.

Missouri

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') 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 border ...

, US 24 serves

Independence Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state, in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the status of ...

, Buckner, Lexington, Waverly, Carrollton, Keytesville, Moberly, Madison, Monroe City,

Palmyra Palmyra ( ; Palmyrene dialect, Palmyrene: (), romanized: ''Tadmor''; ) is an ancient city in central Syria. It is located in the eastern part of the Levant, and archaeological finds date back to the Neolithic period, and documents first menti ...

, and West Quincy. It runs concurrently with US 65 between Waverly and Carrollton, passing over the

Missouri River The Missouri River is a river in the Central United States, Central and Mountain states, Mountain West regions of the United States. The nation's longest, it rises in the eastern Centennial Mountains of the Bitterroot Range of the Rocky Moun ...

via the Waverly Bridge when concurrent. After becoming a two-lane road, it is then concurrent with Route 5 in Keytesville (where it is called Jackson Street) and then passes by the city of

Huntsville Huntsville is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Alabama. The population of the city is estimated to be 241,114 in 2024, making it the 100th-most populous city in the U.S. The Huntsville metropolitan area had an estimated 525,465 ...

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

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 The Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum is the Presidential library system, presidential library and resting place of Harry S. Truman, Harry S Truman, the List of presidents of the United States, 33rd president of the United States ( ...

Illinois

Crossing into

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

, US 24 uses the pairing of the cable-stayed Bayview Bridge (westbound) and the older Quincy Memorial Bridge (eastbound) over the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

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 on I-474 to bypass Peoria, and it gets off at exit 9. In

East Peoria East Peoria is a city in Tazewell County, Illinois, United States. The population was 22,484 at the 2020 census. East Peoria is part of the Peoria metropolitan area, located across the Illinois River from downtown Peoria. It is home to many Cate ...

, US 24 forms a

wrong-way concurrency Wrong way may refer to: * a traffic sign to warn of wrong-way driving * nickname of Douglas Corrigan (1907–1995), an American aviator who flew east from New York to Ireland instead of west to California in 1938 * nickname of Roy Riegels (1908–1 ...

with

Illinois Route 116 Illinois Route 116 (IL 116) is a cross-state rural state highway that runs from U.S. Route 34 (US 34) by Gladstone east to the intersection of US 45 (North Front Street) and Old US 45, on the north side of Ashkum. Route description Th ...

and US 150 as it parallels the

Illinois River The Illinois River () is a principal tributary of the Mississippi River at approximately in length. Located in the U.S. state of Illinois, the river has a drainage basin of . The Illinois River begins with the confluence of the Des Plaines ...

. From East Peoria, US 24 runs directly east (parallel to the Toledo, Peoria and Western Railway) through a number of small towns en route to

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

. US 24 crosses into Indiana at the state line east of Sheldon.

Indiana

, US 24 runs east from the

state line to Huntington. At Huntington, US 24 turns northeast and runs to

Fort Wayne Fort Wayne is a city in Allen County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. 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 at the 2020 United S ...

; it then overlaps

I-69 Interstate 69 (I-69) is an Interstate Highway in the United States currently consisting of eight unconnected segments. The longest segment runs from Evansville, Indiana, northeast to the Canada–United States border, Canadian border in Po ...

and I-469 to bypass the city before entering

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

at the state line east of Fort Wayne. The segment of US 24 between Logansport and

Toledo, Ohio Toledo ( ) is a city in Lucas County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is located at the western end of Lake Erie along the Maumee River. Toledo is the List of cities in Ohio, fourth-most populous city in Ohio and List of United Sta ...

, is part of the Hoosier Heartland Industrial Corridor project of the

Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act The Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA, ) is a United States federal law that posed a major change to transportation planning and policy, as the first U.S. federal legislation on the subject in the post-Interstate H ...

Ohio

From Fort Wayne, US 24 follows the path of the Maumee River toward Toledo. In

, the roadway enters the state east of

Woodburn, Indiana Woodburn is a city in Maumee Township, Allen County, Indiana, United States. The population was 1,551 at the 2020 census. History In 1865 Joseph Edgerton and Joseph Smith platted the town of Woodburn, or Phelps Station as it was called at tha ...

, near

Antwerp Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...

. 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 t ...

. 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 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 State Route 25 where it remained a state highway, and US 25 in greater Toledo became US 24.

Michigan

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

, US 24 enters from

, and serves the city of

Monroe Monroe or Monroes may refer to: People and fictional characters * Monroe (surname) * Monroe (given name) * James Monroe, 5th President of the United States * Marilyn Monroe, actress and model Places United States * Monroe, Arkansas, an unincorp ...

and

Metro Detroit Metro Detroit is a major metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Michigan, consisting of the city of Detroit and over 200 municipalities in the Southeast Michigan, surrounding area. There are varied definitions of the area, including the officia ...

, 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 Waterford ( ) is a City status in Ireland, city in County Waterford in the South-East Region, Ireland, south-east of Ireland. It is located within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster. The city is situated at the head of Waterford H ...

and Pontiac until its intersection with Dixie Highway where it travels to the northwest until its termination at

I-75 Interstate 75 (I-75) is a major north–south Interstate Highway System, Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes and Southeastern United States, Southeastern regions of the United States. As with most Interstates that end ...

in Independence Township.

History

Between

Dixie Highway Dixie Highway was a United States auto trail first planned in 1914 to connect the Midwest with the South. It was part of a system and was expanded from an earlier Miami to Montreal highway. The final system is better understood as a network o ...

, and Laskey Road in

, 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 Mark Freuder Knopfler OBE (born 12 August 1949) is a British musician. He was the lead guitarist, singer and songwriter of the rock band Dire Straits from 1977 to 1995, and he is the one of the two members who stayed during the band's existence ...

of the rock band

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

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

. US 24 (Telegraph Road) along the west edge of

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

, 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 A jughandle is a type of ramp or slip road that changes the way traffic turns left at an at-grade intersection (in a country where traffic drives on the right). Instead of a standard left turn being made from the left lane, left-turning traffic ...

and a cutoff for northbound left-turning traffic. US 24 from Minturn to Limon, Colorado, is a former route of US 40S. Between Limon and

Manhattan, Kansas Manhattan is a city in and the county seat of Riley County, Kansas, United States, although the city extends into Pottawatomie County, Kansas, Pottawatomie County. It is located in northeastern Kansas at the junction of the Kansas River and Big ...

, 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

. 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. As of 2021, 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 US 24 Business.

Major intersections

;Colorado : northwest of Minturn : in Johnson Village. The highways travel concurrently to Antero Junction. : in

. 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. : in Burlington. The highways travel concurrently through the city. : in Burlington. The highways travel concurrently to south-southwest of Levant, Kansas. ;Kansas : south-southeast of Gem : in Hill City : in Stockton : in Osborne. The highways travel concurrently to south of Portis. : east of Glasco : in

Riley Riley may refer to: Businesses * Riley (brand), British sporting goods brand founded in 1878 * Riley Motor, British motorcar and bicycle manufacturera 1890–1969 * Riley Technologies, American auto racing constructor and team, founded by Bob ...

. The highways travel concurrently to east of Riley. : in

: 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

. The highways travel concurrently to

Taylor Taylor, Taylors or Taylor's may refer to: People * Taylor (surname) ** List of people with surname Taylor * Taylor (given name), including Tayla and Taylah * Taylor sept, a branch of Scottish clan Cameron * Justice Taylor (disambiguation) ...

. ;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

. The highways travel concurrently through the city. : in East Peoria : in

El Paso El Paso (; ; or ) is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States. The 2020 United States census, 2020 population of the city from the United States Census Bureau, U.S. Census Bureau was 678,815, making it the List of ...

: in Chenoa : in Gilman : in Gilman. The highways travel concurrently through the city. : in Sheldon. The highways travel concurrently to

Kentland, Indiana Kentland is a town in Jefferson Township, Newton County, Indiana, Jefferson Township, Newton County, Indiana, United States. The population was 1,641 at the 2020 census. History The town was founded in 1860 as "Kent", though this name was soon le ...

. ;Indiana : in Kentland : in Remington. The highways travel concurrently to Wolcott. : east of Remington : in Reynolds. The highways travel concurrently to

Monticello Monticello ( ) was the primary residence and plantation of Thomas Jefferson, a Founding Father, author of the Declaration of Independence, and the third president of the United States. Jefferson began designing Monticello after inheriting l ...

. : 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 New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is the third largest city in Co ...

. : in Fort Wayne : in Fort Wayne. I-469/US 24 travel concurrently to east of

. ;Ohio : in Emerald Township : in Napoleon Township. The highways travel concurrently to Liberty Township. : in

Maumee Maumee may refer to: Places: * Maumee Township, Allen County, Indiana * Maumee, Ohio, a city in Lucas County * Maumee River, a river in northwestern Ohio and northeastern Indiana, United States * Maumee Bay, Ohio, on Lake Erie * Maumee State Fores ...

: in Maumee. : in Toledo ;Michigan : in Ash Township : in

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

References

External links

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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
{{US Highways Interstate 70 24 024 Ronald Reagan Trail 24