Route advice - (Greater) New Orleans to Kansas City (MO)

Started by Darkchylde, April 05, 2013, 05:45:16 AM

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Darkchylde

I'm going to be moving in about a week, driving from where I'm at now to KC.

Due to limited funds, I'm going to be looking to take the shortest and quickest route, as to avoid any motel stops and try to burn the least gas. As it stands right now, the major part of my routing will be such:

I-12 West to I-55
I-55 North through Mississippi and Tennessee to US 63 in Arkansas (bypassing some of Memphis on I-240 along the way)
US 63 North to US 60
US 60 West to US 65
US 65 North to I-44
I-44 West to MO 13
MO 13 North to MO 7
MO 7 North to I-49/US 71
I-49/US 71 pretty much the rest of the way

Deviating either on I-40 to I-540 in AR (connecting via US 71 to I-49 in MO) or staying on I-55 and cutting through St. Louis would keep me on Interstates longer, obviously, but may require too much gas. (I'm using the Explorer, which I'm lucky to get 14 miles a gallon in empty, and it will be loaded down with stuff for the move.) Gas is also why I ruled out taking I-10 to Lafayette or US 190 to Opelousas and then taking 49 and 71 the whole way up from there, cutting through Shreveport, Texarkana and Fort Smith in the process. (Being able to clinch I-220 in Shreveport and therefore clinch all open current Interstate mileage in Louisiana may not be worth the extra gas.)

In the case of going along 49, I'm also worried about elevation changes.

Still, is it worth taking all those surface routings in Missouri once I make I-44, or should I just bite the bullet and head straight for 49/71 once on 44? Any little speed trap towns on that routing I should be worried about? Should I just eat the extra gas costs and just take 49 and 71 the whole way anyways? I'm asking y'all because I've never driven the part of the routing between where I-55 and US 84 interchange in Mississippi and Kansas City (and even there, I didn't get off of 70 and 670 while passing through,) nor any parts of 71 and future 49 north of Shreveport. (Either way, this would be my first time going through Arkansas.)

tl;dr - Should I stick with the shortest route (described?) Should I follow the short route, but cut over to I-49 directly once I hit I-44? Should I just cut over to I-49 in Louisiana and follow that and US 71 up the whole way (clinching I-220 in Shreveport along the way?) Or do you guys have any other ideas that I'm not seeing?


bugo

You could take MO 96 west to US 71 north.  MO 96 is a nice little shortcut.

usends

I will begin by admitting I have never driven this route.  But if I were to do it, under the circumstances you described, I would probably use the "shortest route" that you detailed.  Even though the segment between Memphis and Springfield is not interstate, it is 4-lane for the most part.  There are only about 80 miles of 2-lane.  Heading north from Springfield, I would use MO 13 (as opposed to US 71), since it is 4-lane and a more direct route.

There are various ways to go through Little Rock that would shave off 15-30 miles.  But these options would probably take longer, because there's more 2-lane on those routes, and the terrain north of Little Rock would probably offset any savings on fuel.
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djsinco

I-55 N to US 63 N in AR (near Turrell, AR) to US 60 W (near Cabool, MO) to US 65 N (East of Springfield, MO) to I-44W about 7 miles to MO 13N  (to Clinton, MO) then MO 7 N to KC.

This is an easy 12-13 hour drive at the speed limit, mostly all 4 lane road.
3 million miles and counting

Road Hog

Shortest route is easily US 61 to Natchez, US 65 through Arkansas to Springfield, MO 13/7 to KC.

kphoger

Quote from: bugo on April 05, 2013, 10:12:02 AM
You could take MO 96 west to US 71 north.  MO 96 is a nice little shortcut.

My preferred shortcut is a vairant of that which avoids Carthage.  MO-96 west from Halltown to Avilla, MO-37 north to the first bend, N Hwy west to US-71.  Instead of MO-37 to cut up to N Hwy, you could also use one of the paved county roads just to the west; they're just as scenic, if not more, but are a tiny bit slower.
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US71

Your original route sounds good.  Going via 49/71 would be time consuming from Shreveport to Fort Smith, as well as north of Bentonville. Nice if you want the scenic route and aren't in a hurry. Otherwise, it can be a headache (I just drove all of 71 from US 190 to Ft Smith a couple weeks ago so I can attest to how slow it can be)

From Springfield, definitely follow MO 13 to MO 7.  It's roughly 2 1/2 hours and it's pretty much the route between Springfield and KC.  MO 13 is 4 Lanes, partially-controlled access, much like MO 7 west of Clinton.

The 44/13 interchange is also a good stop for fuel.

Going via Carthage from Springfield to KC would add 30-40 minutes, depending on traffic.
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kphoger

Quote from: US71 on April 07, 2013, 12:46:41 PM
The 44/13 interchange is also a good stop for fuel.

Not to mention a Diverging Diamond.  Good place to exit for a roadgeek.
Keep right except to pass.  Yes.  You.
Visit scenic Orleans County, NY!
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Quote from: Philip K. DickIf you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use them.

Alps

Quote from: Road Hog on April 06, 2013, 05:21:50 AM
Shortest route is easily US 61 to Natchez, US 65 through Arkansas to Springfield, MO 13/7 to KC.
I'm getting I-55 to MS 27 to I-20 W, and then picking up US 65, as being shorter than going directly to US 61, but both are shorter than the OP.

US71

Quote from: Steve on April 08, 2013, 04:17:31 PM
Quote from: Road Hog on April 06, 2013, 05:21:50 AM
Shortest route is easily US 61 to Natchez, US 65 through Arkansas to Springfield, MO 13/7 to KC.
I'm getting I-55 to MS 27 to I-20 W, and then picking up US 65, as being shorter than going directly to US 61, but both are shorter than the OP.

FWIW: 65 is 2 Lanes from I-20 at Tallulah to near Lake Village, then 4 Lanes to I-530 at Pine Bluff. LOTS of construction on 530, as well as I-40 west of Little Rock. 

Addendum: 63 to Jonesboro is Freeway (future I-555), so should be fairly fast.  West Memphis in the vicinity of 55/40 is a good fuel stop.
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Darkchylde

Quote from: US71 on April 08, 2013, 04:40:14 PM
Quote from: Steve on April 08, 2013, 04:17:31 PM
Quote from: Road Hog on April 06, 2013, 05:21:50 AM
Shortest route is easily US 61 to Natchez, US 65 through Arkansas to Springfield, MO 13/7 to KC.
I'm getting I-55 to MS 27 to I-20 W, and then picking up US 65, as being shorter than going directly to US 61, but both are shorter than the OP.

FWIW: 65 is 2 Lanes from I-20 at Tallulah to near Lake Village, then 4 Lanes to I-530 at Pine Bluff. LOTS of construction on 530, as well as I-40 west of Little Rock. 
The other issue is time. Google Maps gave me almost an hour longer on that route compared to the original. Considering we're trying to do this in a single day, adding time isn't helping matters.

bassoon1986

If you take the Natchez to Little Rock route, US 425 is completely 4 laned in NE Louisiana and is a good road other than a few towns to watch out for speed-wise (Gilbert, Mangham). I can't remember what parts of 425 in Arkansas are 2 or 4 laned, but it's not bad traffic for 2 lanes IIRC.

US71

Quote from: bassoon1986 on April 09, 2013, 12:32:11 PM
If you take the Natchez to Little Rock route, US 425 is completely 4 laned in NE Louisiana and is a good road other than a few towns to watch out for speed-wise (Gilbert, Mangham). I can't remember what parts of 425 in Arkansas are 2 or 4 laned, but it's not bad traffic for 2 lanes IIRC.

425 is predominantly 2 lanes in Arkansas, except at Monticello, Hamburg, and the last 5 miles before US 65.
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roadman65

To add to what US 71 said, I once drove from Joplin to New Orleans via US 71 and it took me all day.  US 71 is definitely a long haul, though scenic, but KC is 200 miles north of Joplin so if I left KC to New Orleans it would have been longer.

What you plan and others are suggesting here is better.  To go through MS and Eastern AR and up through Southern MO would be more ethical for time.
Every day is a winding road, you just got to get used to it.

Sheryl Crowe

US71

Quote from: Darkchylde on April 09, 2013, 03:43:35 AM

The other issue is time. Google Maps gave me almost an hour longer on that route compared to the original. Considering we're trying to do this in a single day, adding time isn't helping matters.

If time is a factor, then 65 north of Tallulah is probably NOT a good choice, especially considering it's one lane traffic north of Pine Bluff on 530/65 . Sounds to me like you've looked at all the alternatives.

I still recommend MO 13/MO 7 between Springfield & KC.  13 also has a few "Michigan Lefts" in the Osceola area.
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Darkchylde

Well, the trip's over. We barely made it. We lost the brakes around Jackson.

I did manage to snap a bunch of pics while I was awake though.

hbelkins



Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

Darkchylde

Quote from: hbelkins on April 13, 2013, 07:33:21 PM
What routing did you eventually choose?
The original. With the brakes gone, we needed high-speed, wide open roadways with few to no stoplights. That routing gave us that, except through the southernmost parts of Missouri. Stupid West Plains and their damned stoplights every three blocks and on downhills...



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