Chicago-Kansas City Expressway

[mvak36]

I wouldn't mind seeing it become an interstate all the way to St. Joseph but the realist in me is saying it probably won't happen for a while.

[MantyMadTown]

I wouldn't mind seeing it become an interstate all the way to St. Joseph but the realist in me is saying it probably won't happen for a while.

That would be awesome. Maybe they will in the future if traffic increases and the CKC Expressway becomes a popular route. I wonder how this would affect the Illinois portion of the route. Maybe they'll upgrade that part of the route into an interstate as well. If it's well-traveled and needs upgrading.

[Brandon]

I wouldn't mind seeing it become an interstate all the way to St. Joseph but the realist in me is saying it probably won't happen for a while.

That would be awesome. Maybe they will in the future if traffic increases and the CKC Expressway becomes a popular route. I wonder how this would affect the Illinois portion of the route. Maybe they'll upgrade that part of the route into an interstate as well. If it's well-traveled and needs upgrading.

LOL!  In Illinois, it's easier to use I-55 and I-72 rather than the convoluted route the CKC takes through the state.

[skluth]

I wouldn't mind seeing it become an interstate all the way to St. Joseph but the realist in me is saying it probably won't happen for a while.

That would be awesome. Maybe they will in the future if traffic increases and the CKC Expressway becomes a popular route. I wonder how this would affect the Illinois portion of the route. Maybe they'll upgrade that part of the route into an interstate as well. If it's well-traveled and needs upgrading.

LOL!  In Illinois, it's easier to use I-55 and I-72 rather than the convoluted route the CKC takes through the state.

I drove the Quad Cities-Hannibal segment a few years ago on a trip back from Wisconsin. It's a nice, leisurely, low-traffic ride south of Galesburg, with the emphasis on leisurely. It should be non-stop once the Macomb bypass is completed, but Illinois won't eliminate those stupid lights around Monmouth which will discourage truckers and other travellers from prioritizing it on long hauls.

[sparker]

I wouldn't mind seeing it become an interstate all the way to St. Joseph but the realist in me is saying it probably won't happen for a while.

That would be awesome. Maybe they will in the future if traffic increases and the CKC Expressway becomes a popular route. I wonder how this would affect the Illinois portion of the route. Maybe they'll upgrade that part of the route into an interstate as well. If it's well-traveled and needs upgrading.

LOL!  In Illinois, it's easier to use I-55 and I-72 rather than the convoluted route the CKC takes through the state.

That (55>72>36>35) would seem to be the optimal commercial Chicago-KC route to avoid both St. Louis-area traffic and any potential slowdowns in the Quad Cities or Des Moines area on 80>35.  The CKC/110 alignment appears to be, plain & simple, a way to connect several small towns in western IL in order to snag some of the travel-related pass-through $$ for them.  It certainly isn't the shortest way to get from point A to point B! 

[bugo]

This is an internet forum. Thread drift is going to happen. Don't worry about it, it isn't a big deal.

[MantyMadTown]

I wouldn't mind seeing it become an interstate all the way to St. Joseph but the realist in me is saying it probably won't happen for a while.

That would be awesome. Maybe they will in the future if traffic increases and the CKC Expressway becomes a popular route. I wonder how this would affect the Illinois portion of the route. Maybe they'll upgrade that part of the route into an interstate as well. If it's well-traveled and needs upgrading.

LOL!  In Illinois, it's easier to use I-55 and I-72 rather than the convoluted route the CKC takes through the state.

That (55>72>36>35) would seem to be the optimal commercial Chicago-KC route to avoid both St. Louis-area traffic and any potential slowdowns in the Quad Cities or Des Moines area on 80>35.  The CKC/110 alignment appears to be, plain & simple, a way to connect several small towns in western IL in order to snag some of the travel-related pass-through $$ for them.  It certainly isn't the shortest way to get from point A to point B!

I was mostly just talking about the possibility of turning US 36 into an extension of I-72. The conversion of the Illinois part of the route is just a side note. Making it an actual freeway would certainly make the route more legitimate and increase traffic along the route. Still, it looks like 55 to 72 to 36 to 35 is the best route. In that case all of the other roads are interstates except for US 36. Upgrading that would make it a better route, instead of the other alignment.

[sparker]

I wouldn't mind seeing it become an interstate all the way to St. Joseph but the realist in me is saying it probably won't happen for a while.

That would be awesome. Maybe they will in the future if traffic increases and the CKC Expressway becomes a popular route. I wonder how this would affect the Illinois portion of the route. Maybe they'll upgrade that part of the route into an interstate as well. If it's well-traveled and needs upgrading.

LOL!  In Illinois, it's easier to use I-55 and I-72 rather than the convoluted route the CKC takes through the state.

That (55>72>36>35) would seem to be the optimal commercial Chicago-KC route to avoid both St. Louis-area traffic and any potential slowdowns in the Quad Cities or Des Moines area on 80>35.  The CKC/110 alignment appears to be, plain & simple, a way to connect several small towns in western IL in order to snag some of the travel-related pass-through $$ for them.  It certainly isn't the shortest way to get from point A to point B!

I was mostly just talking about the possibility of turning US 36 into an extension of I-72. The conversion of the Illinois part of the route is just a side note. Making it an actual freeway would certainly make the route more legitimate and increase traffic along the route. Still, it looks like 55 to 72 to 36 to 35 is the best route. In that case all of the other roads are interstates except for US 36. Upgrading that would make it a better route, instead of the other alignment.

Well....since there doesn't seem to be anything in the air regarding Interstate conversion of the IL 336, US 67, and US 34 portions of the CKC, it would seem that the only currently non-Interstate segment to even warrant consideration is, simply, US 36 from Cameron to Hannibal as I-72.  However, such a conversion would be a long-term, even leisurely, process, even though there are a few segments of full freeway along that stretch.  Most of the current divided facility has gotten that way through the twinning process; the original alignment, regardless of travel direction, still has plenty of private access points that would have to be either bypassed by deploying an additional set of lanes or by installing frontage roads and/or "joists" over to local surface roads.  Either way, it won't be the easiest process and will inevitably disrupt farm and town access to US 36 during any construction effort.  But first MO needs to find the funding to do anything -- and this corridor is, in all likelihood, somewhere down the priority queue.  In the long haul, a western I-72 extension is a possibility -- but don't hold your breath; it won't be anytime soon.   

[In_Correct]

I wouldn't mind seeing it become an interstate all the way to St. Joseph but the realist in me is saying it probably won't happen for a while.

That would be awesome. Maybe they will in the future if traffic increases and the CKC Expressway becomes a popular route. I wonder how this would affect the Illinois portion of the route. Maybe they'll upgrade that part of the route into an interstate as well. If it's well-traveled and needs upgrading.

LOL!  In Illinois, it's easier to use I-55 and I-72 rather than the convoluted route the CKC takes through the state.

That (55>72>36>35) would seem to be the optimal commercial Chicago-KC route to avoid both St. Louis-area traffic and any potential slowdowns in the Quad Cities or Des Moines area on 80>35.  The CKC/110 alignment appears to be, plain & simple, a way to connect several small towns in western IL in order to snag some of the travel-related pass-through $$ for them.  It certainly isn't the shortest way to get from point A to point B!

I was mostly just talking about the possibility of turning US 36 into an extension of I-72. The conversion of the Illinois part of the route is just a side note. Making it an actual freeway would certainly make the route more legitimate and increase traffic along the route. Still, it looks like 55 to 72 to 36 to 35 is the best route. In that case all of the other roads are interstates except for US 36. Upgrading that would make it a better route, instead of the other alignment.

Well....since there doesn't seem to be anything in the air regarding Interstate conversion of the IL 336, US 67, and US 34 portions of the CKC, it would seem that the only currently non-Interstate segment to even warrant consideration is, simply, US 36 from Cameron to Hannibal as I-72.  However, such a conversion would be a long-term, even leisurely, process, even though there are a few segments of full freeway along that stretch.  Most of the current divided facility has gotten that way through the twinning process; the original alignment, regardless of travel direction, still has plenty of private access points that would have to be either bypassed by deploying an additional set of lanes or by installing frontage roads and/or "joists" over to local surface roads.  Either way, it won't be the easiest process and will inevitably disrupt farm and town access to US 36 during any construction effort.  But first MO needs to find the funding to do anything -- and this corridor is, in all likelihood, somewhere down the priority queue.  In the long haul, a western I-72 extension is a possibility -- but don't hold your breath; it won't be anytime soon.

Which side is the original carriageway and which side is the new carriageway? I have a difficult time determining it.

[J N Winkler]

Which side is the original carriageway and which side is the new carriageway? I have a difficult time determining it.

It varies from one side to the other.  I have driven the US 36 route twice and my recollection is that it changes side about five to seven times between Cameron and Hannibal.

[skluth]

I wouldn't mind seeing it become an interstate all the way to St. Joseph but the realist in me is saying it probably won't happen for a while.

That would be awesome. Maybe they will in the future if traffic increases and the CKC Expressway becomes a popular route. I wonder how this would affect the Illinois portion of the route. Maybe they'll upgrade that part of the route into an interstate as well. If it's well-traveled and needs upgrading.

LOL!  In Illinois, it's easier to use I-55 and I-72 rather than the convoluted route the CKC takes through the state.

That (55>72>36>35) would seem to be the optimal commercial Chicago-KC route to avoid both St. Louis-area traffic and any potential slowdowns in the Quad Cities or Des Moines area on 80>35.  The CKC/110 alignment appears to be, plain & simple, a way to connect several small towns in western IL in order to snag some of the travel-related pass-through $$ for them.  It certainly isn't the shortest way to get from point A to point B!

That's probably true, although it's just as simple to go I-80 > I-35 via Des Moines. Slightly longer, but all freeway. Any route south on I-55 needs an improved way around Springfield, IL. The I-55/72 duplex around the city can be quite busy.

[sparker]

I wouldn't mind seeing it become an interstate all the way to St. Joseph but the realist in me is saying it probably won't happen for a while.

That would be awesome. Maybe they will in the future if traffic increases and the CKC Expressway becomes a popular route. I wonder how this would affect the Illinois portion of the route. Maybe they'll upgrade that part of the route into an interstate as well. If it's well-traveled and needs upgrading.

LOL!  In Illinois, it's easier to use I-55 and I-72 rather than the convoluted route the CKC takes through the state.

That (55>72>36>35) would seem to be the optimal commercial Chicago-KC route to avoid both St. Louis-area traffic and any potential slowdowns in the Quad Cities or Des Moines area on 80>35.  The CKC/110 alignment appears to be, plain & simple, a way to connect several small towns in western IL in order to snag some of the travel-related pass-through $$ for them.  It certainly isn't the shortest way to get from point A to point B!

That's probably true, although it's just as simple to go I-80 > I-35 via Des Moines. Slightly longer, but all freeway. Any route south on I-55 needs an improved way around Springfield, IL. The I-55/72 duplex around the city can be quite busy.

True -- but as with any metro area around 200K+, morning and afternoon rush hours are to be avoided.  Once out of Chicagoland, it's probably a wash as to the potential chokepoints are along the 80>35 route (Quad City, Des Moines, Iowa City during happy hour!) vs. Bloomington/Normal and Springfield via the 55>72 etc. routing.  IIRC, the Springfield route is a bit shorter in terms of strict mileage (especially if I-80 is used to "shunpike" I-88); I certainly haven't traveled each corridor in order to derive a comparison; I'll leave that assessment to more frequent regional travelers.  And I'm sure speed limits for an all-Interstate corridor would be somewhat more favorable than on a basic rural 4-lane facility; again, posters from Central should chime in on these factors. 

[kphoger]

LOL!  In Illinois, it's easier to use I-55 and I-72 rather than the convoluted route the CKC takes through the state.

That (55>72>36>35) would seem to be the optimal commercial Chicago-KC route to avoid both St. Louis-area traffic and any potential slowdowns in the Quad Cities or Des Moines area on 80>35.  The CKC/110 alignment appears to be, plain & simple, a way to connect several small towns in western IL in order to snag some of the travel-related pass-through $$ for them.  It certainly isn't the shortest way to get from point A to point B! 

The only real advantage is if I-88 is a better entry/exit point for you than I-55.  That might be the case for people who live in or are driving to Aurora.  But I-55 would likewise be better for, well, pretty much everywhere else in Chicagoland.  Plus, 55 is free and 88 is not.

I actually used to go I-55 to Springfield, I-72 to Pittsfield, US-54 to Kingdom City, and then I-70 to KC.  That was my preferred Saint Louis bypass.  Truth be told, it was more common that I was driving US-54 all the way down to Macks Creek, because my more frequent destination was Branson rather than KC.

[paulthemapguy]

The CKC was a desperate attempt to try and justify spending money on the upgrade of IL-336 to a rural expressway.  Nobody traveling between Chicago and Kansas City is using IL-336 to reach their destination.  And if they were, they wouldn't need to sign this IL-110 insanity.

[bugo]

I actually used to go I-55 to Springfield, I-72 to Pittsfield, US-54 to Kingdom City, and then I-70 to KC.  That was my preferred Saint Louis bypass.  Truth be told, it was more common that I was driving US-54 all the way down to Macks Creek, because my more frequent destination was Branson rather than KC.

Back in 2002, I drove from Kansas City to Boardman, OH via Pittsburgh. I took the opportunity to do some sightseeing, and I took I-70 east to US 54 east to MO 19 north to US 61 north to I-72 east to I-74 east to I-70 east to Pittsburgh. It wasn't a bad route and it beat driving through St Louis. Coming back I took I-70 west to I-71 south to I-64 west to I-70 west. It was one of those monumental roadtrips that I will never forget.

[SteveG1988]

Is there anything that justifies the conversion of US 36 between Hannibal and I-35 to a full freeway? I sure don't see it. It's a four-lane arterial route with limited-access sections in many places, including bypasses of the towns it passes by. Granted, I've only driven it once, but traffic seemed to be light and flowing freely across the corridor.

Again I say ... not every four-lane needs to be a freeway built to Interstate standards (I'm looking at you, US 31 in Indiana and US 220 in Virginia.)

As of now, probably not. But, in the future, if the truck traffic and traffic in general increases, then possibly. For the most part it has interchanges at the major intersections. So maybe a few more interchanges here and there if the need warrants it. Also, maybe fixing stuff like this.

I'm guessing that US 36 in Missouri takes a similar form as WIS 29 in Wisconsin: a major four lane expressway that carries traffic across the state, but not so much that it justifies being a freeway for the entire route.

Every time that I've seen Big Rig Steve drive US 36 across parts of Missouri, it was never all that busy.

Mike

Am i big rig steve? I drive a big rig, and i do drive US36...it is never busy.

[Gnutella]

A couple of thangz:


1. The I-55/I-72 multiplex in Springfield needs to be widened to six lanes. It's weird how I-55 is six lanes from Lincoln all the way down to near Springfield, but then narrows to four lanes in time for I-72 to tie in.

2. If U.S. 36 in Missouri is going to be upgraded to I-72, then MODOT will have to properly grade several segments that weren't when the highway was twinned, like the eastbound lanes east of Marceline and the westbound lanes west of Cameron.

[Brandon]

A couple of thangz:


1. The I-55/I-72 multiplex in Springfield needs to be widened to six lanes. It's weird how I-55 is six lanes from Lincoln all the way down to near Springfield, but then narrows to four lanes in time for I-72 to tie in.

It's six lanes south of town as well.  The scuttlebutt is that the politicians wanted to make it easier to get to Springfield but didn't care about going around Springfield.  Knowing Illinois, it's not unlikely.

[In_Correct]

A couple of thangz:


1. The I-55/I-72 multiplex in Springfield needs to be widened to six lanes. It's weird how I-55 is six lanes from Lincoln all the way down to near Springfield, but then narrows to four lanes in time for I-72 to tie in.

2. If U.S. 36 in Missouri is going to be upgraded to I-72, then MODOT will have to properly grade several segments that weren't when the highway was twinned, like the eastbound lanes east of Marceline and the westbound lanes west of Cameron.

I always thought the wider the median the better. 

[sparker]

A couple of thangz:


1. The I-55/I-72 multiplex in Springfield needs to be widened to six lanes. It's weird how I-55 is six lanes from Lincoln all the way down to near Springfield, but then narrows to four lanes in time for I-72 to tie in.

2. If U.S. 36 in Missouri is going to be upgraded to I-72, then MODOT will have to properly grade several segments that weren't when the highway was twinned, like the eastbound lanes east of Marceline and the westbound lanes west of Cameron.

I always thought the wider the median the better. 

In a lot of rural areas, there's a wide median without any type of physical barrier separating the carriageways; the original consideration was that the distance (often approaching 100 feet) provided ample space for a vehicle to correct itself.  Smaller distances invariably involved cable barriers, thrie-beams, and K-rails.  Some states have been retrofitting barriers into even wide rural medians, particularly when instances of vehicle crossover have resulted in severe collisions.  This is true for both Interstate and non-Interstate freeways; most of CA 99, the older section of which featured linear banks of oleander bushes (which don't need much in the way of care or watering) in the median to act as both a separator and a buffer, now have either cables running down both sides of the trunks or even thrie-beams a few feet inboard from the inside of the lanes. 

In the case of "twinned" facilities, more often than not there's little if any barriers actually separating the directions -- particularly if one direction still functions as local access.  In the event of upgrade, many DOT's have elected to simply add a second new carriageway and convert the original road into frontage; although quite a bit more $$ upfront, it generally has the effect of forestalling any political issues regarding lack of local access.

[In_Correct]

A couple of thangz:


1. The I-55/I-72 multiplex in Springfield needs to be widened to six lanes. It's weird how I-55 is six lanes from Lincoln all the way down to near Springfield, but then narrows to four lanes in time for I-72 to tie in.

2. If U.S. 36 in Missouri is going to be upgraded to I-72, then MODOT will have to properly grade several segments that weren't when the highway was twinned, like the eastbound lanes east of Marceline and the westbound lanes west of Cameron.

I always thought the wider the median the better. 

In a lot of rural areas, there's a wide median without any type of physical barrier separating the carriageways; the original consideration was that the distance (often approaching 100 feet) provided ample space for a vehicle to correct itself.  Smaller distances invariably involved cable barriers, thrie-beams, and K-rails.  Some states have been retrofitting barriers into even wide rural medians, particularly when instances of vehicle crossover have resulted in severe collisions.  This is true for both Interstate and non-Interstate freeways; most of CA 99, the older section of which featured linear banks of oleander bushes (which don't need much in the way of care or watering) in the median to act as both a separator and a buffer, now have either cables running down both sides of the trunks or even thrie-beams a few feet inboard from the inside of the lanes. 

In the case of "twinned" facilities, more often than not there's little if any barriers actually separating the directions -- particularly if one direction still functions as local access.  In the event of upgrade, many DOT's have elected to simply add a second new carriageway and convert the original road into frontage; although quite a bit more $$ upfront, it generally has the effect of forestalling any political issues regarding lack of local access.

You mean like U.S. 36 to Hiawatha?

[sparker]

A couple of thangz:


1. The I-55/I-72 multiplex in Springfield needs to be widened to six lanes. It's weird how I-55 is six lanes from Lincoln all the way down to near Springfield, but then narrows to four lanes in time for I-72 to tie in.

2. If U.S. 36 in Missouri is going to be upgraded to I-72, then MODOT will have to properly grade several segments that weren't when the highway was twinned, like the eastbound lanes east of Marceline and the westbound lanes west of Cameron.

I always thought the wider the median the better. 

In a lot of rural areas, there's a wide median without any type of physical barrier separating the carriageways; the original consideration was that the distance (often approaching 100 feet) provided ample space for a vehicle to correct itself.  Smaller distances invariably involved cable barriers, thrie-beams, and K-rails.  Some states have been retrofitting barriers into even wide rural medians, particularly when instances of vehicle crossover have resulted in severe collisions.  This is true for both Interstate and non-Interstate freeways; most of CA 99, the older section of which featured linear banks of oleander bushes (which don't need much in the way of care or watering) in the median to act as both a separator and a buffer, now have either cables running down both sides of the trunks or even thrie-beams a few feet inboard from the inside of the lanes. 

In the case of "twinned" facilities, more often than not there's little if any barriers actually separating the directions -- particularly if one direction still functions as local access.  In the event of upgrade, many DOT's have elected to simply add a second new carriageway and convert the original road into frontage; although quite a bit more $$ upfront, it generally has the effect of forestalling any political issues regarding lack of local access.

You mean like U.S. 36 to Hiawatha?

Not really; US 36 from west of Hiawatha to east of Troy is a combination of a "super-2" freeway and rural expressway -- some at-grade cross traffic but no private access.  It appears that the Hiawatha bypass itself is new-terrain construction.  This facility is expandable; there is room for a 2nd carriageway north of the existing one -- but it looks like it'll be a relatively narrow (40' or less) median, which means that some sort of physical barrier would likely be a part of any expansion effort. 

[Rick Powell]

A couple of thangz:


1. The I-55/I-72 multiplex in Springfield needs to be widened to six lanes. It's weird how I-55 is six lanes from Lincoln all the way down to near Springfield, but then narrows to four lanes in time for I-72 to tie in.

2. If U.S. 36 in Missouri is going to be upgraded to I-72, then MODOT will have to properly grade several segments that weren't when the highway was twinned, like the eastbound lanes east of Marceline and the westbound lanes west of Cameron.

There is a study underway to widen the 55/72 multiplex to 6 lanes. The IL 4 "western bypass" which is sort of an arterial expressway was originally thought to take some of the traffic off of the eastern interstate route, but it hasn't happened so much in real life.

[skluth]

A couple of thangz:


1. The I-55/I-72 multiplex in Springfield needs to be widened to six lanes. It's weird how I-55 is six lanes from Lincoln all the way down to near Springfield, but then narrows to four lanes in time for I-72 to tie in.

2. If U.S. 36 in Missouri is going to be upgraded to I-72, then MODOT will have to properly grade several segments that weren't when the highway was twinned, like the eastbound lanes east of Marceline and the westbound lanes west of Cameron.

There is a study underway to widen the 55/72 multiplex to 6 lanes. The IL 4 "western bypass" which is sort of an arterial expressway was originally thought to take some of the traffic off of the eastern interstate route, but it hasn't happened so much in real life.

Getting clogged with stoplights serving a series of suburban strip malls and subdivisions has a way of discouraging through traffic

[sparker]

A couple of thangz:


1. The I-55/I-72 multiplex in Springfield needs to be widened to six lanes. It's weird how I-55 is six lanes from Lincoln all the way down to near Springfield, but then narrows to four lanes in time for I-72 to tie in.

2. If U.S. 36 in Missouri is going to be upgraded to I-72, then MODOT will have to properly grade several segments that weren't when the highway was twinned, like the eastbound lanes east of Marceline and the westbound lanes west of Cameron.

There is a study underway to widen the 55/72 multiplex to 6 lanes. The IL 4 "western bypass" which is sort of an arterial expressway was originally thought to take some of the traffic off of the eastern interstate route, but it hasn't happened so much in real life.

Getting clogged with stoplights serving a series of suburban strip malls and subdivisions has a way of discouraging through traffic

Re the 55/72 multiplex: 6 general-purpose lanes would be an absolute minimum for that stretch of road (been on it several times); adding at least slip lanes between the interchanges would be a definite help.  Let's hope the plans also include an interchange revamp for the north/east 55-72 junction (get rid of the tight loop on WB 72).