I-49 Coming to Missouri

[MSU John]

From what I read when researching Missouri's now failed tax increase, MODOT is saddled with bond payments for the next 20 years as a result of their "building renaissance" in the early 2000s. Apparently, with these bond payments taken into consideration, they will only have an annual budget of $325 million by 2017...and it's estimated at $485 million just to maintain the state's roads.

It sounds like proponents of the amendment were trying to get this on a November ballot, but it ended up getting moved to the August ballot, which left very little time to promote.

[bugo]

Missouri needs to dump most of the lettered routes and some of the numbered routes to the counties.  They have to maintain way too many miles of highways and every bridge replacement takes away money that could have been used to improve I-70 or I-44.

[I94RoadRunner]

If it does follow MO 249 then there will have to be major rework at the Interchange with US-71 which has a actual light.
Post Merge: August 05, 2010, 10:25:44 PM
Plus I am so strong on this as I have seen many lives lost on the Bruce Watkins and know it will only get worse with more traffic from a I-49 upgrade coming online. I also noticed MODOT did speed up things by a year as the Cass County portion was coming online until the FY-2013 budget originally. I think with the recession bids are coming in lower these days plus the power of bidding multiple work packages helps lower costs.

One proposal is to build a new connection at the 'dogleg' at Carthage. Makes sense then there is no I-44/49 multiplex.

[I94RoadRunner]

According to Google Maps I-49 is planned to follow US 71 all the way north into downtown Kansas City eventually: https://www.google.com/maps/@38.9996746,-94.5561395,542m/data=!3m1!1e3

[dfwmapper]

Please never use the phrase "According to Google Maps" again. Many of the people that Google hires couldn't find their ass with their hands sewn into their back pockets. Really not the kind of people you want working on a map, but it's outsourced to India, so you get what you pay for. But please do keep pointing out any bad stuff you find, I clean up what I can.

[NE2]

Please never use the phrase "According to Google Maps" again.

Unless you're comparing distances.

[US71]

According to Google Maps I-49 is planned to follow US 71 all the way north into downtown Kansas City eventually: https://www.google.com/maps/@38.9996746,-94.5561395,542m/data=!3m1!1e3

Eventually, someday maybe, but I doubt I'll be around to see it.

[Darkchylde]

According to Google Maps I-49 is planned to follow US 71 all the way north into downtown Kansas City eventually: https://www.google.com/maps/@38.9996746,-94.5561395,542m/data=!3m1!1e3

If that court order preventing the stoplights at Gregory Blvd, 59th Street and 55th Street from being removed ever gets overturned, perhaps. The ROW's already there. The highway's already freeway on both ends of it.

There's also the issue that the US 71/I-70/I-670 interchange at the southeastern corner of the Downtown Loop doesn't have full freeway connections for all movements (specifically US 71 North to I-70 East (requires a surface connection via Truman), and I-70 West to US 71 South (requires a surface connection via The Paseo.)) It wouldn't be mandatory to upgrade that interchange for the designation to be put into place, assuming the three stoplights ever go down, but those connections would sure be nice to have.

But as long as that court order's in place, filling in that missing link is dead in the water. They may as well just extend I-49 up the southeastern quadrant of I-435 to I-70 near the stadiums if they want a 49/70 direct link.

[Henry]

According to Google Maps I-49 is planned to follow US 71 all the way north into downtown Kansas City eventually: https://www.google.com/maps/@38.9996746,-94.5561395,542m/data=!3m1!1e3

If that court order preventing the stoplights at Gregory Blvd, 59th Street and 55th Street from being removed ever gets overturned, perhaps. The ROW's already there. The highway's already freeway on both ends of it.

There's also the issue that the US 71/I-70/I-670 interchange at the southeastern corner of the Downtown Loop doesn't have full freeway connections for all movements (specifically US 71 North to I-70 East (requires a surface connection via Truman), and I-70 West to US 71 South (requires a surface connection via The Paseo.)) It wouldn't be mandatory to upgrade that interchange for the designation to be put into place, assuming the three stoplights ever go down, but those connections would sure be nice to have.

But as long as that court order's in place, filling in that missing link is dead in the water. They may as well just extend I-49 up the southeastern quadrant of I-435 to I-70 near the stadiums if they want a 49/70 direct link.

While extending I-49 up US 71 makes the most sense, that pesky court order will remain in place, and the powers that be won't care how many accidents occur at those three signalized intersections. And there is precedent for ending 2di's at 3di's...

[Scott5114]

I think I-49 predates that instance, actually. 

[NE2]

Signs have erroneously claimed I-70 ends at I-695 for a long time.

I-64 has always ended at one of its own children. I-97 goes from I-595 to I-695 (with a direct connection to I-895).

[Ned Weasel]

Signs have erroneously claimed I-70 ends at I-695 for a long time.

I-64 has always ended at one of its own children. I-97 goes from I-595 to I-695 (with a direct connection to I-895).

And I-76 still ends at I-295, last time I checked.

[Henry]

Signs have erroneously claimed I-70 ends at I-695 for a long time.

I-64 has always ended at one of its own children. I-97 goes from I-595 to I-695 (with a direct connection to I-895).

And I-76 still ends at I-295, last time I checked.

Now that the truncation of I-70 is official, it will end at I-695. As for I-64, the last time I checked, it does not have any 3di's in the St. Louis area (and don't even get me started on why MO 364 is not an Interstate either!).

[NE2]

As for I-64, the last time I checked, it does not have any 3di's in the St. Louis area

No shit?

[I94RoadRunner]

As for I-64, the last time I checked, it does not have any 3di's in the St. Louis area

No shit?

Not yet anyways ..... I-364 could be a future 3di. Why else would MoDOT number the highway as MO 364 unless the intention was for a future I-364 .....?

[Brandon]

As for I-64, the last time I checked, it does not have any 3di's in the St. Louis area

No shit?

Not yet anyways ..... I-364 could be a future 3di. Why else would MoDOT number the highway as MO 364 unless the intention was for a future I-364 .....?

Because MO-370.  Seriously, Missouri has done it before with MO-370, numbering a state route as a child route of an interstate.

Then we have IL-255 as an extension of I-255 across the river...

[english si]

Because MO-370.  Seriously, Missouri has done it before with MO-370, numbering a state route as a child route of an interstate.

That was planned to be I-370 but got shot down due to the odd number not being even.

I-364 could fall foul of the same issue, but I doubt it now AASHTO is much more slack on numbering, and that I-270 isn't an I-x64 route, so it can be a spur of the I-64 network (whereas I-370 is a shortcut on the I-70 network)

[I94RoadRunner]

Because MO-370.  Seriously, Missouri has done it before with MO-370, numbering a state route as a child route of an interstate.

That was planned to be I-370 but got shot down due to the odd number not being even.

I-364 could fall foul of the same issue, but I doubt it now AASHTO is much more slack on numbering, and that I-270 isn't an I-x64 route, so it can be a spur of the I-64 network (whereas I-370 is a shortcut on the I-70 network)

I-870 is still available for the MO 370 corridor if AASHTO insists on an even number - then that would also free up the I-370 designation for US 54 from Kingdom City to Jefferson City so that there is not the same issue with the proposed I-570 which could instead just run from US 54 (I-370) to I-70 and there would be two separate odd I-x70 designations into Missouri's capital city .....

[bugo]

As for I-64, the last time I checked, it does not have any 3di's in the St. Louis area

No shit?

Not yet anyways ..... I-364 could be a future 3di. Why else would MoDOT number the highway as MO 364 unless the intention was for a future I-364 .....?

Because MO-370.  Seriously, Missouri has done it before with MO-370, numbering a state route as a child route of an interstate.

Then we have IL-255 as an extension of I-255 across the river...

MO 249 is another one, but it existed before I-49 was extended into Missouri.

[Scott5114]

MO 249 was numbered in anticipation of I-49, wasn't it?

[NE2]

Missouri has used xy for spurs of y since the 1930s (140 and 240): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiProject_U.S._Roads/Missouri/All-time_list

[bugo]

MO 571, which would have historically been US 71 Business and would now be BL 49 except for the fact that there is another BL 49 in the area. Since Missouri doesn't use directional markers for their business loops, why not extend (NB) BL 49 south along MO 571 to end at I-49 at the south end of Carthage?

[US71]

MO 249 was numbered in anticipation of I-49, wasn't it?

Most likely.

[Brandon]

Because MO-370.  Seriously, Missouri has done it before with MO-370, numbering a state route as a child route of an interstate.

That was planned to be I-370 but got shot down due to the odd number not being even.

I-364 could fall foul of the same issue, but I doubt it now AASHTO is much more slack on numbering, and that I-270 isn't an I-x64 route, so it can be a spur of the I-64 network (whereas I-370 is a shortcut on the I-70 network)

Says who?  IDOT has I-155 and I-355 next door doing something similar, as does KDOT with I-135 and I-335 on the other side.  Then there's I-170 right there in Missouri, in the Saint Louis area.  If AASHTO has a problem with I-370 or I-364 in Missouri, then AASHTO (and FHWA for that matter) is being very selective in what they whine about.

[Grzrd]

No, it doesn't pertain to the Bella Vista Bypass, but this TV video reports that the new First Street overpass in Lamar will provide better access to the local hospital:

The new bridge over I-49 is east of the interstate and connects with West Outer Road. The outer roads on both sides of I-49 are also now open to traffic. The bridge was constructed to provide better access to local businesses in the area. Especially, to the local hospital where, until now, there has only been one way for ambulances to get to the emergency room ....
The project cost $2.3 million. It's a partnership between MoDOT, Barton County, the local hospital and ambulance district.

Also, here is MoDOT's press release about the project.