Was Route Z in Pulaski County, MO (old US 66) ever signed as I-44?

[bugo]

Part of Route Z in Pulaski County, Missouri is an old US 66 4 lane divided expressway.  It was bypassed by current I-44 and gets very little traffic.  Do any of you old timers remember if it was ever signed as I-44?  It is not a freeway but back in those days they weren't as anal about signing interstates as they are today.  Or was it signed "TEMP I-44" or "TO I-44"?

[US71]

Part of Route Z in Pulaski County, Missouri is an old US 66 4 lane divided expressway.  It was bypassed by current I-44 and gets very little traffic.  Do any of you old timers remember if it was ever signed as I-44?  It is not a freeway but back in those days they weren't as anal about signing interstates as they are today.  Or was it signed "TEMP I-44" or "TO I-44"?

To my recollection, it was never TEMP I-44 or TO I-44, but I cannot say for certain if it was posted as I-44. I do recall it was the last (or one of the last) sections of 66 to be bypassed.

Look carefully sometime and you can see where the pavement used to go straight in to 44.

[rte66man]

Part of Route Z in Pulaski County, Missouri is an old US 66 4 lane divided expressway.  It was bypassed by current I-44 and gets very little traffic.  Do any of you old timers remember if it was ever signed as I-44?  It is not a freeway but back in those days they weren't as anal about signing interstates as they are today.  Or was it signed "TEMP I-44" or "TO I-44"?

Nope, never signed as I-44.  That was the first part of 66 to be four-laned in MO.  It was a bypass of the infamous Devil's Elbow.