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[NE2]

unfortunately, US 24 between US 36 and US 61 is not on the NHS network

It is now, since it's a principal arterial.

Then the NHS Missouri map I accessed earlier today should have been updated; it shows it as a connector (black line) rather than a designated NHS/STRAHNET route red/green. 

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/national_highway_system/nhs_maps/missouri/mo_Missouri.pdf
Black lines are "MAP-21 NHS Principal Arterials".

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/map21/qandas/qanhs.cfm
"Yes, principal arterial routes that are not currently on the NHS before October 1, 2012, will automatically be added to the NHS provided the principal arterials connect to the NHS."

[hbelkins]

Even then, what's the point of extending the Interstate designation a few miles west of the current terminus?

I still don't think that US 36 across Missouri needs to be converted into a full-freeway. There are bypasses of the towns, grade-separated interchanges at major routes, and the at-grade intersections at minor routes aren't problematic. When I drove the route, it was very lightly traveled, and even a doubling of traffic volumes wouldn't create issues sufficient to spending big bucks to upgrade it to a full freeway.

Perhaps states should come up with some sort of new uniform route marker that is shield-shaped, but does not duplicate the existing Interstate marker, and color it red and blue and post it along routes it wants to have designated as an interstate (or for surface expressways like US 36). For Missouri, it would be a fifth class of highways (lettered supplemental, state-shaped state route, US and Interstate); for Kentucky, it would be a fourth class (circle/oval state, US and Interstate). Either let AASHTO administer it, or if it involves just two bordering states, let them figure it out.

Missouri could post US 36 as this class of highway and number it 72, and co-sign it with US 36 and CKC 110.

[sparker]

unfortunately, US 24 between US 36 and US 61 is not on the NHS network

It is now, since it's a principal arterial.

Then the NHS Missouri map I accessed earlier today should have been updated; it shows it as a connector (black line) rather than a designated NHS/STRAHNET route red/green. 

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/national_highway_system/nhs_maps/missouri/mo_Missouri.pdf
Black lines are "MAP-21 NHS Principal Arterials".

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/map21/qandas/qanhs.cfm
"Yes, principal arterial routes that are not currently on the NHS before October 1, 2012, will automatically be added to the NHS provided the principal arterials connect to the NHS."

My bad! -- forgot about the MAP-21 codicil re connectors.   At least that's one less obstacle to the first "baby step" in getting I-72 completed across MO.  If that happened, it might eclipse the rationale for the gratuitous CKC 110 crap (one can hope!).  Still, it'll be a long, long slog.

[Revive 755]

Even then, what's the point of extending the Interstate designation a few miles west of the current terminus?

The western terminus would then be at the last interchange on the freeway.

[sparker]

Even then, what's the point of extending the Interstate designation a few miles west of the current terminus?

The western terminus would then be at the last interchange on the freeway.

The US 36/US 24 (east) junction is also the approximate location of the long-delayed Hannibal bypass for the Avenue of the Saints corridor (relocated US 61).  If that facility is constructed, it would be a most appropriate place for an interim I-72 terminus. 

[2trailertrucker]

I wonder if there is an unwillingness to designate US 36 to I-72 due to the farm equipment that use the road? During planting and harvesting seasons, MDOT puts out warning signs about tractors being on the road.

[sparker]

I wonder if there is an unwillingness to designate US 36 to I-72 due to the farm equipment that use the road? During planting and harvesting seasons, MDOT puts out warning signs about tractors being on the road.

That's a recurring issue in all Interstate/freeway upgrades in rural territory (check out the I-555 controversies in AR).  Some states, such as TX, just slap down frontage roads alongside freeway lanes; others make different arrangements (connectors to other roads, new parallel arterials, etc.).  This problem is particularly apparent where the existing divided highway has been "twinned" -- using the extant 2-lane road and just constructing a parallel carriageway for the opposite direction, which usually retains the private access points on the original roadway; here in CA, a prime example is CA 152 between Los Banos and CA 99.  Except for a couple of access-limited sections near Chowchilla and the CA 59 and CA 33 junctions, this is a twinned facility -- and despite the newer roadway displaying the visible characteristics of a set of freeway lanes, private access to both directions remains (albeit without median crossings for the most part).  It's usually not politically feasible to limit access to an existing route without making access modifications that substantially drive up the cost af any upgrade project.  Most twinnings were originally done to increase capacity and promote increased safety -- and that was the most cost-effective way to do so -- which is one of the reasons why Interstate-level upgrades pose serious fiscal problems for state DOT's.

[GreenLanternCorps]

Even then, what's the point of extending the Interstate designation a few miles west of the current terminus?

The western terminus would then be at the last interchange on the freeway.

Exactly, instead of ending mid-steam at a seemingly random point on the freeway (even if it is a US Highway), it would end at a natural split and change in the type of road being driven, and also at a US Highway.

Also there is a "branding" issue here.  "Just off I-72" says more to the public than "Just off the US 36 freeway".

[NE2]

What did MODOT do about farm equipment on I-49? There are certainly no continuous frontage roads.

[Scott5114]

What did MODOT do about farm equipment on I-49? There are certainly no continuous frontage roads.

I don't think I-49 crosses any streams major enough to cause an appreciable detour should a vehicle be disallowed from it. (This is a guess from memory; you may be able to find a counter-example.)

[sparker]

What did MODOT do about farm equipment on I-49? There are certainly no continuous frontage roads.

The times I've driven US 71 pre-Interstate upgrade there seemed to be enough local roads to serve as alternative access to the properties along the facility.  IIRC, there was little or no driveway access to the then-expressway (likely why the Interstate conversion was not a particularly long drawn-out process). 

[captkirk_4]

I would actually work it to where it ends at 70 near Topeka. Form a northern bypass of the KC Area. It would be quite a Masterpiece of civil engineering for KC.

There is already a southern bypass of the KC area--the last remaining segment of it is scheduled to open later this year.  Why does there need to be a northern bypass?  Shouldn't one east-west bypass and one north-south bypass suffice?

I just drove this route across US36 down to I-70 across Kansas and there sort of is a northern bypass of KC. M-152 goes across the north side over to I-435 south into Kansas to meet up with I-70 completely avoiding the downtown area. The problem is about a mile and a half is not finished as an expressway. Right by 35 M-152 runs in front of a mall and has a couple stoplights, but other than a 30 second red, you get right going and it was a fairly easy bypass of the town. The biggest improvement to the route would be to get rid of the stoplights at Cameron and build a better interchange particularly for US36 Westbound to I-35 Southbound and I-35 Northbound to US36 Eastbound. Other than that there are no stoplights at all on the route. Only wish the speed limit was 70 so you could go a little faster and in some spots one direction of traffic is built on a 90 year old right of way that hasn't been leveled smooth by bulldozers and is rolling up and down like a roller coaster. As for the speeds I did not see a single cop on the route, I-70 on the other hand usually has a trooper in the middle every 10 miles.

[ChiMilNet]

I would actually work it to where it ends at 70 near Topeka. Form a northern bypass of the KC Area. It would be quite a Masterpiece of civil engineering for KC.

There is already a southern bypass of the KC area--the last remaining segment of it is scheduled to open later this year.  Why does there need to be a northern bypass?  Shouldn't one east-west bypass and one north-south bypass suffice?

I just drove this route across US36 down to I-70 across Kansas and there sort of is a northern bypass of KC. M-152 goes across the north side over to I-435 south into Kansas to meet up with I-70 completely avoiding the downtown area. The problem is about a mile and a half is not finished as an expressway. Right by 35 M-152 runs in front of a mall and has a couple stoplights, but other than a 30 second red, you get right going and it was a fairly easy bypass of the town. The biggest improvement to the route would be to get rid of the stoplights at Cameron and build a better interchange particularly for US36 Westbound to I-35 Southbound and I-35 Northbound to US36 Eastbound. Other than that there are no stoplights at all on the route. Only wish the speed limit was 70 so you could go a little faster and in some spots one direction of traffic is built on a 90 year old right of way that hasn't been leveled smooth by bulldozers and is rolling up and down like a roller coaster. As for the speeds I did not see a single cop on the route, I-70 on the other hand usually has a trooper in the middle every 10 miles.

I have used this route to visit family in KC, and I do like it as an alternative option to either I-70 or I-80 through Iowa (both are bad news). The stoplight at Cameron needs to go, and that interchange at I-35 badly needs an upgrade, at least in certain directions. As far as the sections that are still not leveled, you can tell MODOT added the second carriageway for the 4 laning, and did it as cheaply as they could (this is most prevalent in the Eastern portion of the state West of where US 24 splits off). Reminds me of US 20 in far NW Illinois between Dubuque and Galena (at least Missouri completed the 4 laning of the whole highway, and it doesn't slow down through a bunch of towns). Overall, it's an efficient route, and I think one that Google Maps even recommends a lot. A lot less truck traffic alone makes it a more pleasurable drive. That said, MODOT would be wise to upgrade as much as possible to Interstate before tackling any major I-70 rebuilds. While at it, also complete a US 63 bypass of Macon. That way there is at least a mostly non-stop route from Columbia and Jeff City to US 36 (and Kirksville for that matter), to make it more viable as an alternative from there (future I-570 anyone, or too fictional???).

[kphoger]

Right by 35 M-152 runs in front of a mall and has a couple stoplights, but other than a 30 second red, you get right going and it was a fairly easy bypass of the town.

Four stoplights, not counting the ones at the I-35 interchange itself.  And trust me, they're not always just a 30-second wait.  Sometimes it's a quick trip through there, sometimes you get stuck at multiple lights for a while.

[rte66man]

Right by 35 M-152 runs in front of a mall and has a couple stoplights, but other than a 30 second red, you get right going and it was a fairly easy bypass of the town.

Four stoplights, not counting the ones at the I-35 interchange itself.  And trust me, they're not always just a 30-second wait.  Sometimes it's a quick trip through there, sometimes you get stuck at multiple lights for a while.

Are the plans to grade separate the intersection with Shoal Creek Parkway? I see a doctors office has already been built on one corner. I don't want it to turn into another lost opportunity.

Also, Are the plans to widen 35 through there?  I was disappointed when MoDOT fixed the interchange at US69 but didn't build extra lanes.  That stretch of 35 is coming up on its 60th birthday.

[Ned Weasel]

Right by 35 M-152 runs in front of a mall and has a couple stoplights, but other than a 30 second red, you get right going and it was a fairly easy bypass of the town.

It's not Michigan, but I know what you mean. 

Four stoplights, not counting the ones at the I-35 interchange itself.  And trust me, they're not always just a 30-second wait.  Sometimes it's a quick trip through there, sometimes you get stuck at multiple lights for a while.

Are the plans to grade separate the intersection with Shoal Creek Parkway? I see a doctors office has already been built on one corner. I don't want it to turn into another lost opportunity.

Not that I know of, but there's no good reason not to use Michigan Lefts in this whole stretch and get all the signals down to two phases each: https://goo.gl/maps/u1uk63ziMN6fg5v4A

Also, Are the plans to widen 35 through there?  I was disappointed when MoDOT fixed the interchange at US69 but didn't build extra lanes.  That stretch of 35 is coming up on its 60th birthday.

Fixed which interchange at US 69?  Did they get rid of this abysmal left entrance ramp yet?  https://goo.gl/maps/VPBW47Tw3WYW1gbv6

***

...but there's no good reason not to use Michigan Lefts in this whole stretch and get all the signals down to two phases each: https://goo.gl/maps/u1uk63ziMN6fg5v4A

Right by 35 M-152 runs in front of a mall and has a couple stoplights, but other than a 30 second red, you get right going and it was a fairly easy bypass of the town.

It's not Michigan, but I know what you mean. 

That's not a good reason!

[rte66man]

Also, Are the plans to widen 35 through there?  I was disappointed when MoDOT fixed the interchange at US69 but didn't build extra lanes.  That stretch of 35 is coming up on its 60th birthday.

Fixed which interchange at US 69?  Did they get rid of this abysmal left entrance ramp yet?  https://goo.gl/maps/VPBW47Tw3WYW1gbv6

The one at Liberty Parkway in Pleasant Valley:
https://www.google.com/maps/@39.2169241,-94.4770211,1030m/data=!3m1!1e3

[Ned Weasel]

Also, Are the plans to widen 35 through there?  I was disappointed when MoDOT fixed the interchange at US69 but didn't build extra lanes.  That stretch of 35 is coming up on its 60th birthday.

Fixed which interchange at US 69?  Did they get rid of this abysmal left entrance ramp yet?  https://goo.gl/maps/VPBW47Tw3WYW1gbv6

The one at Liberty Parkway in Pleasant Valley:
https://www.google.com/maps/@39.2169241,-94.4770211,1030m/data=!3m1!1e3

I honestly wasn't familiar with that one, because I seldom drive up that way, except when I'm going straight through on I-35.  But good fix!  The former left entrances I see on Historic Aerials also look pretty crappy.

I hope the I-35/US 69/Vivion Roard interchange is next on the to-do list.  I think safety fixes like that should be prioritized ahead of widenings.  If you want to do that one on the cheap, you could just close the ramp altogether and tell southbound traffic to take Brighton Avenue to Winn Road, although you might get push-back from people who live on those roads.  So maybe you could make it work if you invest in some physical traffic calming, but then you're raising the project cost again, at which point, you really have to ask, which solution has more bang for the buck?  Yeah, I'm bordering on Fictional Highways territory again.  Sorry if that's annoying.  But that interchange is annoying, too.

[edwaleni]

Missouri has other priorities. Hannibal Bypass, US-57 Extension, Bella Vista Bypass, just to name a few.  But if it makes you feel better, the mile markers in Hannibal for I-72 are tied to a future route to Cameron with I-35.

Due to funding priorities, upgrading US 36 between Macon and Hannibal was a low-priority project and was officially tabled by MoDOT. MoDOT committed to constructing the four-lane highway as a non-interstate expressway only if the five counties served by US 36 east of Macon would contribute half of the $100 million cost.

I guess they came up with the dough eventually.

[skluth]

I would actually work it to where it ends at 70 near Topeka. Form a northern bypass of the KC Area. It would be quite a Masterpiece of civil engineering for KC.

There is already a southern bypass of the KC area--the last remaining segment of it is scheduled to open later this year.  Why does there need to be a northern bypass?  Shouldn't one east-west bypass and one north-south bypass suffice?

I just drove this route across US36 down to I-70 across Kansas and there sort of is a northern bypass of KC. M-152 goes across the north side over to I-435 south into Kansas to meet up with I-70 completely avoiding the downtown area. The problem is about a mile and a half is not finished as an expressway. Right by 35 M-152 runs in front of a mall and has a couple stoplights, but other than a 30 second red, you get right going and it was a fairly easy bypass of the town. The biggest improvement to the route would be to get rid of the stoplights at Cameron and build a better interchange particularly for US36 Westbound to I-35 Southbound and I-35 Northbound to US36 Eastbound. Other than that there are no stoplights at all on the route. Only wish the speed limit was 70 so you could go a little faster and in some spots one direction of traffic is built on a 90 year old right of way that hasn't been leveled smooth by bulldozers and is rolling up and down like a roller coaster. As for the speeds I did not see a single cop on the route, I-70 on the other hand usually has a trooper in the middle every 10 miles.

I have used this route to visit family in KC, and I do like it as an alternative option to either I-70 or I-80 through Iowa (both are bad news). The stoplight at Cameron needs to go, and that interchange at I-35 badly needs an upgrade, at least in certain directions. As far as the sections that are still not leveled, you can tell MODOT added the second carriageway for the 4 laning, and did it as cheaply as they could (this is most prevalent in the Eastern portion of the state West of where US 24 splits off). Reminds me of US 20 in far NW Illinois between Dubuque and Galena (at least Missouri completed the 4 laning of the whole highway, and it doesn't slow down through a bunch of towns). Overall, it's an efficient route, and I think one that Google Maps even recommends a lot. A lot less truck traffic alone makes it a more pleasurable drive. That said, MODOT would be wise to upgrade as much as possible to Interstate before tackling any major I-70 rebuilds. While at it, also complete a US 63 bypass of Macon. That way there is at least a mostly non-stop route from Columbia and Jeff City to US 36 (and Kirksville for that matter), to make it more viable as an alternative from there (future I-570 anyone, or too fictional???).

42% of the eastern rural portion of US 36 in Missouri was paid for by a 1/2 cent tax on locals because the state couldn't afford to pay for all of it. They didn't have the funds to pay for a better highway. We're lucky it's not still two lanes.

[captkirk_4]

One improvement I'd like to see along this corridor would be rest areas with large bathrooms. This route only has one decent travel center in the Loves near Macon. Loves is a consistent clean bathroom chain. I hate going to some old run down gas station and finding a single unisex bathroom where you have to wait, or even if they have two bathrooms they are single occupancy with locked doors. An upgrade to Interstate designation also brings the rest areas although there doesn't seem to be many on I-72 in Illinois besides a single stop just east of Decatur. Kansas has very frequent rest areas along I-70 which is nice if you take a prescription diuretic.

[-- US 175 --]

One improvement I'd like to see along this corridor would be rest areas with large bathrooms. This route only has one decent travel center in the Loves near Macon. Loves is a consistent clean bathroom chain. I hate going to some old run down gas station and finding a single unisex bathroom where you have to wait, or even if they have too bathrooms they are single occupancy with locked doors. An upgrade to Interstate designation also brings the rest areas although there doesn't seem to be many on I-72 in Illinois besides a single stop just east of Decatur. Kansas has very frequent rest areas along I-70 which is nice if you take a prescription diuretic.

More rest areas would be nice, but with a grand total of none along I-49 between Joplin and Kansas City, and just 1 set on all of I-35 in MO, something tells me we won't see any new rest areas in the state (including US 36 (future I-72?) anytime soon.

[MikieTimT]

One improvement I'd like to see along this corridor would be rest areas with large bathrooms. This route only has one decent travel center in the Loves near Macon. Loves is a consistent clean bathroom chain. I hate going to some old run down gas station and finding a single unisex bathroom where you have to wait, or even if they have too bathrooms they are single occupancy with locked doors. An upgrade to Interstate designation also brings the rest areas although there doesn't seem to be many on I-72 in Illinois besides a single stop just east of Decatur. Kansas has very frequent rest areas along I-70 which is nice if you take a prescription diuretic.

More rest areas would be nice, but with a grand total of none along I-49 between Joplin and Kansas City, and just 1 set on all of I-35 in MO, something tells me we won't see any new rest areas in the state (including US 36 (future I-72?) anytime soon.

I-49 does have one close to Pineville where it tails off to US-71 until the BVB is completed.  There's enough commercial options between KC and Joplin to reduce the need for a rest area.  I always wind up stopping at Lamar as there's a SuperCenter there right off the exit with as cheap of gas as I'll find on the trip, and it's close to leg stretching/bladder emptying distance too.  Missouri does seem to be a little strapped for cash, so niceties like rest areas likely are off the agenda for a while.

[Sapphuby]

No reason whatsoever to upgrade US 36 west of Hannibal to a full freeway. It functions fine as it is.

For now, yes. But eventually (maybe in 15-20 years), it ought to be reconsidered. It definitely should not be a high priority though, much more important things throughout the state need to be done first.

If I-70 ends up being tolled as part of its rebuild, expect to see much more traffic on US 36 between I-35 and Hannibal.

Totally agreed that US 36 can mostly function as is, with some spot upgrades here and there. The only major one that is badly needed, as I have said in previous posts, is an upgrade of the interchange at I-35 and removal of that stoplight right before it. Agreed also that Missouri had more pressing transportation needs such as improving I-70, finishing I-49, and building the Hannibal bypass for US 61.

Well at least they have I-49 out of the way. Might've taken them two years to finish it, which is funny because Arkansas finished their section a while before Missouri even started, but now they can hopefully prioritize over I-70 and the long-wanted Hannibal Bypass.

[edwaleni]

A relative of mine had to travel from Indy to a farm near Cameron, Missouri and I suggested they try the US36/I-72 combo.

They ended up going there via I-70 due to a stop they had to make but they *did* do the US-36/I-72 route going back east.

I asked him how it went and he said it was the smoothest drive he had been on.  Even though Google wants you to take I-72 up to I-74 at Champaign, then I-74 back down to Indy, he decided to get off at Decatur and take US-36 the rest of the way.

Other than the urban traffic in Decatur, and the lower speed limit east of there being 2 lane, he said it was actually very straight forward.

Could he have made better time? Perhaps.

Decatur is looking at a south bypass for access to their airport which would connect to US-36 and avoid the downtown. (Discussed in a different thread)

I asked him he thought making US-36 in Missouri an interstate would have improved his travel time and he didn't think so.

Everyone was traveling at above interstate speed limits most of the way anyway, so he said the impact would have been negligible.