U.S. Route 54 (US 54) in

Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas to ...

is a west-east highway that starts from the

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to ...

state line in

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, ...

to the

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...

state line in

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

Route description

In Missouri, US 54 runs from the southwest portion of the state to the northeast. It is a major conduit through the

Ozarks The Ozarks, also known as the Ozark Mountains, Ozark Highlands or Ozark Plateau, is a physiographic region in the U.S. states of Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma and the extreme southeastern corner of Kansas. The Ozarks cover a significant porti ...

and is the primary access road to Pomme de Terre Lake and

Lake of the Ozarks Lake of the Ozarks is a reservoir created by impounding the Osage River in the northern part of the Ozarks in central Missouri. Parts of three smaller tributaries to the Osage are included in the impoundment: the Niangua River, Grandglaize Cr ...

. After entering the state from neighboring

, the route moves eastward through many rural towns and communities. It passes through

, where it serves as the main access road to the town's business market. In Nevada, the route intersects with

I-49 Interstate 49 (I-49) is a north–south Interstate Highway that exists in multiple segments: the original portion entirely within the state of Louisiana with an additional signed portion extending from I-220 in Shreveport to the Arkansas ...

and

US 71 U.S. Route 71 or U.S. Highway 71 (US 71) is a major north–south United States highway that extends for over 1500 miles (2500 km) in the central United States. This original 1926 route has remained largely unchanged by encroaching Interstat ...

as exits 102A and 102B on I-49/US 71. Here, it also passes by the Nevada Municipal Airport. Moving eastward, the route continues through El Dorado Springs, Collins, Weaubleau, and Wheatland where Lucas Oil Speedway is located. It passes through Hermitage and Preston, where it intersects with

US 65 U.S. Route 65 (US 65) is a north–south United States highway in the southern and midwestern United States. The southern terminus of the route is at U.S. Route 425 in Clayton, Louisiana. The northern terminus is at Interstate 35 just south of I ...

at a four way stop. It then passes through Macks Creek. Lake of the Ozarks - Missouri (40533516433)

The route continues eastward and begins to enter the areas surrounding the

, a popular tourist destination and lake. It first crosses over the lake's Niangua Branch near Ha Ha Tonka State Park. It then passes through Camdenton. In Camdenton, the road intersects with MO 5 and MO 7 at an interchange. These routes provide access to

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...

and

I-44 Interstate 44 (I-44) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. Although it is nominally an east–west road as it is even-numbered, it follows a more southwest–northeast alignment. Its western terminus is in Wichita Fal ...

. After leaving Camdenton, the route becomes a four-lane

divided highway A dual carriageway ( BE) or divided highway ( AE) is a class of highway with carriageways for traffic travelling in opposite directions separated by a central reservation (BrE) or median (AmE). Roads with two or more carriageways which are ...

and remains that way to Mexico. US 54 then passes through Linn Creek and enters Osage Beach. The route continues on a new expressway path initially built in 2010 and 2011. It crosses Lake of the Ozarks a second time on the Grand Glaize Bridge. The route then briefly enters Lake Ozark and Lakeland, although access to these towns is only provided by exits from the highway. The route then leaves the Lake of the Ozarks area before bypassing Eldon. US 54 then goes through

Jefferson City Jefferson City, informally Jeff City, is the capital of Missouri, United States. It had a population of 43,228 at the 2020 census, ranking as the 15th most populous city in the state. It is also the county seat of Cole County and the princip ...

, where it crosses

US 50 U.S. Route 50 or U.S. Highway 50 (US 50) is a major east–west route of the U.S. Highway system, stretching from Interstate 80 (I-80) in West Sacramento, California, to Maryland Route 528 (MD 528) in Ocean City, Maryland, on the Atlantic O ...

and crosses the Missouri River via the Jefferson City Bridge and briefly overlaps

US 63 U.S. Route 63 (US 63) is a , north–south United States Highway primarily in the Midwestern and Southern United States. The southern terminus of the route is at Interstate 20 (I-20) in Ruston, Louisiana; the northern terminus is at US&nbs ...

. Just north of the bridge, it splits then leaves the

Ozark Plateau The Ozarks, also known as the Ozark Mountains, Ozark Highlands or Ozark Plateau, is a physiographic region in the U.S. states of Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma and the extreme southeastern corner of Kansas. The Ozarks cover a significant porti ...

before passing through Fulton, crossing

I-70 Interstate 70 (I-70) is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the United States that runs from I-15 near Cove Fort, Utah, to a park and ride lot just east of I-695 in Baltimore, Maryland, and is the fifth-longest Interstate in the c ...

and

US 40 U.S. Route 40 or U.S. Highway 40 (US 40), also known as the Main Street of America, is a major east–west United States Highway traveling across the United States from the Mountain States to the Mid-Atlantic States. As with most routes wh ...

at Kingdom City, passes through Auxvasse, then bypassing

Mexico Mexico ( Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Gua ...

where it turns into a two-lane highway. US 54 then turns right and continues on. At a

roundabout A roundabout is a type of circular intersection or junction in which road traffic is permitted to flow in one direction around a central island, and priority is typically given to traffic already in the junction.''The New Shorter Oxford E ...

, US 54 picks up a concurrency with Route 19 and then passes through Laddonia. North of Laddonia, US 54 splits from Route 19 before passing just north of Vandalia, bypasses Bowling Green crossing

US 61 U.S. Route 61 or U.S. Highway 61 (U.S. 61) is a major United States highway that extends between New Orleans, Louisiana and the city of Wyoming, Minnesota. The highway generally follows the course of the Mississippi River and is design ...

, and ultimately crossing the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, ...

via the Champ Clark Bridge into

. US 54 is a part of the National Highway System, a system of highways important to the nation's defense, economy, and mobility.

History

US 54 was originally formed in Missouri after changing from US 26, however the routing went from Cedar County to Polk County, then Dallas County, ''then'' into Camden County. In 1932, the highway was rerouted into Saint Clair County and then Hickory County, and paved over. In the Lake of the Ozarks area, US 54 be rerouted onto a new 4 lane highway in 2010 and another part of US 54 was rerouted in 2011 in the Lake of the Ozarks area. The old US 54 was renamed "Osage Beach Parkway." The original Champ Clark Bridge opened in 1928. In 2019, a replacement bridge opened and the old one was torn down.

Junction list

References

External links