The 3-Trails Crossing Memorial Highway is the official name for an
interchange in south
Kansas City
The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more ...
,
Missouri that was once considered one of Missouri's most congested locations. Although it is known as Grandview Triangle, it is not located in
Grandview, a suburb of Kansas City. It is actually north of Grandview, still within the
city limits
City limits or city boundaries refer to the defined boundary or border of a city. The area within the city limit can be called the city proper. Town limit/boundary and village limit/boundary apply to towns and villages. Similarly, corporate limi ...
of Kansas City. After several years of reconstruction, the interchange itself is largely congestion free during non-peak hours despite the high traffic on the highways approaching the interchange. During rush-hour moderate to major delays and numerous accidents are reported.
The name "Three Trails Crossing" refers to the
Santa Fe,
Oregon, and
California Trails that cross there.
It is a major interchange of five major highways in the Kansas City area:
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 Interstate 220 (Louisiana), I-220 in S ...
,
I-435,
I-470,
US 50,
US 71, and Missouri State Highway W.
I-49/US 71 brings in traffic from the southeastern suburbs of the Kansas City area in
Jackson and
Cass counties. I-49 currently ends at the triangle, but the road continues northwest into Kansas City as US 71. The I-49 designation went into effect in December 2012.
I-435 is a
beltway around the
Kansas City metropolitan area
The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more th ...
.
I-470 is a major traffic corridor that connects southern Kansas City to the suburbs of eastern Jackson County, mainly
Lee's Summit.
US 50 travels
concurrently with I-435 entering the Triangle, and then travels concurrently with I-470 at Exit 71A.
State Highway W, also known as Bannister Road, which forms the northern leg of the triangle, is a major east-west arterial thoroughfare through southern Kansas City, and also serves as a detour for traffic seeking an alternate route when I-435 is congested.
The 3-Trails Crossing currently handles approximately 250,000 vehicles per day.
Now that the reconstruction is completed, the interchange should be able to accommodate more than 400,000 vehicles per day.
See also
*
References
External links
Map of the 3-Trails Crossing Memorial Highway (Google Local)
{{coord, 38.93524, N, 94.53220, W, type:landmark_source:enwiki, display=title
Transportation in Kansas City, Missouri
Road interchanges in the United States
Interstate 49
U.S. Route 50
U.S. Route 71