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 t ...
,
Missouri
Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...
that was once considered one of Missouri's most congested locations. Although it is known as the 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 (real estate), 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. ...
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
Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...
, and
California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
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 with multiple segments. The original portion is entirely within Louisiana with an additional signed portion extending from I-220 in Shreveport to the Arkansas state line, three ne ...
,
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
Cass may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Cass (surname), a list of people
* Cass (given name), a list of people and fictional characters
* Big Cass, ring name of wrestler William Morrissey
* Cass, in British band Skunk Anansie
* 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
A ring road (also known as circular road, beltline, beltway, circumferential (high)way, loop or orbital) is a road or a series of connected roads encircling a town, city or country. The most common purpose of a ring road is to assist in reducin ...
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 t ...
.
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