Interstate 49 (I-49) is an

Interstate Highway The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, or the Eisenhower Interstate System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Hi ...

in the US state of

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 designated on December 12, 2012. It

overlap Overlap may refer to: * In set theory, an overlap of elements shared between sets is called an intersection, as in a Venn diagram. * In music theory, overlap is a synonym for reinterpretation of a chord at the boundary of two musical phrases * Ove ...

s U.S. Route 71 (US 71) in the western part of the state, beginning at the Arkansas state line, and ending at I-435 and I-470 on the southeast side of

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 ...

. Upon completion, the highway will connect Kansas City to

Texarkana, Arkansas Texarkana is a city in the U.S. state of Arkansas and the county seat of Miller County, on the southwest border of the state. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 29,387. It is the twin city of Texarkana, Texas, located just acros ...

and

Shreveport Shreveport ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the List of municipalities in Louisiana, third-most populous city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Baton Rouge. The bulk of Shreveport is in Caddo Parish, Lo ...

along with

Lafayette, Louisiana Lafayette ( , ) is the most populous city in and parish seat of Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, Lafayette Parish in the U.S. state of Louisiana, located along the Vermilion River (Louisiana), Vermilion River. It is Louisiana's List of municipaliti ...

and

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

Route description

I-49 enters Missouri from the Arkansas state line on the Bella Vista Bypass near Pineville. After continuing north for , US 71 rejoins I-49 at exit 4 and is concurrent with it for the remainder of its length. It passes through many smaller communities before reaching Joplin. In Joplin, I-49 junctions with

I-44 Interstate 44 (I-44) is an 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 Falls, T ...

and begins a short overlap with I-44 between exits 11 and 18, heading east. Just a few miles east of Joplin, I-49 leaves I-44, heads north, and enters

Carthage Carthage was an ancient city in Northern Africa, on the eastern side of the Lake of Tunis in what is now Tunisia. Carthage was one of the most important trading hubs of the Ancient Mediterranean and one of the most affluent cities of the classic ...

. I-49 then passes through

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

and other communities before reaching the Kansas City area. I-49 intersects with I-470 and I-435, which provide connections to

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 I-695 and Maryland Route 570 (MD 570) in Woodlawn, just outside Baltimore, Maryland. I-70 appr ...

, Downtown Loop,

I-35 Interstate 35 (I-35) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route. It stretches from Laredo, Texas, near the Mexico–Uni ...

, and I-29. In south Kansas City, at Bannister Road just north of the

Grandview Triangle The 3-Trails Crossing Memorial Highway is the official name for an interchange in south Kansas City, Missouri that was once considered one of Missouri's most congested locations. Although it is known as the Grandview Triangle, it is not located ...

, the I-49 designation ends, the freeway continues as US 71, which proceeds into downtown Kansas City as Bruce R. Watkins Memorial Drive.

History

Northern end of the future Bella Vista Bypass

Arkansas and Missouri pursued an I-49 designation for US 71 and I-540 for a number of years. In the early 2000s, there were plans by both states to renumber the roadway as such between I-44 west of Joplin and I-40 at Fort Smith once new roadway had been completed around Bella Vista, Arkansas, and north to

Pineville, Missouri Pineville is a city in and the county seat of McDonald County, Missouri, United States. The population was 802 at the 2020 census, and was estimated to be 826 in 2023. History Pineville was originally named "Maryville", and was laid out under ...

. However, the

American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) is a standards setting body which publishes specifications, test protocols, and guidelines that are used in highway A highway is any public or private road ...

(AASHTO) Special Committee on U.S. Route Numbering denied the I-49 designation at their annual meeting in September 2007 because none of the new roadway was under construction. The

Missouri Department of Transportation The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT, ) is a state government organization in charge of maintaining public roadways of the U.S. state of Missouri under the guidance of the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission (MHTC). MoDOT ...

(MoDOT) announced the Joplin-to-Kansas City upgrade of US 71 in August 2010, to be done with the intention of bringing the I-49 designation to Missouri. The I-49 upgrade involved removing all at-grade intersections and constructing interchanges and overpasses at 15 sites between Harrisonville and Lamar. The two-year project represented a shift in funding priorities for MoDOT, which, in 2007, had announced the indefinite postponement of its portion of the Bella Vista bypass project, citing a $139 million (equivalent to $ in ) funding gap in Arkansas between construction costs and toll revenues, and Arkansas's commitment to only a two-lane bypass constructed over six years. MoDOT began installing I-49 trailblazer signage (without shields) as well as gantry signs and milemarkers, about 1200 signs in all, in February 2012. I-49 signage shields were covered or turned from view until the I-49 designation was given final approval by the

Federal Highway Administration The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is a division of the United States Department of Transportation that specializes in highway transportation. The agency's major activities are grouped into two programs, the Federal-aid Highway Program a ...

(FHWA). This includes milemarkers at intervals along the entire alignment apart from I-44. The I-49 designation in Missouri became official at noon on December 12, 2012. The designation applies to of current US 71 between Bannister Road ( Route W) in south Kansas City and Route H at Pineville (McDonald County) which was upgraded to Interstate standards beginning in 2010. The last of the upgrade projects were completed in December 2012, but some designations about north of the

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...

state line still have not been built to meet Interstate standards. In 2012, Missouri had $40 million (equivalent to $ in ) available for its portion of the Bella Vista bypass but moved the money elsewhere in 2013. They planned on using money from a proposed constitutional amendment which would have raised the sales tax; however, this was defeated by voters in August 2014. Arkansas announced it will not extend its section to Missouri until construction begins on the Missouri section. In March 2019, the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission approved the remaining funding needed to complete the portion of the Bella Vista Bypass within the state. On April 1, 2020, the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission awarded a $58.7 million contract for the construction of the portion of highway. Construction started on May 11, 2020, and the entire bypass opened on October 1, 2021, following a ribbon-cutting ceremony held the day prior.

Exit list

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Interstate 49 In Missouri 49 Missouri Transportation in McDonald County, Missouri Transportation in Newton County, Missouri Transportation in Jasper County, Missouri Transportation in Barton County, Missouri Transportation in Vernon County, Missouri Transportation in Bates County, Missouri Transportation in Cass County, Missouri Transportation in Jackson County, Missouri