Interstate 29 (I-29) 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

Midwestern United States The Midwestern United States (also referred to as the Midwest, the Heartland or the American Midwest) is one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern central part of the United States. It ...

. I-29 runs from

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City, Missouri, abbreviated KC or KCMO, is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri by List of cities in Missouri, population and area. The city lies within Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson, Clay County, Missouri, Clay, and Pl ...

, at a junction with

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-70, to the Canada–US border near Pembina, North Dakota, where it connects with Manitoba Provincial Trunk Highway 75 (PTH 75), which continues on to

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

. The road follows the course of three major rivers, all of which form the borders of US states. The southern portion of I-29 closely parallels the

Missouri River The Missouri River is a river in the Central United States, Central and Mountain states, Mountain West regions of the United States. The nation's longest, it rises in the eastern Centennial Mountains of the Bitterroot Range of the Rocky Moun ...

from Kansas City northward to

Sioux City, Iowa Sioux City () is a city in Woodbury County, Iowa, Woodbury and Plymouth County, Iowa, Plymouth counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 85,797 in the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Iowa, fo ...

, where it crosses and then parallels the Big Sioux River. For the northern third of the highway, it closely follows the

Red River of the North The Red River (), also called the Red River of the North () to differentiate it from the Red River of the South, Red River in the south of the continent, is a river in the north-central United States and central Canada. Originating at the confl ...

. The major cities that I-29 connects to includes (from south to north)

Council Bluffs, Iowa Council Bluffs is a city in and the county seat of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States. The population was 62,799 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the state's List of cities in Iowa, te ...

;

Sioux Falls, South Dakota Sioux Falls ( ) is the List of cities in South Dakota, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Dakota and the List of United States cities by population, 117th-most populous city in the United States. It is the county seat of Minnehaha Coun ...

;

Fargo, North Dakota Fargo is the List of cities in North Dakota, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Cass County, North Dakota, Cass County. The population was 125,990 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, which was e ...

; and

Grand Forks, North Dakota Grand Forks is a city in and the county seat of Grand Forks County, North Dakota, United States. The city's population was 59,166 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in North Dakota, third-most populous ...

. I-29 also serves as a road connection between the four largest public universities in the Dakotas: the

University of North Dakota The University of North Dakota (UND) is a Public university, public research university in Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States. It was established by the Dakota Territory, Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, six years before the establishm ...

North Dakota State University North Dakota State University (NDSU, formally North Dakota State University of Agriculture and Applied Sciences) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Fargo, North Dakota, United States. It was ...

, the

University of South Dakota The University of South Dakota (USD) is a public research university in Vermillion, South Dakota, United States. Established by the Dakota Territory legislature in 1862, 27 years before the establishment of the state of South Dakota, USD is t ...

, and

South Dakota State University South Dakota State University (SDSU or SD State) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Brookings, South Dakota, United States. Founded in 1881, it is the state's largest university and is the sec ...

Route description

, -align=right , align=center, MO , 128.71 , 207.14 , -align=right , align=center, IA , 151.83 , 244.35 , -align=right , align=center, SD , 252.50 , 406.36 , -align=right , align=center, ND , 217.54 , 350.10 , -align=right , align=center, Total , 750.58 , 1,207.94

Missouri

Near its southern terminus, I-29 is concurrent with I-35 and U.S. Route 71 (US 71). The Interstate diverts from US 71 just north of St. Joseph and follows a sparsely populated corridor along the

to Council Bluffs. During the design phase there was an alternative sending the route further along US 71 through the bigger towns of Maryville, Missouri, and

Clarinda, Iowa Clarinda is a city in and the county seat of Page County, Iowa, United States. It is located in Nodaway Township, Page County, Iowa, Nodaway Township. The population was 5,369 at the time of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History C ...

. During the

Great Flood of 1993 The Great Flood of 1993 (or Great Mississippi and Missouri Rivers Flood of 1993) was a flood that occurred in the Midwestern United States, along the Mississippi River, Mississippi and Missouri River, Missouri rivers and their tributaries, from ...

, the Missouri River flooded this section and traffic was rerouted to US 71 through Maryville and Clarinda. I-29 was closed again for about two months during the 2011 Missouri River Flood. Almost all of I-29 in Missouri is in an area called the

Platte Purchase The Platte Purchase was a land acquisition in 1836 by the United States government from American Indian tribes of the region. It comprised lands along the east bank of the Missouri River and added to the northwest corner of the state of Misso ...

that was not originally part of Missouri when it entered the Union.

Iowa

I-29 begins in Iowa near

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

. It goes northwest to an interchange with

Iowa Highway 2 Iowa Highway 2 (Iowa 2) is a Iowa Primary Highway System, state highway which runs across the southernmost tier of counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. At no point along its route is Iowa 2 more than from the Missouri state line, except ...

(Iowa 2), then goes north until

Council Bluffs Council Bluffs is a city in and the county seat of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States. The population was 62,799 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the state's List of cities in Iowa, te ...

. It appears to briefly runs concurrent with

I-80 Interstate 80 (I-80) is an east–west transcontinental freeway that crosses the United States from San Francisco, California, to Teaneck, New Jersey, in the New York metropolitan area. The highway was designated in 1956 as one of the ori ...

, but I-29 actually runs outside I-80 until the two separate less than east of

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...

, to follow the Missouri River north, winding its way along the western and northern edges of Council Bluffs. North of Council Bluffs, I-29 intersects I-680 at exit 61. At exit 71, I-880 begins, while I-29 continues on a northwesterly path toward

Sioux City Sioux City () is a city in Woodbury and Plymouth counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 85,797 in the 2020 census, making it the fourth-most populous city in Iowa. The county seat of Woodbury County, Sioux City is the primar ...

. At Sioux City, I-129 spurs off of I-29 to go west toward South Sioux City, Nebraska. After continuing toward downtown Sioux City on a northerly route, I-29 turns west and enters South Dakota. All of I-29 through Iowa is part of the Lewis and Clark Trail.

South Dakota

I-29 enters South Dakota at North Sioux City by crossing over the Big Sioux River. It runs northwest until its interchange with Highway 50 (SD 50) near Vermillion, where it turns north. The highway alignment is due north until just before

Sioux Falls Sioux Falls ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of South Dakota and the 117th-most populous city in the United States. It is the county seat of Minnehaha County and also extends into northern Lincoln County. The population was 192 ...

. In the Sioux Falls area, I-29 serves the western part of Sioux Falls while I-229 spurs off and serves eastern Sioux Falls. In northwestern Sioux Falls, I-29 meets

I-90 Interstate 90 (I-90) is an east–west transcontinental freeway and the longest Interstate Highway in the United States at . It begins in Seattle, Washington, and travels through the Pacific Northwest, Mountain states, Mountain West, Great Pla ...

. After that, it continues north past Brookings and an intersection with US 14. At the intersection with SD 28, I-29 turns northwest toward Watertown. After Watertown, the highway continues north and passes an intersection with US 12 before continuing into

North Dakota North Dakota ( ) is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota people, Dakota and Sioux peoples. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minneso ...

North Dakota

I-29 enters North Dakota from the south near Hankinson. At Fargo, it meets I-94/ US 52 and continues north along the Red River toward Grand Forks. At its northern terminus, I-29 enters

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

and becomes PTH 75 in

Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...

, which leads to

History

Interstate 31

The portion from

, to the Canada–US border was originally considered for designation as Interstate 31 (I-31) in 1957 for present-day I-29. Official Route Numbering for the National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, August 14, 1957 No freeway was initially planned south of Fargo. However, it was subsequently decided in 1958 to connect I-29 and I-31 between Sioux Falls and Fargo. The entire freeway was then built and numbered as I-29. Official Route Numbering for the National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, June 27, 1958

Interstate 49

Residents of Missouri, Arkansas, and Louisiana began campaigning in the 1960s to extend I-29 via the US 71 corridor from Kansas City, Missouri, to

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 ...

. The campaign would create a limited access highway from New Orleans to Canada and on to

. That extension came to be designated as

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 ...

, which was not part of the 1957 master plan. It was assigned a separate number instead of I-29 to conform with the numbering rules for Interstate Highways (increasing from west to east for north–south routes), as it would lie east of

and west of I-55. When I-49 is complete, the goal of the association will have been accomplished, with only a brief gap (served by other Interstates or US 71).

2019 closures

In March and April 2019, as a result of the 2019 Midwestern US floods, I-29 was closed in both directions for approximately between St. Joseph and

. Much of this section of I-29, including at the Missouri–Iowa border, runs over or through a large floodplain for the

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 ...

and Platte rivers. As such, multiple elevated sections of the highway collapsed and other sections were submerged or washed out by floodwaters. This was the largest closure of an Interstate Highway in terms of distance in the history of the Interstate Highway System. A signed detour was not officially designated in most areas, as the roads that would be used as detours are mostly rural farm roads that were also submerged by flooding. However, along I-80 in Iowa, traffic from I-80 in Iowa was officially detoured via I-35 from Des Moines, Iowa, to Kansas City, Missouri. US 75, paralleling I-29 on the other side of the Missouri River, was also closed in large sections due to flooding. By May 2019, the vast majority of I-29 had been repaired and reopened, with the exception of around Council Bluffs where the highway ran concurrent with I-680 (now the portion of I-29 between I-680 and I-880). However, throughout the remainder of the spring and summer, and even early fall, more rainfall and flooding resulted in sections of I-29 being closed again, including on the recently repaired sections. At a few times, the entire section between St. Joseph and Council Bluffs was completely shut down, although this was rare after May 2019. As of October 2019, all of I-29 is open to traffic in both directions, although some Missouri River bridges and local farm roads remain closed due to flooding.

Junction list

;Missouri : at the Downtown Loop in

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 ...

. I-29 / I-35 travel concurrently through Kansas City. I-29 / US 71 travel concurrently to east of Amazonia. : on the

Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British politican, starting as Conservative MP for Newark and later becoming the leader of the Liberal Party (UK), Liberal Party. In a career lasting over 60 years, he ...

–Kansas City city line : on the Gladstone–Kansas City city line : in Kansas City : in Kansas City. The highways travel concurrently to Platte City. : south-southeast of St. Joseph : in St. Joseph : in St. Joseph : in St. Joseph : north-northeast of St. Joseph. The highways travel concurrently to east of Amazonia. : north of St. Joseph : northwest of Amazonia. The highways travel concurrently for approximately . : north of

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 ...

: south-southeast of Mound City : east of Craig : in Rock Port ;Iowa : west of Glenwood. I-29 / US 275 travel concurrently to

. : in Council Bluffs. I-29 / US 6 travel concurrently through Council Bluffs. : in Council Bluffs. : west-southwest of

Crescent A crescent shape (, ) is a symbol or emblem used to represent the lunar phase (as it appears in the northern hemisphere) in the first quarter (the "sickle moon"), or by extension a symbol representing the Moon itself. In Hindu iconography, Hind ...

: west-southwest of Loveland : in Missouri Valley : in

: in Sioux City ;South Dakota : south-southwest of

Worthing Worthing ( ) is a seaside town and borough in West Sussex, England, at the foot of the South Downs, west of Brighton, and east of Chichester. With a population of 113,094 and an area of , the borough is the second largest component of the Br ...

. The highways travel concurrently for approximately . : in

: in Sioux Falls : in Brookings : in Watertown : northeast of Watertown. The highways travel concurrently to east of Manvel, North Dakota. : northwest of

Summit A summit is a point on a surface that is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. The topographic terms acme, apex, peak (mountain peak), and zenith are synonymous. The term (mountain top) is generally used only for ...

;North Dakota : in Fargo : in Fargo : in Grand Forks : south-southwest of

Joliette Joliette () is a city in southwest Quebec, Canada. It is approximately northeast of Montreal, on the L'Assomption River and is the seat of the Regional County Municipality of Joliette. It is considered to be a part of the North Shore of G ...

. The highways travel concurrently to the

Canada–United States border The international border between Canada and the United States is the longest in the world by total length. The boundary (including boundaries in the Great Lakes, Atlantic, and Pacific coasts) is long. The land border has two sections: Canada' ...

north of Pembina. : at the Canada–United States border north of Pembina

Auxiliary routes

St. Joseph, Missouri St. Joseph is a city in and county seat of Buchanan County, Missouri, Buchanan County, Missouri, United States. A small portion of the city extends north into Andrew County, Missouri, Andrew County. Located on the Missouri River, it is the princ ...

: I-229 *

: I-129 *

: I-229