Interstate 44 (I-44) 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 ...
runs northeast from the
Oklahoma
Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...
state line near
Joplin 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 ...
in
Downtown St. Louis. It runs for about in the state, and is the longest
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 state.
Route description

I-44 enters Missouri in
Newton County at the eastern terminus of the
Will Rogers Turnpike
The Will Rogers Turnpike is a controlled-access toll road in the northeast portion of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The highway begins as a continuation of the Creek Turnpike in Tulsa, continuing northward from the I-44/ US-412 interchange there ...
, south of the
Kansas
Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...
state line. The first interchange in Missouri is the eastern terminus of both
U.S. Route 166 (US 166) and
US 400. This highway next goes through southern
Joplin and then begins to
run concurrently with
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 ...
/
US 71 at exit 11 just after entering
Jasper County. The freeway turns to a more eastern heading (the old route of US 166), and then I-49/US 71 splits off to the north at exit 18.
I-44 next enters
Lawrence County. Near
Mount Vernon
Mount Vernon is the former residence and plantation of George Washington, a Founding Father, commander of the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War, and the first president of the United States, and his wife, Martha. An American landmar ...
, the highway curves to the northeast. The section of highway to
Halltown is a completely new highway, not supplanting any previous highways. At Halltown, the road curves back to due east, beginning to follow the general pathway of old
US 66, which it does all the way to downtown St. Louis. I-44 then goes around the western and northern sides of
Springfield, serving as the western terminus of the
James River Freeway, as well as crossing both
Route 13 and
US 65. The Interstate Highway continues northeast, bypassing
Lebanon
Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...
.
In
Pulaski County, I-44 enters the
Mark Twain National Forest
Mark Twain National Forest (MTNF) is a U.S. National Forest located in the southern half of Missouri, composed of nine disconnected parcels. MTNF was established on September 11, 1939. It is named for author Mark Twain, a Missouri native. The ...
and then leaves it to provide access to
Waynesville,
St. Robert, and
Fort Leonard Wood
Fort Leonard Wood is a United States Army, U.S. Army training installation located in the Missouri The Ozarks, Ozarks. The main gate is located on the southern boundary of the city of St. Robert, Missouri, St. Robert. The post was created in De ...
before reentering the national forest. The freeway leaves the forest in
Phelps County west of
Rolla. I-44 then goes through Rolla, where it meets
US 63. It continues its northeastern course, passing near
St. James,
Cuba
Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...
,
Bourbon,
Sullivan, and
Saint Clair. At this point, it roughly parallels the
Meramec River
The Meramec River (), sometimes spelled Maramec River (the original US mapping spelled it Maramec but later changed it to Meramec), is one of the longest free-flowing waterways in the U.S. state of Missouri, draining Blanc, Caldwell, and Hawk. ...
.

I-44 next goes north of
Pacific
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is bounded by the cont ...
before moving into
St. Louis County. I-44 then bisects
Eureka
Eureka often refers to:
* Eureka (word), a famous exclamation attributed to Archimedes
* Eureka effect, the sudden, unexpected realization of the solution to a problem
Eureka or Ureka may also refer to:
History
* Eureka Rebellion, an 1854 g ...
before serving as the southern boundary of
Route 66 State Park (the former site of
Times Beach
Times Beach is a ghost town in St. Louis County, Missouri, United States, southwest of St. Louis and east of Eureka. Once home to more than two thousand people, the town was completely evacuated in early 1983 due to TCDD (a type of dioxin ...
, known for its
dioxin contamination and its eventual demolition and
Superfund
Superfund is a United States federal environmental remediation program established by the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA). The program is administered by the United States Environmental Pro ...
cleanup). I-44 then runs across unincorporated land before entering
Fenton and meeting an interchange with
I-270 in
Sunset Hills. I-44 then goes through
Crestwood,
Kirkwood,
Oakland
Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major West Coast port, Oakland is ...
,
Webster Groves, and
Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury ( , ) is a market town and civil parish in Shropshire (district), Shropshire, England. It is sited on the River Severn, northwest of Wolverhampton, west of Telford, southeast of Wrexham and north of Hereford. At the 2021 United ...
before entering the city of
St. Louis
St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...
. I-44 runs on a due east course through St. Louis until it meets
I-55
Interstate 55 (I-55) 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, connecting the Gulf of Mexico to the Great Lakes. The ...
south of downtown. The two highways run concurrently for about until I-55 turns east at an interchange with
I-64 to cross the
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...
on the
Poplar Street Bridge. I-44 then continues north through
Downtown St. Louis on the former route of
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 ...
to its junction with that highway at the
Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge; drivers wishing to access eastbound I-70 must cross the Poplar Street Bridge via I-55 and I-64.
History
I-44 follows the general route of, and completely replaced, historic
US 66 from
Halltown (exit 58, the junction with a cutoff section of US 66 since renumbered as
Route 96) to downtown St. Louis. From rural
Joplin at exit 15 to
Mount Vernon
Mount Vernon is the former residence and plantation of George Washington, a Founding Father, commander of the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War, and the first president of the United States, and his wife, Martha. An American landmar ...
at exit 49, it largely follows a
decommissioned section of
US 166.
Originally, the eastern terminus of I-44 was at the
I-55
Interstate 55 (I-55) 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, connecting the Gulf of Mexico to the Great Lakes. The ...
,
I-64,
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 ...
, and
US 40
U.S. Route 40 or U.S. Highway 40 (US 40), also known as the Main Street of America (a nickname shared with U.S. Route 66), is a major east–west United States Highway traveling across the United States from the Mountain States to the Mid- ...
interchange by the
Poplar Street Bridge. This was changed when the
Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge opened on February 9, 2014, rerouting I-70 over the river along a more northern alignment. I-44 now takes the old I-70 alignment through the below-grade section of roadway in St. Louis, extending the Interstate for about to its new eastern terminus at a directional interchange with I-70 near Cass Avenue;
[ ] the eastbound lanes of I-44 join the westbound lanes of I-70, and the westbound lanes of I-44 branch off the eastbound lanes of I-70.
Future
Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDot) has proposed to improve I-44 across Missouri such as an additional lane and some curve realignment. Study is known as Forward I-44.
Exit list
Business loops
All of I-44's
business routes are in Missouri. Most of these business loops were the former
US 66. Missouri also has the unusual occurrence of a business loop and business spur from the same Interstate intersecting (the Waynesville–St. Robert loop and the Ft. Leonard Wood spur).
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Interstate 44 In Missouri
44
Missouri
U.S. Route 66 in Missouri
Transportation in Newton County, Missouri
Transportation in Jasper County, Missouri
Transportation in Lawrence County, Missouri
Transportation in Greene County, Missouri
Transportation in Webster County, Missouri
Transportation in Laclede County, Missouri
Transportation in Pulaski County, Missouri
Transportation in Phelps County, Missouri
Transportation in Crawford County, Missouri
Transportation in Franklin County, Missouri
Transportation in St. Louis County, Missouri
Roads in St. Louis