Interstate 670 (I-670) is a connector highway between

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 ...

Kansas City, Kansas Kansas City (commonly known as KCK) is the third-most populous city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is an inner suburb of the older and more populous Kansas City, Missouri, after which it is named. As ...

, and

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 ...

. The highway provides a more direct route through

Downtown Kansas City Downtown Kansas City is the central business district (CBD) of Kansas City, Missouri and the Kansas City metropolitan area which contains 3.8% of the area's employment. It is between the Missouri River in the north, to 31st Street in the south; ...

than the older mainline I-70 and avoids the sharp turn (and reduced speed limit) of the latter at the west end of the

Intercity Viaduct The Lewis and Clark Viaduct (previously the Intercity Viaduct and historically the Interstate Viaduct; also known as the 6th Street Viaduct or Woodsweather Bridge) are two nine span viaducts that cross the Kansas River in the United States. ...

. I-670 also makes up the south side of Kansas City's Downtown Loop, where it passes under the southern half of the

Kansas City Convention Center The Kansas City Convention Center, originally Bartle Hall Convention Center or Bartle Hall, is a major convention center in Downtown Kansas City, Missouri, USA. It was named for Harold Roe Bartle, a prominent, two-term mayor of Kansas City i ...

. The road crosses the

Kansas River The Kansas River, also known as the Kaw, is a meandering river in northeastern Kansas in the United States. It is potentially the southwestern most part of the Missouri River drainage, which is sometimes in turn the northwesternmost portion of ...

and the

West Bottoms The West Bottoms is a historic industrial neighborhood of Kansas City, Missouri, immediately west of downtown and straddling the border of Kansas City, Missouri and Kansas City, Kansas. At the confluence of the Missouri River and the Kansas R ...

, the former location of the

Kansas City Stockyards The Kansas City Stockyards in the West Bottoms west of downtown Kansas City, Missouri, flourished from 1871 until 1951, closed in 1991. History The stockyards were built to provide better prices for livestock owners. Previously, livestock own ...

, on the

I-670 Viaduct History and Significance Named after Jay B. Dillingham, a prominent figure in the history of the Kansas City Stockyards, the viaduct serves as a critical link within the regional transportation network, easing the flow of intercity and interst ...

. The leg of the highway west of

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 ...

is known as the Jay B. Dillingham Freeway. Jay B. Dillingham was a former president of the Stockyards.

Route description

I-670 begins in

, as ramps from

/ U.S. Route 24 (US 24)/ US 40/ US 169 meet to form the freeway just before a bridge over the

, which is located just south of its confluence with 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 ...

. The freeway then crosses 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 ...

–

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 ...

state line and enters

. The road then has an

interchange Interchange may refer to: Transport * Interchange (road), a collection of ramps, exits, and entrances between two or more highways * Interchange (freight rail), the transfer of freight cars between railroad companies * Interchange station, a rai ...

with

just before passing beneath the

. The freeway passes just to the south of the Kansas City Power & Light District and

T-Mobile Center T-Mobile Center (formerly Sprint Center) is a multi-purpose arena in downtown Kansas City, Missouri, United States. It is located at the intersection of 14th Street and Grand Boulevard on the east side of the Power & Light District. It has ef ...

in Downtown Kansas City. It meets up with

/ US 40 again on the southeastern corner of the downtown area; US 71 comprises the north–south portion of the interchange. In Missouri, I-670 is signed as an

alternate route An official alternate route is a special route in the United States that provides an alternate alignment for a highway. They are loop roads and found in many road systems in the United States including the U.S. Highway system and various stat ...

to I-70.

History

The freeway was not part of the original planned freeways around Kansas City in 1955. The section east of the I-35 interchange was built first and finished in 1968. The western portion was not planned until 1971 and was not finished until several years later. By 1987, the freeway was extended slightly westward in the Downtown Kansas City area but was not fully extended to I-70 until 1991, when it was fully opened. On May 20, 1997, sections of I-670 and I-35 in Downtown Kansas City were closed for the filming of a

music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...

for the U2 song " Last Night on Earth". The closure, which was criticized by a local

American Automobile Association American Automobile Association (AAA) is a federation of motor clubs throughout North America. AAA is a privately held not-for-profit national member association and service organization with over 60 million members in the United States and Cana ...

official, caused some traffic congestion and was the subject of 50–60 complaints to the city government.

Exit list

References

External links

* Kansas Highway Maps
CurrentHistoric
KDOT
Interstate-Guide.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Interstate 670 (Kansas-Missouri) 6 Kansas 70-6 Kansas-Missouri 70-6 70-6 Transportation in the Kansas City metropolitan area Transportation in Kansas City, Kansas Transportation in Wyandotte County, Kansas Transportation in Jackson County, Missouri

Route description

History

Exit list

See also

References

External links