Route 23 is a 47-mile long highway in west-central

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 ...

. Its northern terminus is at

U.S. Route 24 U.S. Route 24 or U.S. Highway 24 (US 24) is one of the original United States Numbered Highways of 1926 which runs east and west for most of its routing. It originally ran from Pontiac, Michigan, in the east to Kansas City, Misso ...

near Waverly; its southern terminus is at Route 2 west of

Windsor Windsor may refer to: Places *Detroit–Windsor, Michigan-Ontario, USA-Canada, North America; a cross-border metropolitan region Australia New South Wales *Windsor, New South Wales ** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area Queen ...

. Route 23 also provides access to

Whiteman Air Force Base Whiteman Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located just south of Knob Noster, Missouri, Knob Noster, Missouri, United States. The base is the current home of the Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit, B-2 Spirit bomber. It is named for Geor ...

just south of Knob Noster, around which it supports its highest

traffic volume Network traffic or data traffic is the amount of data moving across a network at a given point of time. Network data in computer networks is mostly encapsulated in network packets, which provide the load in the network. Network traffic is the main ...

of more than 8,000 vehicles a day.

Route description

Missouri Route 23 begins at a junction with Route 2 west of Windsor in Henry County. The highway heads northerly through rural farmland, passing through the unincorporated community of Bowen before entering Johnson County. About north of Windsor, Route 23 reaches Whiteman Air Force Base, where it intersects Spirit Boulevard, providing access to the base and surrounding facilities. Continuing north, Route 23 enters the city of Knob Noster, where it meets

US 50 U.S. Route 50 or U.S. Highway 50 (US 50) is a major east–west route of the U.S. Highway system, stretching from Interstate 80 (I-80) in West Sacramento, California, to Maryland Route 528 (MD 528) in Ocean City, Maryland, on the Atlantic ...

at an interchange. The highway briefly runs parallel to US 50 before diverging and heading northeasterly through rolling terrain. After passing through the unincorporated community of Montserrat, Route 23 enters Lafayette County and reaches Concordia, where it intersects

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- ...

at exit 58. Leaving Concordia, Route 23 continues northward, passing through the unincorporated community of Middleton before reaching

Alma Alma or ALMA may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Alma'' (film), a 2009 Spanish short animated film * ''Alma'', an upcoming film by Sally Potter * ''Alma'' (Oswald de Andrade novel), 1922 * ''Alma'' (Le Clézio novel), 2017 * ''Alma'' ( ...

, where it meets Route 20. The highway then proceeds northeasterly through agricultural landscapes, crossing several small creeks before reaching its northern terminus at US 24 near Waverly.

History

Route 23 had its beginnings in the early 1930s around Alma. In the late 1940s, it was still a short

gravel Gravel () is a loose aggregation of rock fragments. Gravel occurs naturally on Earth as a result of sedimentation, sedimentary and erosion, erosive geological processes; it is also produced in large quantities commercially as crushed stone. Gr ...

route that went as far south as Concordia. By the 1950s it was paved and by 1970 it reached as far south as Knob Noster. Finally, at the turn of the century, it reached its present southern terminus at Route 2 south of Bowen.

Major intersections

References

{{attached KML 023 Transportation in Henry County, Missouri Transportation in Johnson County, Missouri Transportation in Lafayette County, Missouri