Route 86 is a highway in southwest
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 ...
.
The eastern terminus is at
U.S. Route 65
U.S. Route 65 (US 65) is a north–south United States highway in the southern and midwestern United States. The southern terminus of the route is at U.S. Route 425 in Clayton, Louisiana. The northern terminus is at Interstate 35 just south of I ...
just north of
Ridgedale. From there, the road crosses the
Long Creek arm of
Table Rock Lake
Table Rock Lake is an artificial lake or reservoir in the Ozarks of southwestern Missouri and northwestern Arkansas in the United States. Designed, built and operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the lake is impounded by Table Rock Dam, ...
and continues to
Blue Eye west between 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 on the south and Table Rock Lake on the north.
[''Missouri Atlas & Gazetteer,'' DeLorme, 1998, First edition, p. 60-62, ] This section is also in 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 is recommended as a scenic drive by 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 ...
. From
Eagle Rock the road turns north to join with
Route 76 at
Bates Corner with which it is
runs concurrent through
Cassville to just east of
Rocky Comfort. The road continues north and west towards
Neosho, then goes further west before turning north towards
Joplin where the road ends at the interchange of
Interstate 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
Route 43.
[
]
History
The original highway only ran between Ridgedale and Route 43 (now Route 13) north of Blue Eye. It was later extended both east and west. The eastern terminus moving to Kissee Mills, with the route joined with U.S. Route 65
U.S. Route 65 (US 65) is a north–south United States highway in the southern and midwestern United States. The southern terminus of the route is at U.S. Route 425 in Clayton, Louisiana. The northern terminus is at Interstate 35 just south of I ...
to modern-day Route 76 where it turned east and followed this road to Kissee Mills. It would later be truncated back to its later eastern terminus.
Recent and future improvements
Beginning in 2022, the Table Rock Lake
Table Rock Lake is an artificial lake or reservoir in the Ozarks of southwestern Missouri and northwestern Arkansas in the United States. Designed, built and operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the lake is impounded by Table Rock Dam, ...
crossing replacement project began and the new bridge opened in December 2024 replacing the 1956 crossing. In addition, the section of Route 86 from Thunder Ridge Road to US 65 was widened to 4 lanes in 2023.
Major intersections
References
086
Transportation in Newton County, Missouri
Transportation in Barry County, Missouri
Transportation in Stone County, Missouri
Transportation in Taney County, Missouri
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