Missouri

The Show-Me State

These pictures were taken on the way back from Oklahoma in the summer of 2003.  I didn't want to put these in a roadtrip category because I don't consider this a "roadtrip" really.  So here are the pictures of I-44 Eastbound in the Show-Me state.  The top picture is of an I-44 and US 50 assembly southwest of St. Louis.

MO 43 and MO 86 cross I-44 here south of Joplin.	On the east side of Joplin, Range Line Rd. is Bus. US 71.  This road used to be mainline US 71, but now US 71 comes from the south on a newer freeway, joins I-44 East for a few miles, and then heads north again on a newer freeway to Carthage.
The Range Line Road interchange is a cloverleaf.  I hate cloverleafs.	Coming up on the newish freeway US 71.  Some roadgeeks have predicted that MO 249 is an indication that I-49 is coming to Missouri sometime in the near future.  I-49 would follow the US 71 alignment south of Kansas City.
I notice that there is a period after the abbreviation of Arkansas.  Seems unneccessary to me.	The interchange.  MO 249 will be a freeway, but currently, it is only a super-2 and just a few miles long.
MO 59 ends at this interchange.	US 71 departs I-44 on its way to Kansas City.
Now in Springfield, US 65 is a freeway that runs south to Branson.	MO 744 runs west from here back to Springfield.
Historic US 66 can use exit 84.	In Rolla at BL I-44 to US 63 South.
Another US 63 exit in Rolla.  This is the exit for Missouri's capitol: Jefferson City.	MO 100 goes west to Washington.  US 50 has joined I-44 by this point.
I-44 and US 50 East.  Most I-44 shields in Missouri are small and have the state name in them.  I think most interstate shields in the state have the name in them.	Bus. I-44 in Pacific.
Weird that this exit has no exit number.  We are getting into the St. Louis area now.	This BGS gives quite a bit of detail on how to bypass St. Louis and get to Illinois.
Two miles until I-270.	Approaching the I-270 exits.  MO 366 is an old alignment of US 66.
Coming up on the interchange.	US 61, US 67, and US 50 are called Lindbergh Blvd.  Hwy 67 roughly parallels I-270 in the St. Louis area and US 61 and US 50 join it at different points.
Still east on I-44.	The road widens, gets trafficky, and the St. Louis skyline appears after crossing Lindbergh.
I-55 is just ahead and I-44 will end there.	You can go south on I-55 to Memphis, or continue on I-44 for a bit until it merges with I-55 North.
Almost at the end of I-44.	Now I-44 has ended (there is an end sign, I just didn't catch it this time) and we come across an old I-55 shield.
This West I-70 shield is a bit premature, as this is still I-55 NB.  But when I-55 exits this alignment to go over the Poplar St. Bridge, I-70 continues.	Maybe this diagram will help.
I-55 exits itself here in downtown St. Louis.  The curve on the exit is pretty sharp.	We're very close to the arch at this point.
The interstates of downtown St. Louis.	Is this an IDOT or a MoDOT sign?  I can't quite tell.  On the Poplar St. Bridge into Illinois.  And so our Missouri trip is done.

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