U.S. Route 66 in Missouri
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U.S. Route 66 in Missouri ran from downtown St. Louis at the Mississippi River to the Kansas state line west of Joplin. The highway was originally Route 14 from St. Louis to Joplin and Route 1F from Joplin to Kansas. It underwent two major realignments (in the St. Louis and Joplin areas) during its existence and several lesser realignments in the cities of St. Louis, Springfield, and Joplin. Current highways covering several miles of the former highway include Route 100, Route 366, Route 266, Route 96, and Route 66. Interstate 44 approximates much of US 66 between St. Louis and Springfield.
Missouri was the first state to erect a historic marker on US 66, located at Kearney Street and Glenstone Avenue in northeast Springfield. A new marker, designating the highway as a historic byway, will be erected May 5, 2006. The historic alignment in Missouri is marked based on the alignment as it occurred in 1935.
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[edit] US 66 in the St. Louis area
The original alignment in St. Louis entered Missouri on the McKinley Bridge in St. Louis and continued west on Salisbury Street, turned south on Florissant Street, then west on Manchester Road (Missouri 100). It joined the later alignment at Gray Summit.
The first major re-alignment of US 66 involved the construction of Watson Road (now Missouri 366). The road was realigned down Chippewa Street and Watson Road. Interstate 44 was eventually built down Watson Road for several miles west of Sunset Hills. With this realignment, US 66 now crossed the Mississippi on MacArthur Bridge. The older highway now passes through downtown Pacific in a scenic area under steep bluffs.
Bypass US 66 was routed over the Mississippi on the north side of St. Louis via the Chain of Rocks Bridge. This alignment is now an frontage road of Interstate 270 from the river to Lindbergh Boulevard (U.S. Route 61/U.S. Route 67), then south on Lindbergh to Watson Road.
At other times, US 66 also crossed the Mississippi on the Martin Luther King Bridge, and finally on the Poplar Street Bridge.
[edit] US 66 from St. Louis to Springfield
The highway passes near Meramec Caverns in Stanton, a famous stop on the old highway. Between Sullivan and St. James is a major grape growing area and many wineries.
At Rolla, US 66 intersected U.S. Route 63 and passes the University of Missouri–Rolla and includes a model of Stonehenge located next to the highway. This is also the home of The Old World Trader. At Rolla, US 66 entered the Ozark Mountains. At Philipsburg, Interstate 44 was built some distance away from former US 66 and passes through Marshfield, birthplace of astronomer Edwin Hubble.
[edit] US 66 in Springfield
The alignment through Springfield includes Kearney Street, Glenstone Avenue, St. Louis Street, College Street, and Chestnut Expressway. At Springfield, US 66 was joined with U.S. Route 65 for several miles, and also served as the original western terminus of U.S. Route 60, though US 60 no longer intersects US 66 in Missouri at all. Bypass US 66 followed Kearney Street on the north side of Springfield to West Bypass. Later, this would become the main alignment of US 66.
Springfield also boasted the only double-bannered highway: Alternate Business US 66.
Among the Route 66 sites in Springfield are the Abou Ben Adhem Shrine Mosque and the site of Red's Giant Hamburgs, site of the world's first drive-thru restaurant.
[edit] US 66 from Springfield to Joplin
West of Springfield, US 66 followed Missouri 266 and Missouri 96. Interstate 44 turned southwest at Halltown, away from US 66. The reason for this was the already completed Will Rogers Turnpike in Oklahoma, which Oklahoma wished to become part of Interstate 44. In order to complete the hookup, I-44 took over for U.S. Route 166 from Mount Vernon to the Oklahoma state line southwest of Joplin. At Carthage, Historic US 66 winds through various county roads and the city streets of Carterville and Webb City. In Carthage, US 66 once formed a concurrency with U.S. Route 71.
[edit] US 66 in Joplin
The Joplin area is mining country, and the realignment of US 66 in Joplin was partially for traffic, and partially because of cave-ins of mines built under the highway. It zig-zagged through the city, following Rangeline Road, Zora Street, Florida Avenue, Utica Street, Euclid Avenue, St. Louis Avenue, Broadway, Main Avenue, and Seventh Street, the last being currently Missouri 66. An old segment of highway (named Route 66 Boulevard), splits off from modern Missouri 66 and enters Kansas to the north of the current highway.
Later, it would go straight south on Rangeline to Seventh and then west to the Kansas state line.
[edit] Interstate 44 and US 66
With the completion of Interstate 44, US 66 was aligned down I-44 from St. Louis to Halltown, except for the St. Louis area itself, where it continued on Gravois Road (Missouri 30) and Chippewa Street/Watson Road (MO 366). At Halltown, US 66 continued down what would later be Missouri 96 to Joplin. When Interstate 55 in Illinois was completed in 1979, US 66 was truncated to east of Duenweg. Seventh Street, east of Duenweg, had been US 166, then now US 66 which continued straight through Duenweg, Duquesne, and Joplin to the Kansas state line.
| Preceded by Kansas |
U.S. Route 66 Missouri |
Succeeded by Illinois |
