Interstate 70 in Missouri

Interstate 70 or I -70 is an Interstate Highway in the U.S. state of Missouri. The highway forms an east-west connection through the central part of the state, between the Kansas City and St. Louis metropolitan areas. Interstate 70 is 403 kilometers long in Missouri.

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Travel directions

Kansas City

I-70 in Kansas City.

In Kansas City, Interstate 70 in Kansas enters the state of Missouri. The state line is located in the middle of the Kansas City metropolitan area, where I-70 runs from Kansas City, Kansas to Kansas City, Missouri via the Lewis & Clark Viaduct, which spans a lower part of the city. I-70 then goes around the center of Kansas City, there is a small ring road around the center that is also formed by Interstate 35 and Interstate 670. Characteristic are the rapidly succeeding exits that are literate. I-70 runs around the north and east sides of downtown and has two TOTSO’s, places where through traffic has to turn. Most through traffic takes I-670, both highways converge on the east side of downtown Kansas City.

I-70 then runs through the eastern neighborhoods and suburbs of Kansas City. The highway has 2×3 lanes here and is largely sunken in relation to the street network. To the east of the city, the Blue River valley is crossed by a longer viaduct, before a junction with the Interstate 435 ring road. I-70 then runs in 2×3 lanes through the large suburb of Independence, after which Interstate 470 connects. I-70 then has 2×3 lanes until Blue Springs, after which you leave the conurbation and the highway narrows to 2×2 lanes.

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Central Missouri

I-70 at Oak Grove, just east of Kansas City.

I-70 then travels a 200-mile stretch through central Missouri, between the Kansas City and St. Louis metropolitan areas. I-70 has 2×2 lanes everywhere and leads through rural areas, mostly gently sloping areas with meadows and some light forest. The main city on this part of the route is Columbia, but I-70 also runs just north of the capital Jefferson City. West of Columbia it crosses the Missouri River. In Columbia there is also an interchange with US 63. A little further east you cross the US 54. On parts of the route, I-70 has frontage roads.

St. Louis

I-70 at Lambert–St. Louis International Airport.

The first suburb of St. Louis is Wentzville, where Interstate 64 branches off, which follows a route further south to downtown St. Louis. I-70 has 2×3 lanes from Wentzville and then leads through the fairly sprawling suburbs west of St. Louis, passing through suburbs for more than 30 miles before reaching St. Louis itself. From the suburb of St. Charles, I-70 has 2×4 lanes, after which one crosses the Missouri River again via the Blanchette Bridge. This bridge has 2×5 lanes. Then follows the interchange with Interstate 270, which forms the ring road of St. Louis.

I-70 then has 2×3 lanes again and runs along the south side of the Lambert-St. Louis International Airport, giving direct access to the terminals. The east side of the airport intersects with Interstate 170, which forms a north-south route through the inner suburbs of St. Louis. I-70 then enters the city proper of St. Louis. In the city itself, I-70 has an interchangeable lane in the median strip, with 2×3 lanes on the main carriageways and a two-lane interchange. Near downtown St. Louis, Interstate 44 ends at I-70, which branches off here and crosses the Mississippi River, which also forms the border with Illinois, via the Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge. TheInterstate 70 in Illinois then continues through East St. Louis towards Indianapolis.