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Route information | |
Length | 633.79 mi[1] (1,019.99 km) |
NHS | Entire route |
Major junctions | |
West end | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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East end | ![]() |
Location | |
Country | United States |
Highway system | |
Interstate 44 (I-44) is an Interstate Highway in the central United States. Its western terminus is in Wichita Falls, Texas at concurrency with US 277, US 281 and US 287; its eastern terminus is in St. Louis at Interstate 55 (the Federal Highway Administration considers its end to be at the Missouri–Illinois state line [1] ). Interstate 44 is one of five interstates built to bypass U.S. Route 66; this highway covers the section between St. Louis and Oklahoma City. Virtually the entire length of the Interstate east of Springfield, Missouri was once US 66 which was upgraded from two to four lanes between 1949 and 1955. The section of I-44 west of Springfield was built further south than US 66 in order to connect Missouri's section with the already completed Will Rogers Turnpike, which Oklahoma wished to carry their part of I-44.
Interstate 44 is referenced in the song "Convoy" by C.W. McCall.
mi | km | |
---|---|---|
TX | 15 | 24 |
OK | 329 | 530 |
MO | 290 | 467 |
Total | 634 | 1021 |
Major cities Bolded cities are officially-designated control cities for signs |
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I-44 begins near exit 1 in Wichita Falls concurrent with US 277, US 281 and US 287. US 281 and US 287 continue to the south while US 277 leaves the concurrency at exit 1, which also provides access to US 82. I-44 heads north through Wichita Falls to an interchange with US 287 and Spur 325. US 287 leaves the concurrency as a freeway to the west while Spur 325 leaves the interchange towards the northeast providing access to Sheppard Air Force Base and Wichita Falls Municipal Airport. I-44 continues to the north as it leaves the Wichita Falls city limits at Bacon Switch Road. The freeway enters the Burkburnett city limits south of an interchange at FM 3429. Heading north through the city, I-44 has interchanges with SH 240 and Spur 383. After passing Spur 383, I-44 begins to head towards the northeast before its final interchange in Texas at Loop 267. I-44 leaves the state of Texas at its crossing of the Red River and enters Oklahoma.[2]
I-44 crosses the Red River near Burkburnett, Texas. It is a freeway until Exit 5, which is the last free exit before the start of the southern section of the H.E. Bailey Turnpike. At Exit 30, the tolls end and I-44 becomes a freeway again through Lawton and Fort Sill until Exit 46. The northern section of the H.E. Bailey Turnpike carries I-44 north, serving Chickasha, before ending at U.S. Highway 62 (Exit 107) in Newcastle.
From Newcastle, I-44 heads north through rural parts of Oklahoma City before serving as the western terminus of Interstate 240. It then indirectly serves Will Rogers World Airport by connecting to S.W. 59th St. (which becomes S.W. 54th St before reaching the airport) and SH-152, the Airport Road freeway. I-44 meets Interstate 40 west of downtown, at an interchange sometimes referred to as the Amarillo Junction. I-44 then passes west of the state fairgrounds and continues north to provide access to Bethany and Warr Acres. It then turns more eastbound to meet Interstate 35, which it overlaps to the Turner Turnpike interchange.
I-44 then follows the Turner Turnpike to Sapulpa, where it becomes a freeway after meeting the Creek Turnpike. I-44 bypasses downtown Tulsa; Interstate 244 serves the downtown areas. After meeting the Creek Turnpike again on the east side of the city, I-44 becomes a turnpike once again, gaining the Will Rogers Turnpike designation.
The Will Rogers Turnpike section serves many northeast Oklahoma towns, including Claremore, Vinita (where it passes under the world's largest McDonald's), and Miami. After passing Miami, I-44 crosses the state line into Missouri.
Interstate 44 enters Missouri in Newton County, at the eastern terminus of the Will Rogers Turnpike, at a point near the corner of Oklahoma, Missouri, and Kansas. A marker is erected at the point, which can be visited on State Line Road after exiting at US-166. I-44 misses the state of Kansas by less than 200 yards (180 m). The first interchange in Missouri is the eastern terminus of both U.S. Route 166 and U.S. Route 400. The road then runs through southern Joplin and begins a concurrency with US 71 at Exit 11 just after entering Jasper County. The freeway turns to a more eastern heading (the old US 166 alignment), and then US 71 splits off to the north at Exit 18.
I-44 then enters Lawrence County. Near Mount Vernon, the highway curves to the northeast. The section of road to Halltown is a completely new road, not bypassing any previous highways. At Halltown, the road curves back to due east, beginning to follow the general pathway of old U.S. Route 66 (which it will do all the way to downtown St. Louis). The highway then runs around the western and northern sides of Springfield, serving as the western terminus of the James River Freeway, as well as crossing both Route 13 and US 65. The interstate continues northeast, bypassing Lebanon.
In Pulaski County, I-44 enters the Mark Twain National Forest, leaving it to provide access to Waynesville, St. Robert, and Fort Leonard Wood before entering the forest again. The freeway leaves the forest in Phelps County west of Rolla. I-44 then runs through Rolla, where it meets US 63. It continues its northeast course, passing near St. James, Cuba, Bourbon, Sullivan, and Saint Clair.
I-44 then runs north of Pacific before moving into St. Louis County. I-44 then bisects Eureka before serving as the southern boundary of Route 66 State Park (the former site of Times Beach, known for the dioxin contamination and subsequent demolition and Superfund cleanup). I-44 then runs through unincorporated territory before entering Fenton and having an interchange with Interstate 270 in Sunset Hills. I-44 then runs through Crestwood, Kirkwood, Oakland, Webster Groves, and Shrewsbury before entering the city of St. Louis. I-44 runs on a due east course through St. Louis before ending at Interstate 55.
As U.S. 66 was being bypassed by I-44, the Route 66 Association requested the designation Interstate 66 for what is now I-44 from St. Louis to Oklahoma City. AASHTO rejected the request.[3]
I-44 was originally signed in 1958 as an Interstate designation of the Turner Turnpike, linking Oklahoma City and Tulsa, and the Will Rogers Turnpike linking Tulsa and the Missouri state line southwest of Joplin. Also signed as I-44 was the US 66 bypass in Tulsa that linked that city with the two turnpikes, and the continued four-lane highway from the Missouri border to an interchange with US 71 south of Joplin, which was previously designated as US 166. From 1958 to 1982, the eastern terminus of I-44 was at I-35 in Oklahoma City, the current eastern terminus of the Turner Turnpike.
I-44 was assigned to the H.E. Bailey Turnpike in 1982, when I-44 was assigned to the west and north legs of I-240 (then a semi-beltway around Oklahoma City) and the H.E. Bailey Turnpike as part of Oklahoma's "Diamond Jubilee" celebrations.[4] Before I-44 was assigned to it, the freeway connector to the north end of the H.E. Bailey Turnpike was named the Will Rogers Expressway.[5] The freeway section through Lawton was the Pioneer Expressway.[5] The new section was also a violation of the Interstate numbering grid, as it extended south of I-40. (The "44" number indicated that it should lie north of I-40 for its entire length.)
During the historic 1999 Oklahoma tornado outbreak, an F5 tornado hit Interstate 44. This particular tornado had the fastest tornado wind speeds on record. The interstate was severely damaged where the tornado crossed it. In the end, this tornado was blamed for 36 deaths.
A section of I-44 was moved slightly north between Powellville, Missouri and Doolittle. The old road is highly visible for eastbound traffic near Powellville. As of April 2006[update], the rocks carved away for the new roadbed have virtually no lichen, reflecting that this construction occurred rather recently. [6]
Main article: Business routes of Interstate 44.
All business loops of Interstate 44 are located in Missouri. They serve Joplin, Sarcoxie, Mount Vernon, Springfield, Lebanon, Waynesville-St. Robert, Rolla, and Pacific. A business spur links I-44 with Fort Leonard Wood.
At some places, an "Alternate I-44" is posted. One such ran between Rolla and Springfield via US-60 and US-63 and another ran via US-63 and US-50 between Rolla and Union. These were done to provide traffic relief during road work. The latter of these alternate routes detoured traffic around three hour delays due to road work near Cuba.
County | Location | # | Destinations | Notes |
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Wichita | Wichita Falls | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Westbound exit and eastbound entrance | |
1 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Westbound exit and eastbound entrance [7] | ||
1A | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Westbound exit and eastbound entrance | ||
1B | Scotland Park | Eastbound exit and westbound entrance | ||
1C | Texas Travel Info Center | |||
1D | ![]() ![]() |
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2 | Maurine Street | |||
3A | ![]() ![]() |
East end of US 287 concurrency | ||
3B | ![]() |
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3C | ![]() |
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4 | City Loop Street | Eastbound exit and entrance | ||
4 | Frontage Road | Westbound exit only | ||
5 | Access Road | Eastbound exit and westbound entrance | ||
5A | ![]() |
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6 | Bacon Switch Road | |||
7 | East Road | |||
Burkburnett | 11 | ![]() |
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12 | ![]() |
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13 | ![]() |
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14 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
County | Location | Mile | # | Destinations | Notes |
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Cotton | 1 | ![]() |
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5 | ![]() |
East end of US-277/US-281 overlap | |||
Walters | 20 | ![]() |
Toll plaza is located at this interchange | ||
Comanche | 30 | ![]() ![]() |
West end of US-277/US-281 overlap | ||
Lawton | 33 | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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36A | ![]() ![]() |
Signed as exits 36A (east) and 36B (west) westbound | |||
37 | Gore Boulevard | ||||
39B | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Westbound exit and eastbound entrance | |||
39A | Cache Road – Lawton Business District | Former US-62 west | |||
40A | ![]() ![]() |
Signed as exits 40A (east) and 40B (west) westbound | |||
Fort Sill | |||||
40C | Gate 2 | closed | |||
41 | Fort Sill Key Gate | ||||
45 | ![]() |
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46 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Eastbound exit and westbound entrance; east end of US-62/US-277/US-281 overlap | |||
53 | ![]() |
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62 | Fletcher, Cyril, Sterling | ||||
Grady | Toll plaza | ||||
Chickasha | 80 | ![]() |
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83 | ![]() |
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Toll plaza | |||||
H. E. Bailey Spur – Blanchard, Norman | |||||
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McClain | Newcastle | 107 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
West end of US-62 overlap | |
108 | ![]() ![]() |
West end of SH-37 overlap | |||
108A | Frontage Road | Westbound exit and eastbound entrance | |||
Cleveland | Oklahoma City | 109 | Southwest 149th Street | ||
110 | ![]() ![]() |
East end of SH-37 overlap | |||
111 | Southwest 119th Street | ||||
112 | Southwest 104th Street | ||||
Oklahoma | 113 | Southwest 89th Street | |||
114 | Southwest 74th Street | ||||
115 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
East end of US-62 overlap; west end of SH-3 overlap; no exit number westbound | |||
116A | Southwest 59th Street | ||||
116B | ![]() ![]() |
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117A | Southwest 44th Street | Signed as exit 117B westbound | |||
118 | Southwest 29th Street | Former SH-152 | |||
119 | Southwest 15th Street | ||||
120 | ![]() |
Signed as exits 120A (west) and 120B (east) | |||
121 | Northwest 10th Street – Fair Park | Signed as exits 121A (east) and 121B (west) | |||
122 | Northwest 23rd Street | ||||
123A | Northwest 36th Street | Eastbound exit and westbound entrance | |||
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East end of SH-3 overlap | ||||
123B | ![]() ![]() |
West end of SH-66 overlap | |||
124 | North May Avenue | ||||
125A | North Penn Avenue | ||||
125B | Classen Boulevard | ||||
125C | ![]() |
Eastbound exit is via exit 125A | |||
126 | Western Avenue | ||||
127 | ![]() ![]() |
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128A | Lincoln Boulevard – State Capitol | ||||
128B | Kelley Avenue | ||||
129 | M.L. King Avenue | ||||
130 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
West end of I-35 overlap; no exit number westbound | |||
134 | Wilshire Boulevard | ||||
135 | Britton Road | ||||
136 | Hefner Road | ||||
137 | Northeast 122nd Street | ||||
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East end of I-35/SH-66 overlap | ||||
138B | Kilpatrick Turnpike | No exit number westbound | |||
Sooner Road | Westbound exit and eastbound entrance | ||||
Lincoln | Wellston | 158 | ![]() |
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Chandler | 166 | ![]() |
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Stroud | 179 | ![]() |
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Creek | Toll plaza | ||||
Bristow | 196 | ![]() |
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211 | ![]() |
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Sapulpa | 215 | ![]() |
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218 | Creek Turnpike east | Eastbound exit and westbound entrance | |||
Tulsa | 221A | 57th West Avenue | Westbound exit only | ||
221B | ![]() ![]() |
Westbound exit and eastbound entrance; west end of SH-66 overlap | |||
222A | 49th West Avenue | ||||
222C | 56th Street | Westbound exit only | |||
222B | 55th Place | Eastbound exit only | |||
223A | ![]() ![]() |
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223B | 51st Street (via Gilcrease Expressway) | Signed as exit 1B eastbound | |||
Tulsa | 223C | 33rd West Avenue | |||
224 | Union Avenue | ||||
224 | ![]() |
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225 | Elwood Avenue | Eastbound exit is part of exit 224 | |||
226A | Riverside Drive | ||||
226B | Peoria Avenue | ||||
227 | Lewis Avenue | ||||
228 | Harvard Avenue | ||||
229 | Yale Avenue – Saint Francis Hospital | ||||
230 | 41st Street, Sheridan Road | ||||
231 | ![]() ![]() |
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232 | East 31st Street, Memorial Drive | Eastbound exit is part of exit 231 | |||
233 | East 21st Street | Signed as exit 233B westbound | |||
234A | ![]() |
No eastbound exit to US-169 south | |||
234B | Garnett Road | Eastbound exit and westbound entrance | |||
235 | East 11th Street | ||||
236 | 129th East Avenue | ||||
236B | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Westbound exit and eastbound entrance; west end of US-412 overlap | |||
Rogers | 238 | 161st East Avenue | |||
240 | ![]() ![]() |
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241 | ![]() ![]() |
No eastbound entrance; east end of SH-66 overlap; no exit number westbound | |||
33A | ![]() ![]() |
East end of US-412 overlap; no exit number eastbound | |||
Creek Turnpike west – Oklahoma City | |||||
35 | East Pine Street | Westbound exit and eastbound entrance | |||
248 | ![]() ![]() |
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255 | ![]() |
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Mayes | 269 | ![]() |
Eastbound exit and westbound entrance | ||
Craig | Big Cabin | 283 | ![]() |
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Toll plaza | |||||
Vinita | 289 | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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Ottawa | 302 | ![]() ![]() |
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Miami | 313 | ![]() |
{mileposts))
County | Location | Mile | # | Destinations | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Newton | 1 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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4 | ![]() ![]() |
West end of Route 43 overlap | |||
Joplin | 6 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
East end of Route 43 overlap | ||
8 | ![]() ![]() |
Signed as exits 8A (south) and 8B (north) | |||
Jasper | 11A | ![]() ![]() |
West end of US 71 overlap | ||
11B | ![]() ![]() |
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15 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Westbound exit and eastbound entrance | |||
Fidelity | 18A | ![]() ![]() |
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18B | ![]() ![]() |
East end of US 71 overlap | |||
22 | County Road No. 100 | ||||
26 | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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29 | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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Lawrence | 33 | County Road No. 1010 | |||
38 | ![]() |
Eastbound exit to Route 97 south is via exit 33 | |||
44 | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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Mount Vernon | 46 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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49 | ![]() ![]() |
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57 | ![]() |
Westbound exit and eastbound entrance | |||
58 | ![]() ![]() |
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61 | ![]() ![]() |
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Greene | 67 | ![]() ![]() |
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69 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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70 | ![]() ![]() |
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72 | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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Springfield | 75 | ![]() |
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77 | ![]() |
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80A | ![]() ![]() |
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80B | ![]() |
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82 | ![]() |
Signed as exits 82A (south) and 82B (north) | |||
84 | ![]() |
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Strafford | 88 | ![]() |
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Webster | 96 | ![]() |
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Marshfield | 100 | ![]() ![]() |
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107 | Sampson Road, Sparkle Brook Road | ||||
Laclede | Conway | 113 | ![]() ![]() |
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Phillipsburg | 118 | ![]() ![]() |
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123 | County Road | ||||
Lebanon | 127 | ![]() ![]() |
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129 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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130 | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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135 | ![]() |
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140 | ![]() ![]() |
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Pulaski | 145 | ![]() ![]() |
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150 | ![]() ![]() |
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153 | ![]() |
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Waynesville | 156 | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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St. Robert | 159 | ![]() |
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161 | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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163 | ![]() |
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169 | ![]() |
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Phelps | 172 | ![]() |
No westbound access | ||
176 | Sugar Tree Road | ||||
Doolittle | 179 | ![]() ![]() |
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Rolla | 184 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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185 | ![]() |
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186 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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189 | ![]() |
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St. James | 195 | ![]() ![]() |
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Crawford | 203 | ![]() ![]() |
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Cuba | 208 | ![]() |
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210 | ![]() |
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214 | ![]() |
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Bourbon | 218 | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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Franklin | Sullivan | 225 | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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226 | ![]() ![]() |
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230 | ![]() ![]() |
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St. Clair | 239 | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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240 | ![]() |
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242 | ![]() |
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247 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
West end of US 50 overlap | |||
251 | ![]() ![]() |
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253 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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Pacific | 257 | ![]() |
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St. Louis | Eureka | 261 | ![]() ![]() |
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264 | ![]() |
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265 | Williams Road | Eastbound exit and entrance | |||
266 | Lewis Road | ||||
269 | Beaumont Antire Road | ||||
272 | ![]() |
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Fenton | 274A | Bowles Avenue | Signed as exit 274 westbound | ||
274B | Mraz Lane | Eastbound exit and westbound entrance | |||
275 | North Highway Drive, Soccer Park Road | Westbound exit and eastbound entrance | |||
Sunset Hills | 276 | ![]() |
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277A | ![]() ![]() |
Eastbound exit and westbound entrance | |||
277B | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
East end of US 50 overlap | |||
Kirkwood | |||||
278 | Big Bend Road | ||||
Crestwood | |||||
Webster Groves | 279 | Berry Road | Westbound exit and eastbound entrance | ||
280 | Elm Avenue | ||||
282 | Murdoch Avenue, Laclede Station Road | Eastbound exit and westbound entrance | |||
Shrewsbury | 283 | Shrewsbury Avenue | Westbound exit and eastbound entrance | ||
City of St. Louis | 284A | Jamieson Avenue | Eastbound exit and westbound entrance | ||
284B | Arsenal Street | Westbound exit and eastbound entrance | |||
286 | Southwest Avenue | Westbound exit and eastbound entrance | |||
286 | Hampton Avenue | ||||
287A | Kingshighway | ||||
287B | Vandeventer Avenue | ||||
288 | Grand Boulevard, Louisiana Avenue | ||||
289 | Jefferson Avenue | ||||
290A | ![]() ![]() |
Eastbound exit and westbound entrance | |||
290B | 18th Street | Eastbound exit and westbound entrance; former Route 755 | |||
290C | 12th Street, Gravois Avenue (Route 30) | Westbound exit and eastbound entrance | |||
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Eastbound exit and westbound entrance |