U.S. Route 40 in Missouri

infobox road
state=MO
type=US
route=40
previous_type=Route
previous_route=39
next_type=Route
next_route=41In the U.S. state of Missouri, US-40 travels east-west across the center of the state, parallel to I-70.

US-40 enters Missouri in Kansas City along a concurrency with I-70. It leaves I-70 at exit 6 and follows Van Brunt Boulevard for a short distance before turning east and crossing I-70 again at exit 7A. US-40 parallels I-70 to the north through Kansas City until exit 11, where it crosses and parallels it to the south through the suburbs of Lee's Summit, Independence, Blue Springs and Grain Valley before rejoining I-70 at exit 24. An older alignment caries the designation "Old US-40".

US-40 stays with I-70 until Boonville, where US-40 leaves at exit 101, along with Business Loop I-70. Both designations follow Ashley Road, before US-40 leaves and heads north along Main Street. After crossing the Missouri River in Boonville, US-40 turns east before rejoining I-70 at exit 121, at the outskirts of Columbia. The two routes remain concurrent until exit 210B in Wentzville.

From Wentzville, US-40 joins US-61 and heads southeast. The two US routes add I-64 before crossing the Missouri River over the Daniel Boone Bridge in St. Charles. US-40 leaves the state in St. Louis on the Poplar Street Bridge across the Mississippi River along with I-70, I-55 and I-64.

Until 1926, US-40 in Missouri was Route 2. [Missouri State Highway Commission, [http://www.cosmos-monitor.com/road/mo/hist/maps/etc/map1922-backlin.html Route Map Showing Designated Routes and Numbers] , Approved September 19, 1922]

On January 2, 2008, five miles of US-40 in St. Louis was closed eastbound and westbound from I-170 to I-270. It will be closed until December 31, 2008. On January 2, 2009, another five-mile section of the freeway will close both ways from I-170 to the Kingshighway exit in the city. [ [http://www.thenewi64.org/ The New I-64 - Missouri Department of Transportation ] ] [ [http://www.stltoday.com/40 STLtoday - News - Special Reports ] ]

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