Interstate 49 in Missouri

Interstate 49
I-49 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by MoDOT
Length	178.96 mi (288.01 km)
Existed	December 12, 2012–present
NHS	Entire route
Major junctions
South end	I-49 at the Arkansas state line
Major intersections	US 71 in Pineville US 60 in Neosho I-44 in Joplin US 160 in Lamar US 54 in Nevada
North end	I-435 / I-470 / US 50 / US 71 in Kansas City
Location
Country	United States
State	Missouri
Counties	McDonald, Newton, Jasper, Barton, Vernon, Bates, Cass, Jackson
Highway system
Interstate Highway System Main Auxiliary Suffixed Business Future Missouri State Highway System Interstate US State Supplemental
← Route 48 → Route 49

Interstate 49 (I-49) is an Interstate Highway in the US state of Missouri that was designated on December 12, 2012. It overlaps U.S. Route 71 (US 71) in the western part of the state, beginning at the Arkansas state line, and ending at I-435 and I-470 on the southeast side of Kansas City.

Upon completion, the highway will connect Kansas City to Texarkana, Arkansas, and Shreveport and Lafayette, Louisiana.

Route description

Northern terminus of I-49 at the Grandview Triangle in Kansas City, Missouri

I-49 enters Missouri from the Arkansas state line on the Bella Vista Bypass near Pineville. After continuing north for five miles (8.0 km), US 71 rejoins I-49 at exit 4 and is concurrent with it for the remainder of its length. It passes through many smaller communities before reaching Joplin. In Joplin, I-49 junctions with I-44 and begins a short overlap with I-44 between exits 11 and 18, heading east.

Just a few miles east of Joplin, I-49 leaves I-44, heads north, and enters Carthage. I-49 then passes through Nevada and other communities before reaching the Kansas City area. I-49 intersects with I-470 and I-435, which provide connections to I-70, Downtown Loop, I-35, and I-29.

In south Kansas City, at Bannister Road just north of the Grandview Triangle, the I-49 designation ends, the freeway continues as US 71, which proceeds into downtown Kansas City as Bruce R. Watkins Memorial Drive.

History

Former southern terminus of I-49 as seen in 2011, near Pineville, Missouri; a connection from this point to CR 34 west of Bella Vista, Arkansas, opened in 2021.

Arkansas and Missouri pursued an I-49 designation for US 71 and I-540 for a number of years. In the early 2000s, there were plans by both states to renumber the roadway as such between I-44 west of Joplin and I-40 at Fort Smith once new roadway had been completed around Bella Vista, Arkansas, and north to Pineville, Missouri. However, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Special Committee on U.S. Route Numbering denied the I-49 designation at their annual meeting in September 2007 because none of the new roadway was under construction.

The I-49 upgrade involved removing all at-grade intersections and constructing interchanges and overpasses at 15 sites between Harrisonville and Lamar. The two-year project represented a shift in funding priorities for the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT), which, in 2007, had announced the indefinite postponement of its portion of the Bella Vista bypass project, citing a $139-million (equivalent to $197 million in 2023) funding gap in Arkansas between construction costs and toll revenues, and Arkansas's commitment to only a two-lane bypass constructed over six years. MoDOT announced the Joplin-to-Kansas City upgrade of US 71 in August 2010, to be done with the intention of bringing the I-49 designation to Missouri.

MoDOT began installing I-49 trailblazer signage (without shields) as well as gantry signs and milemarkers, about 1200 signs in all, in February 2012. Signage bearing I-49 shields were covered or turned from view until the I-49 designation was given final approval by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). This includes milemarkers at 0.2-mile (0.32 km) intervals along the entire alignment apart from I-44.

The I-49 designation in Missouri became official at noon on December 12, 2012. The designation applies to 180 miles (290 km) of current US 71 between Bannister Road (Route W) in south Kansas City and Route H at Pineville (McDonald County) which was upgraded to Interstate standards beginning in 2010. The last of the upgrade projects were completed in December 2012, but some designations about seven miles (11 km) north of the Arkansas state line still have not been built to meet Interstate standards.

In 2012, Missouri had $40 million (equivalent to $52.5 million in 2023) available for its portion of the Bella Vista bypass but moved the money elsewhere in 2013. They planned on using money from a proposed constitutional amendment which would have raised the sales tax; however, this was defeated by voters in August 2014. Arkansas announced it will not extend its section to Missouri until construction begins on the Missouri section.

In March 2019, the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission approved the remaining funding needed to complete the portion of the Bella Vista Bypass within the state. On April 1, 2020, the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission awarded a $58.7 million contract for the construction of the five-mile (8.0 km) portion of highway. Construction started on May 11, 2020, and the entire bypass opened on October 1, 2021, following a ribbon-cutting ceremony held the day prior. With this, I-49 is fully complete within the state.

Exit list

County	Location	mi	km	Exit	Destinations	Notes
McDonald	​	0.000	0.000		I-49 south – Fort Smith	Arkansas state line
	​	2.166	3.486	2	Route 90 – Noel, Jane
	​	4.798– 4.989	7.722– 8.029	4	US 71 south – Bella Vista	Southbound exit and northbound entrance; southern end of US 71 overlap; former southern end of I-49 before October 1, 2021
	Pineville	5.987	9.635	5	Route H – Pineville, Noel
	​	7.821	12.587	7	Route EE – Pineville, Lanagan
	​	10.953	17.627	10	Route 76 – Anderson
	​	16.033	25.803	16	US 71 Bus. south / Route 59 – Goodman, Anderson	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
	​	17.217	27.708	17	Route B / Route BB – Goodman
Newton	​	20.749	33.392	20	I-49 BL north / Route AA
	Neosho	24.305	39.115	24	US 60 – Seneca, Neosho
		27.321	43.969	27	I-49 BL south / Route 86 – Racine, Neosho
	​	30.315	48.787	30	Iris Road
	​	33.322	53.627	33	I-49 BL north / Route 175 (Gateway Drive)
	​	35.343	56.879	35	Route V – Diamond
Newton–Jasper county line	​	39.352	63.331	39A	Route FF (32nd Street)
Jasper	​	39.501	63.571	39B-C	I-44 west / Route 249 north to Route 66 – Joplin, Tulsa	Southern end of I-44 overlap; signed as exits 39B (north) and 39C (west); I-49 south follows exit 11
	​	41.090	66.128	13	Prigmor Avenue – Joplin	Opened November 2015
	​	43.325	69.725	15	I-44 BL west / Route 66 – Duenweg, Joplin	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
	Fidelity	46.318	74.542	46	I-44 east / Route 59 south – Springfield, Diamond	Northern end of I-44 overlap; signed as exits 46A (south) and 46B (east); I-49 north follows exit 18B
		47.650	76.685	47	Cedar Road
	Carthage	50.151	80.710	49	Route 571 north (Garrison Avenue)	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
		50.946	81.990	50	Route HH (Fir Road) – Carterville
		52.071	83.800	51	Fairview Avenue
		53.775	86.542	53	I-49 BL south / Route 96 / Route 171 north / Route 571 south (Central Avenue) – Webb City
		55.844	89.872	55	Civil War Road
	​	56.920	91.604	56	Route V (Garrison Avenue) / Route D – Alba	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
	​	63.314	101.894	63	Route M / Route N
	Jasper	66.516	107.047	66	Route H / Route K – Jasper
Barton	​	70.689	113.763	70	Route 126 – Pittsburg, Golden City
	​	74.702	120.221	74	30th Road	Opened November 2013
	Lamar	77.271	124.356	77	US 160 – Mindenmines, Lamar
	​	80.803	130.040	80	Route DD / Route EE
	​	83.819	134.894	83	Route V / Route C – Irwin
Vernon	​	89.042	143.299	88	Route N / Route B – Bronaugh, Sheldon
	​	92.065	148.164	91	Route BB / Route DD – Bellamy
	​	96.050	154.577	95	Route E – Milo
	Nevada	101.386	163.165	101	I-49 BL north / Route K to US 54 west – Nevada, Camp Clark
		102.483	164.930	102A	US 54 – Nevada, El Dorado Springs	Signed as exit 102 northbound
		103.131	165.973	102B	I-49 BL south – Nevada	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
		103.787	167.029	103	Highland Avenue
	​	107.263	172.623	107	Route M – Compton Junction
	​	110.595	177.985	110	Route D – Stotesbury
	​	112.351	180.811	112	Horton
	​	116.570	187.601	116	Route TT
Bates	Rich Hill	120.974	194.689	120	Route A / Route B – Rich Hill, Osceola
	​	129.539	208.473	129	Route 52 east – Appleton City	Southern end of Route 52 overlap
	​	130.795	210.494	130	I-49 BL north / Route 52 west – Butler	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
	Butler	132.153	212.680	131	Route 52 – Butler, Amoret	Northern end of Route 52 overlap
	​	136.849	220.237	136	I-49 BL south / Route F / Route D – Passaic, Butler
	Adrian	141.896	228.359	141	Route 18 – Adrian, Clinton
	​	144.417	232.417	144	Route AA / Route E
Cass	Archie	147.789	237.843	147	Route A / Route B – Archie, Drexel
	Harrisonville	153.470	246.986	153	307th Street
		157.455	253.399	157	Route 7 south – Clinton	Southern end of Route 7 overlap; proposed diverging diamond interchange
		158.862	255.664	158	Route 2 east (Commercial Street)	Southern end of Route 2 overlap
		160.187	257.796	159	Route 2 west / Route 7 north (Mechanic Street)	Northern end of Route 2 / Route 7 overlap
		160.731	258.671	160	Route 291 north – Lee's Summit, Harrisonville	Opened in 2016; existing diamond interchange converted to a diverging diamond interchange
	Peculiar	167.484	269.539	167	Route C / Route J – Peculiar
		168.905	271.826	168	211th Street / Peculiar Way	Diverging diamond interchange opened September 13, 2016
	Raymore	172.475	277.572	172	North Cass Parkway
	Belton	174.426	280.711	174	Route 58 – Belton, Raymore
		175.658	282.694	175	Route Y / 163rd Street
Cass–Jackson county line	Belton–Grandview– Kansas City tripoint	177.055	284.942	176	155th Street – Belton	Opened on December 15, 2017
Jackson	Grandview–Kansas City line	178.043	286.532	177	Route 150	Current interchange converted from the existing diamond interchange
	Grandview	178.920	287.944	178	140th Street
		180.186	289.981	179	Main Street	This bridge was replaced and opened on November 22, 2017
		180.747	290.884	180	Truman Drive	No direct northbound exit
	Grandview–Kansas City line	181.524	292.135	181	Blue Ridge Boulevard / Hickman Mills Drive / Longview Road
	Kansas City	182.673	293.984	182A	Red Bridge Road / Longview Road
		183.298– 183.981	294.990– 296.089	182B-C	I-435 / I-470 east / US 50 to I-70 west – Wichita, Lee's Summit, Des Moines	Signed as exits 182B (north) and 182C (east/west); I-435 exit 71; I-470 exit 1
					US 71 north – Kansas City	Northern terminus of I-49; northern end of US 71 overlap; highway continues north as US 71
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus       Incomplete access