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Downtown Loop | |
---|---|
Location | |
Kansas City, Missouri | |
Coordinates | 39°06′06″N94°34′57″W / 39.1017°N 94.5825°W |
Roads at junction | |
Construction | |
Type | Loop around downtown |
Maintained by | MoDOT |
The Downtown Loop (nicknamed the Alphabet Loop) is a complex layout of highways in Downtown Kansas City, Missouri involving 24 exits, four Interstate Highways, four U.S. Highways, and numerous city streets. Each exit is numbered 2 and suffixed with every letter of the alphabet except I and O (to avoid confusion with the numbers 1 and 0). The entire circumference of the loop is just over 4 miles (6.4 km).
The system is nicknamed the Alphabet Loop due to all exits having letter suffixes. [1] [2] [3] Alphabetically, the letter suffixes begin with A in the northwest corner of the loop and proceed forward in a clockwise direction around the loop. Eastbound on the north side of the loop (EB I-70/NB I-35) are A through G; then H through M southbound on the east side (EB I-70/SB US 71); then N through U westbound on the south side (WB I-670); and finally V through Z northbound on the west side (NB I-35 alone).
Interstate 70 enters the southeast corner of the loop and moves north forming the east and north sides of the loop and exiting in the northwest corner. Exits on I-70 range from 2A to 2M.
Interstate 35 enters the loop at its northeast corner, joining I-70 on the north side and forming the west side of the loop before exiting in the southwest corner. Exits on I-35 range from 2F to 2A while it overlaps I-70, and 2Y to 2U after I-70 exits the loop.
Interstate 29 does not enter the loop. It begins at the northeast corner and continues north, concurrent with I-35. These two leave the loop via the Christopher S. Bond Bridge and split several miles north.
Interstate 670 forms the south side of the loop. I-670 splits from I-70 in Kansas City, Kansas, crosses over I-70 and enters the loop in the southwest corner, rejoining I-70 and ending in Kansas City, Missouri in the southeast corner of the loop. I-670 is also signed as Alternate I-70.
U.S. Route 71 is a highway that enters the loop in the southeast corner and leaves the loop with I-29 and I-35 in the northeast corner.
U.S. Route 24 is a major city street which enters the loop in the northeast corner and follows I-35 and I-70 along the north side of the loop. Former US 24 now US-Bus 24 is also known as Independence Ave/Blvd and provides a street-level connection to Independence, Missouri.
U.S. Route 40 overlaps I-70 throughout the northern and eastern sections of the loop.
U.S. Route 169 enters the loop in the northwest corner from the Buck O'Neil Bridge, and joins I-70, continuing westward.
Route 9 also provides access to the loop, ending at I-70 after crossing the Heart of America Bridge from North Kansas City.
The west side of the loop was built over a scenic road called Kersey Coates Drive. It had many affluent homes, and stairs lead down from Case Park immediately to the east. When the loop was completed, the multi-lane Interstate cut further into the bluff and these homes were razed. [4] The stairway from Case Park was cut off halfway and remains between exits 2W and 2X.
A March 2010 preliminary study [5] of the Kansas City I-70 corridor made several innovative suggestions to relieve congestion in the downtown area. One proposal was to make the loop unidirectional, where the loop would essentially become a large roundabout. In 2022, plans were approved to construct a $160 million cap over a stretch of I-670, on the loop's southern half. The cap is planned to be topped with a public park called South Loop Link. [6]
The following is the list of exits inside the loop in order as encountered if entering the loop from eastbound I-70.
The entire route is in Kansas City, Jackson County.
mi | km | Exit | Destinations | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2D | Main Street | ||||
2E | Route 9 north / Oak Street | ||||
2G | I-35 north / I-29 north | Left exit | |||
2H | US 24 Bus. east | Left exit | |||
I-70 east / US 40 east I-70 east to I-435 south – St. Louis, Joplin | Left exit | ||||
2M | US 71 south | Left exit | |||
2L | I-670 to I-35 south | Continuation of Loop | |||
2S | Broadway | ||||
I-70 alt / I-670 west | Left exit | ||||
2T | I-35 south / I-35 north | Continuation of Loop | |||
I-35 south | Left exit | ||||
I-35 north / 12th Street | Continuation of Loop | ||||
2W | 12th Street | ||||
2X | I-70 west / US 40 west / US 169 south | ||||
2Y | US 169 north | ||||
2Z | Broadway | ||||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi |
The entire route is in Kansas City, Jackson County.
mi | km | Exit | Destinations | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2W | 12th Street | ||||
I-35 south | |||||
2U | I-70 east | Continuation of Loop; left exit | |||
2M | US 71 south | ||||
I-70 east / US 40 east I-70 east to I-435 south – St. Louis, Joplin | |||||
2N | I-35 north / I-29 north / US 71 north | Continuation of Loop; left exit | |||
2H | To US 24 Bus. east / Route 9 north / Admiral Boulevard | ||||
2G | I-29 north / I-35 north / US 71 north | ||||
2F | Oak Street, Grand Avenue, Walnut Street | ||||
2D | Main-Delaware, Wyandotte Street | ||||
2C | US 169 north / Broadway | ||||
I-70 west / US 40 west / US 169 south | |||||
2A | I-35 south | Continuation of Loop | |||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi |
Interstate 70 (I-70) is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the United States that runs from I-15 near Cove Fort, Utah, to I-695 and Maryland Route 570 (MD 570) in Woodlawn, just outside Baltimore, Maryland. I-70 approximately traces the path of U.S. Route 40 east of the Rocky Mountains. West of the Rocky Mountains, the route of I-70 was derived from multiple sources. The Interstate runs through or near many major cities, including Denver, Topeka, Kansas City, St. Louis, Indianapolis, Columbus, Pittsburgh, and Baltimore. The sections of the Interstate in Missouri and Kansas have laid claim to be the first Interstate in the United States. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has claimed the section of I-70 through Glenwood Canyon in Colorado, completed in 1992, to be the last piece of the Interstate Highway System, as originally planned, to open to traffic. The construction of I-70 in Colorado and Utah is considered an engineering marvel, as the route passes through the Eisenhower Tunnel, Glenwood Canyon, and the San Rafael Swell. The Eisenhower Tunnel is the highest point along the Interstate Highway System, with an elevation of 11,158 feet (3,401 m).
Interstate 35 (I-35) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route. It stretches from Laredo, Texas, near the Mexican border to Duluth, Minnesota, at Minnesota State Highway 61 and 26th Avenue East. The highway splits into I-35E and I-35W in two separate places, the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex in Texas and at the Minnesota twin cities of Minneapolis–Saint Paul.
Interstate 44 (I-44) is an Interstate Highway in the central United States. Although it is nominally an east–west road as it is even-numbered, it follows a more southwest–northeast alignment. Its western terminus is in Wichita Falls, Texas, at a concurrency with U.S. Route 277 (US 277), US 281, and US 287; its eastern terminus is at I-70 in St. Louis, Missouri. I-44 is one of five Interstates built to bypass US 66; this highway covers the section between Oklahoma City and St. Louis. Virtually the entire length of I-44 east of Springfield, Missouri, was once US 66, which was upgraded from two to four lanes from 1949 to 1955. The section of I-44 west of Springfield was built farther 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.
U.S. Route 75 is a north–south U.S. Highway that runs 1,239 miles (1,994 km) in the central United States. The highway's northern terminus is located at the Canadian border near Noyes, Minnesota, at a now-closed border crossing. From this point, the highway once continued farther north as Manitoba Highway 75. Its southern terminus is located at Interstate 30 (I-30) and I-45 in Dallas, Texas, where US 75 is known as North Central Expressway.
U.S. Route 40 or U.S. Highway 40 (US 40), also known as the Main Street of America, is a major east–west United States Highway traveling across the United States from the Mountain States to the Mid-Atlantic States. As with most routes whose numbers end in a zero, US 40 once traversed the entire United States. It is one of the first U.S. Highways created in 1926 and its original termini were in San Francisco, California, and Atlantic City, New Jersey. US 40 currently ends at a junction with I-80 in Silver Summit, Utah, just outside Salt Lake City. West of this point US 40 was functionally replaced with I-80, and as these segments of I-80 were constructed the western portion of US 40 was truncated several times.
Interstate 435 (I-435) is an Interstate Highway beltway that encircles much of the Kansas City metropolitan area within the states of Kansas and Missouri in the United States.
Interstate 135 (I-135) is an approximately 95.7-mile-long (154.0 km) auxiliary Interstate Highway in central and south-central Kansas, United States. I-135, which is signed as north–south, runs between I-35 and the Kansas Turnpike in Wichita north to I-70, U.S. Highway 40 (US-40), and US-81 in Salina. Except for the first 0.46 miles (0.74 km), I-135 overlaps US-81 its entire length. The route also runs through the cities of McPherson, Newton, and Park City.
U.S. Route 71 or U.S. Highway 71 is a major north–south United States highway that extends for over 1500 miles (2500 km) in the central United States. This original 1926 route has remained largely unchanged by encroaching Interstate highways. Currently, the highway's northern terminus is in International Falls, Minnesota at the Canada–US border, at the southern end of the Fort Frances-International Falls International Bridge to Fort Frances, Ontario. U.S. Route 53 also ends here. On the other side of the bridge, Trans-Canada Highway is an east–west route while Ontario Highway 71 is a north–south route. US 71's southern terminus is between Port Barre and Krotz Springs, Louisiana at an intersection with U.S. Route 190. For the entirety south of Kansas City, Missouri, US 71 runs parallel and concurrent with the existing and future Interstate 49. North of Kansas City, US 71 runs halfway between Interstate 29 and Interstate 35, which they split in the city at an interchange with Interstate 70.
U.S. Route 54 is an east–west United States Highway that runs northeast–southwest for 1,197 miles (1,926 km) from El Paso, Texas, to Griggsville, Illinois. The Union Pacific Railroad's Tucumcari Line runs parallel to US 54 from El Paso to Pratt, Kansas, which comprises about two-thirds of the route.
Interstate 635 (I-635) is a connector highway between I-35 in Overland Park, Kansas, and I-29 in Kansas City, Missouri, approximately 12 miles (19 km) long. It is mostly in the US state of Kansas, servicing the city of Kansas City, Kansas, but extends into Kansas City, Missouri, as well. The freeway's southern terminus is at a stack interchange with I-35. South of this, the mainline becomes an expressway carrying U.S. Route 69 (US 69).
Interstate 670 (I-670) is a 2.81-mile-long (4.52 km) connector highway between I-70 in Kansas City, Kansas, and I-70 in Kansas City, Missouri. The highway provides a more direct route through Downtown Kansas City than the older mainline I-70 and avoids the sharp turn of the latter at the west end of the Intercity Viaduct. I-670 also makes up the south side of Kansas City's Downtown Loop, where it passes under the southern half of the Kansas City Convention Center.
Interstate 70 (I-70) is a mainline route of the Interstate Highway System in the United States connecting Cove Fort, Utah, to Baltimore, Maryland. In the US state of Kansas, I-70 extends just over 424 miles (682 km) from the Colorado border near the town of Kanorado to the Missouri border in Kansas City. I-70 in Kansas contains the first segment in the country to start being paved and to be completed in the Interstate Highway System. The route passes through several of the state's principal cities in the process, including Kansas City, Topeka, and Salina. The route also passes through the cities of Lawrence, Junction City, and Abilene.
Interstate 29 (I-29) is a north–south Interstate Highway in the Midwestern United States that begins in Missouri. It travels through the Kansas City and St. Joseph metropolitan areas before exiting the state and entering Iowa. Almost all of I-29 in Missouri lies in an area called the Platte Purchase that was not originally part of Missouri when the state entered the Union in 1821.
Interstate 70 (I-70) in the US state of Missouri is generally parallel to the Missouri River. This section of the transcontinental Interstate begins at the Kansas state line on the Intercity Viaduct, running concurrently with US Route 24 (US 24), US 40, and US 169, and the east end is on the Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge in St. Louis.
Interstate 70 (I-70) in the US state of Indiana travels east–west across the central portion of the state, passing through the capital of Indianapolis. I-70 crosses from Illinois into Indiana near Terre Haute and departs into Ohio at Richmond. It covers 156.6 miles (252.0 km) in Indiana, paralleling U.S. Highway 40 (US 40), the old National Road.
Interstate 35 (I-35) is an Interstate Highway that stretches from Laredo, Texas, in the south to Duluth in the north. The portion of it through Missouri travels nearly 115 miles (185 km) from just south of Kansas City, through the Downtown Loop, and across the Missouri River before leaving the downtown area. North of Kansas City, the highway travels north-northeast toward the Iowa state line near Eagleville, paralleling U.S. Route 69 (US 69).
Interstate 44 (I-44) in the US state of Missouri runs northeast from the Oklahoma state line near Joplin to I-70 in Downtown St. Louis. It runs for about 293 miles (472 km) in the state, and is the longest Interstate Highway in the state.
Interstate 35 (I-35) is an Interstate Highway in the US that runs from the Mexican border near Laredo, Texas, to Duluth, Minnesota. In Kansas, the highway goes from the Oklahoma border to Kansas City at the Missouri border, with a length of 235 miles (378 km). Along the way, I-35 passes through Wichita, the state's largest city, linking it to Emporia, Ottawa, and Kansas City and its Johnson County suburbs. The section of the route from the Oklahoma border to I-335 is part of the Kansas Turnpike.
Interstate business routes are roads connecting a central or commercial district of a city or town with an Interstate bypass. These roads typically follow along local streets often along a former U.S. Route or state highway that had been replaced by an Interstate. Interstate business route reassurance markers are signed as either loops or spurs using a green shield shaped and numbered like the shield of the parent Interstate highway.
Business routes of Interstate 70 (I-70) exist in three states, though historically they have existed in five. Utah and Missouri each have three existing I-70 business routes. Business routes in Kansas have either been proposed and rejected or decommissioned. Another 13 I-70 business routes also exist in Colorado and four others have also existed in the past, leading to a grand total of 17 within the Centennial State.