Interstate 470 (Missouri)
Encyclopedia
Interstate 470 is a 16.72 miles (26.9 km) loop of the Interstate Highway System
that serves to link southeast Kansas City
to Independence
via Lee's Summit
in Jackson County
, Missouri
. The western terminus of the freeway is at the Grandview Triangle
interchange while the northern terminus is an cloverleaf interchange
with I-70
. The freeway travels west to east through southern Kansas City, curving towards the north at the Lee's Summit Municipal Airport
and becoming concurrent
with Missouri Route 291 (Route 291) as the highway travels north towards Independence.
An intermediate interchange with U.S. Route 50
(US 50) provides access to southern Jackson County, and to Raytown
to the north via Route 350, a former alignment of US 50 before the construction of I-470. Plans for a southern freeway were first published in 1955, and the first portions of I-470 were completed in 1970. By 1983 the entire freeway was open to traffic. Since construction two new interchanges have been constructed, along with the expansion of the US 50 cloverleaf. In 2010, part of the freeway was closed by the Grandview Triangle due to a landslide underneath the freeway. Between about 38,000 and 75,000 vehicles use the freeway on an average day.
with Blue Ridge Boulevard. A rail line belonging to Kansas City Southern Railway
passes under the freeway west of the interchange. The concurrent highways continue east through lightly populated Jackson County past a light residential zone, towards an interchange with Raytown Road. Raytown Road provides access to Longview Lake
to the south of I-470. Crossing into urbanized Lee's Summit, the Kansas City Metropolitan Junior College is accessible from the View High Drive interchange. The city line between Kansas City and Lee's Summit is near View High Drive. Exit 7 consists of a cloverleaf interchange with the southern end of Route 350 and US 50, as well as Northwest Blue Parkway and Northwest Pryor Road. Two rail lines surround the cloverleaf interchange, both operated by the Union Pacific Railroad
, however only the eastern line is operational. US 50 leaves the freeway and travels southeast as I-470 curves to the north near the Lee's Summit Municipal Airport.
A partial interchange with Northeast Colburn Road is quickly followed by a partial interchange with Route 291, which becomes concurrent with I-470 as it heads north towards Independence. Just north of the airport is an interchange with Strother Road, followed by an interchange with Woods Chapel Road. Lakewood Lakes, a pair of connected lakes, passes to the west of the freeway as it travels north. Lakewood Lakes was home to the Lollapalooza
music festival
in 1996. An interchange with Northeast Bowlin Road serves as an access road to Blue Springs Lake to the east of the freeway. US 40, which parallels I-70 through most of Missouri is the penultimate exit, serving the southern portions of Independence and Blue Springs
. US 40 is named after Corporal Michael E. Webster, a Missouri State Highway Patrol
officer who was killed in the line of duty by a drunk driver. The northern terminus of I-470 is at a cloverleaf interchange with I-70 southwest of the Independence Center
mall. The roadway continues north after the interchange with I-70 as Route 291 towards its ultimate end point at in interchange with I-435
.
Every three years, the Missouri Department of Transportation
(MoDOT) conducts a series of surveys on its highways in the state to measure traffic volume. This is expressed in terms of annual average daily traffic
(AADT), which is a measure of traffic volume for any average day of the year. In 2009, MoDOT calculated that as few as 38,152 vehicles traveled along the highway at the northern terminus just north of the interchange with I-70, and as many as 75,647 vehicles used the highway just east of the Grandview Triangle. As part of the Interstate Highway System, the entire route is listed on the National Highway System
, a system of roads that are important to the nation's economy, defense, and mobility.
Since construction of the highway, three interchanges have been added or expanded. The first addition was an interchange with View High Drive, which was constructed in early 1993 costing about $2 million to complete. The second was an addition to the existing cloverleaf at US 50 in Lee's Summit, adding access roads to Pryor Road and Northwest Blue Parkway. Construction on that interchange began in July 2007, and was completed by September 2008. The third interchange, with Strother Road was first planned to be constructed in 2008. The road served to provide access to the industrial park west of the freeway, and to spur new development on land pending sale by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to the east of the freeway. The interchange was opened to traffic in August 2010 at a final construction cost of around $18 million.
In July 2010 MoDOT was forced to close the westbound lanes of I-470 near the Grandview Triangle due to large cracks forming in the roadway, which ultimately lead to the roadway collapsing. The eastbound lanes were not cracked, and thus were not closed. The collapse was caused by a buildup of ground water underneath the westbound lanes, which eventually caused a landslide. The affected area was replaced by a bridge extension that opened in the following month.
Interstate Highway System
The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, , is a network of limited-access roads including freeways, highways, and expressways forming part of the National Highway System of the United States of America...
that serves to link southeast Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
to Independence
Independence, Missouri
Independence is the fourth largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri, and is contained within the counties of Jackson and Clay. It is part of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area...
via Lee's Summit
Lee's Summit, Missouri
Lee's Summit is a city in the U.S. state of Missouri, and is contained within the counties of Jackson and Cass. As of the 2010 census found the population at 91,364 making it the sixth-largest city in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area and the sixth-largest city in Missouri...
in Jackson County
Jackson County, Missouri
Jackson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri. With a population of 674,158 in the 2010 census, Jackson County is the second most populous of Missouri's counties, after St. Louis County. Kansas City, the state's most populous city and focus city of the Kansas City Metropolitan...
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
. The western terminus of the freeway is at the Grandview Triangle
Grandview Triangle
The 3-Trails Crossing Memorial Highway is the official name for a highway interchange in south Kansas City, Missouri that was once considered one of Missouri's most congested locations. From the nickname, it may be assumed to be located in Grandview, Missouri, but it is actually north of...
interchange while the northern terminus is an cloverleaf interchange
Cloverleaf interchange
A cloverleaf interchange is a two-level interchange in which left turns, reverse direction in left-driving regions, are handled by ramp roads...
with I-70
Interstate 70 in Missouri
In the U.S. state of Missouri, Interstate 70 is generally parallel to the Missouri River. This section of the transcontinental Interstate has its western terminus at the Kansas state line on the Lewis and Clark Viaduct, concurrent with U.S...
. The freeway travels west to east through southern Kansas City, curving towards the north at the Lee's Summit Municipal Airport
Lee's Summit Municipal Airport
Lee's Summit Municipal Airport is a public use airport in Jackson County, Missouri, United States. It is owned by the City of Lee's Summit and is located three nautical miles north of its central business district. According to the FAA's National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2007–2011,...
and becoming concurrent
Concurrency (road)
A concurrency, overlap, or coincidence in a road network is an instance of one physical road bearing two or more different highway, motorway, or other route numbers...
with Missouri Route 291 (Route 291) as the highway travels north towards Independence.
An intermediate interchange with U.S. Route 50
U.S. Route 50 in Missouri
In the U.S. state of Missouri, U.S. Route 50 is a major east-west route.-Route description:US 50 enters Missouri from Kansas along Interstate 435 around Kansas City and then it runs concurrently with Interstate 470 to Lee's Summit. It then runs as an expressway to Sedalia. From Sedalia to...
(US 50) provides access to southern Jackson County, and to Raytown
Raytown, Missouri
Raytown is a city in Jackson County, Missouri, United States, and is a suburb of Kansas City. The population was at 29,526 in 2010 census. The mayor of Raytown is David Bower.-History:...
to the north via Route 350, a former alignment of US 50 before the construction of I-470. Plans for a southern freeway were first published in 1955, and the first portions of I-470 were completed in 1970. By 1983 the entire freeway was open to traffic. Since construction two new interchanges have been constructed, along with the expansion of the US 50 cloverleaf. In 2010, part of the freeway was closed by the Grandview Triangle due to a landslide underneath the freeway. Between about 38,000 and 75,000 vehicles use the freeway on an average day.
Route description
I-470 begins in southern Kansas City at the Grandview Triangle interchange. The freeway, concurrent with US 50, travels east through grasslands before meeting the westernmost interchange, a diamond interchangeDiamond interchange
A diamond interchange is a common type of road junction, used where a freeway crosses a minor road. The freeway itself is grade-separated from the minor road, one crossing the other over a bridge...
with Blue Ridge Boulevard. A rail line belonging to Kansas City Southern Railway
Kansas City Southern Railway
The Kansas City Southern Railway , owned by Kansas City Southern Industries, is the smallest and second-oldest Class I railroad company still in operation. KCS was founded in 1887 and is currently operating in a region consisting of ten central U.S. states...
passes under the freeway west of the interchange. The concurrent highways continue east through lightly populated Jackson County past a light residential zone, towards an interchange with Raytown Road. Raytown Road provides access to Longview Lake
Longview Lake
Longview Lake is a freshwater reservoir in parts of Kansas City, Lee's Summit, and Grandview, all in Jackson County, Missouri. The reservoir is part of U.S...
to the south of I-470. Crossing into urbanized Lee's Summit, the Kansas City Metropolitan Junior College is accessible from the View High Drive interchange. The city line between Kansas City and Lee's Summit is near View High Drive. Exit 7 consists of a cloverleaf interchange with the southern end of Route 350 and US 50, as well as Northwest Blue Parkway and Northwest Pryor Road. Two rail lines surround the cloverleaf interchange, both operated by the Union Pacific Railroad
Union Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
, however only the eastern line is operational. US 50 leaves the freeway and travels southeast as I-470 curves to the north near the Lee's Summit Municipal Airport.
A partial interchange with Northeast Colburn Road is quickly followed by a partial interchange with Route 291, which becomes concurrent with I-470 as it heads north towards Independence. Just north of the airport is an interchange with Strother Road, followed by an interchange with Woods Chapel Road. Lakewood Lakes, a pair of connected lakes, passes to the west of the freeway as it travels north. Lakewood Lakes was home to the Lollapalooza
Lollapalooza
Lollapalooza is an annual music festival featuring popular alternative rock, heavy metal, punk rock and hip hop bands, dance and comedy performances, and craft booths. It has also provided a platform for non-profit and political groups. The music festival hosts more than 160,000 people over a...
music festival
Music festival
A music festival is a festival oriented towards music that is sometimes presented with a theme such as musical genre, nationality or locality of musicians, or holiday. They are commonly held outdoors, and are often inclusive of other attractions such as food and merchandise vending machines,...
in 1996. An interchange with Northeast Bowlin Road serves as an access road to Blue Springs Lake to the east of the freeway. US 40, which parallels I-70 through most of Missouri is the penultimate exit, serving the southern portions of Independence and Blue Springs
Blue Springs, Missouri
Blue Springs is a city in Jackson County, Missouri and is a satellite city of Kansas City, Missouri. As of the 2010 census the population at 52,575.- Geography :...
. US 40 is named after Corporal Michael E. Webster, a Missouri State Highway Patrol
Missouri State Highway Patrol
The Missouri State Highway Patrol is the highway patrol agency for Missouri and has jurisdiction anywhere within the state.State laws pertaining to the Highway Patrol including its creation, powers, structure, mission and duties are specified in...
officer who was killed in the line of duty by a drunk driver. The northern terminus of I-470 is at a cloverleaf interchange with I-70 southwest of the Independence Center
Independence Center
This article is about a commercial retail center in Independence, Missouri. For the arena also in Independence, see Independence Events Center. For the not-for-profit agency in St. Louis, Missouri, see Independence Center ....
mall. The roadway continues north after the interchange with I-70 as Route 291 towards its ultimate end point at in interchange with I-435
Interstate 435
Interstate 435 is an Interstate Highway beltway that encircles much of the Kansas City, Missouri Metropolitan Area in the states of Kansas and Missouri, USA.- Route description :...
.
Every three years, the Missouri Department of Transportation
Missouri Department of Transportation
The Missouri Department of Transportation is a state government organization in charge of maintaining public roadways of the U.S. state of Missouri.-External links:*...
(MoDOT) conducts a series of surveys on its highways in the state to measure traffic volume. This is expressed in terms of annual average daily traffic
Annual average daily traffic
Average Annual daily traffic, abbreviated AADT, is a measure used primarily in transportation planning and transportation engineering. It is the total volume of vehicle traffic of a highway or road for a year divided by 365 days. AADT is a useful and simple measurement of how busy the road is...
(AADT), which is a measure of traffic volume for any average day of the year. In 2009, MoDOT calculated that as few as 38,152 vehicles traveled along the highway at the northern terminus just north of the interchange with I-70, and as many as 75,647 vehicles used the highway just east of the Grandview Triangle. As part of the Interstate Highway System, the entire route is listed on the National Highway System
National Highway System (United States)
The National Highway System is a network of strategic highways within the United States, including the Interstate Highway System and other roads serving major airports, ports, rail or truck terminals, railway stations, pipeline terminals and other strategic transport facilities.Individual states...
, a system of roads that are important to the nation's economy, defense, and mobility.
History
Plans for a freeway linking southeast Kansas City to Independence were first published in 1955 in a document titled General Location of National System of Interstate Highways Including All Additional Routes at Urban Areas. The first portions of the highway that were signed I-470 were established in 1970, between I-70 and US 40 in Independence. The north-south portion of the highway, then designated US 71 Bypass had been in existence since 1970 and was renumbered to Route 291 between 1970 and 1971. Between 1979 and 1980, the portion of the freeway between the Grandview Triangle and the Exit 7 cloverleaf had been completed. US 50's alignment was changed to follow I-470 west to the Grandview Triangle, and the old routing of US 50 was renumbered Route 350. The section of freeway between US 50 and Route 291 was opened to traffic in 1983, completing the route. Between 1980 and 1983, the portion of the route that is concurrent with Route 291 was upgraded to freeway standards and included in the I-470 loop.Since construction of the highway, three interchanges have been added or expanded. The first addition was an interchange with View High Drive, which was constructed in early 1993 costing about $2 million to complete. The second was an addition to the existing cloverleaf at US 50 in Lee's Summit, adding access roads to Pryor Road and Northwest Blue Parkway. Construction on that interchange began in July 2007, and was completed by September 2008. The third interchange, with Strother Road was first planned to be constructed in 2008. The road served to provide access to the industrial park west of the freeway, and to spur new development on land pending sale by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to the east of the freeway. The interchange was opened to traffic in August 2010 at a final construction cost of around $18 million.
In July 2010 MoDOT was forced to close the westbound lanes of I-470 near the Grandview Triangle due to large cracks forming in the roadway, which ultimately lead to the roadway collapsing. The eastbound lanes were not cracked, and thus were not closed. The collapse was caused by a buildup of ground water underneath the westbound lanes, which eventually caused a landslide. The affected area was replaced by a bridge extension that opened in the following month.
Exit list
External links
- Interstate 470 in Missouri on Interstate-Guide.com
- Interstate 470 in Missouri on Missouri Highways Route Log