Interstate 270 (Illinois-Missouri)

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Interstate 270
Auxiliary route of the Interstate Highway System
Length: 50.59 mi[1] (81.42 km)
CCW end: I-55/I-255 in Green Park, MO
Major
junctions:
I-44/US 50/Route 366
I-64/US 40/61 in Town and Country
I-70 in Bridgeton
I-255/IL 255 near Pontoon Beach, IL
CW end: I-55/I-70 near Troy, IL

Interstate 270 (abbreviated I-270) makes up a large portion of the outer belt freeway in the St. Louis, Missouri metropolitan area. The counterclockwise terminus of I-270 is at the junction with Interstate 55 in Mehlville, Missouri; the clockwise terminus of the freeway is at the junction with I-55 and I-70 north of Troy, Illinois. The entire stretch of I-270 is 50.59 miles.

Interstate 270 between Interstate 70 and Interstate 55 was formerly designated Interstate 244, a Western bypass of St. Louis, Missouri. It was originally proposed by Missouri as Interstate 144, but the road was a beltway (or part of one), so the AASHTO assigned it the number "244". By the late 1970s, the highway was integrated as a part of "270" for consistency.

Contents

History

During the Great Flood of 1993, the New Chain of Rocks Bridge carrying I-270 over the Mississippi River was the only bridge open from St. Louis to Keokuk, Iowa.

The last major construction project on I-270 occurred from 1995-1998. Both the Missouri Department of Transportation and the Illinois Department of Transportation upgraded I-270 to modern standards from Lilac Ave. to I-255.

On September 13, 1999, a fatal accident involving a tractor-trailer occurred in the westbound lanes of I-270[2] in front of the now-defunct St. Thomas Aquinas-Mercy High School (now North County Christian School) in North St. Louis County. This accident sped up efforts that led to the I-170/270 interchange reconstruction that went from 2001 to 2004.

A major chemical spill from a FedEx truck between the Route 367 and Lilac exits on October 28, 2002 forced detours and lengthy delays.[3]

There were plans to sign an eight mile section of I-270 from Glen Carbon to Edwardsville as I-870. However, this idea was discarded.[4]

Future

IDOT wants to widen I-270 from Lilac to I-255 from four lanes to six, but no money is available at the current time.[5] However, IDOT has announced that nearly $75 million has been programmed for replacement of the canal bridges between 2010 and 2014. [6]

Exit list

County Location Mile[7] # Destinations Notes
St. Louis Green Park 0.00 I-255 east - Chicago Continuation beyond I-55
0.00 1C US 61 / US 67 (Lemay Ferry Road) Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
0.00 1 I-55St. Louis, Memphis Signed as exits 1A (south) and 1B (north) (reversed on I-255)
1.89 2 Route 21 (Tesson Ferry Road)
Sunset Hills 3.64 3 Route 30 (Gravois Road)
5.68-
5.98
5 I-44 / US 50 / Route 366 east – St. Louis, Tulsa Signed as exits 5A (east) and 5B (west)
Kirkwood 7.56 7 Big Bend Road Southbound exit and northbound entrance
Des Peres 8.45 8 Dougherty Ferry Road
9.91 9 Route 100 (Manchester Road)
Town and Country 12.43 12 I-64 / US 40 / US 61Wentzville, St. Louis
Creve Coeur 13.58 13 Route AB (Ladue Road)
14.73 14 Route 340 (Olive Boulevard)
Maryland Heights 16.31 16A Route D east (Page Avenue)
16.66 16B Route 364 west
17.67 17 Dorsett Road
Bridgeton 20.04 20 I-70Kansas City, St. Louis Signed as exits 20A (east) and 20B (west)
20.81 20C Route 180 (St. Charles Rock Road) / Natural Bridge Road
22.48 22 Route 370 west
22.18 22 Missouri Bottom Road Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
Hazelwood 23.58 23 McDonnell Boulevard
25.24 25 US 67 (Lindbergh Boulevard) Signed as exits 25A (south) and 25B (north)
26.31 26A I-170 south – Clayton
26.61 26B North Hanley Road, Graham Road
Florissant 27.57 27 Route N (New Florissant Road)
28.10 28 Washington Street, Elizabeth Avenue
29.59 29 West Florissant Avenue
30.29 30 Image:MO-supp-AC.svg Route AC (New Halls Ferry Road)
30.64 30A Old Halls Ferry Road Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
Moline Acres 31.82 31 Route 367St. Louis, Alton Signed as exits 31A (south) and 31B (north)
Bellefontaine Neighbors 32.79 32 Bellefontaine Road
33.77 33 Lilac Avenue
34.88 34 Riverview Drive
New Chain of Rocks Bridge over the Mississippi River
MissouriIllinois state line
Madison 2.73 3 IL 3 / GRR north / GRR spur south – Granite City, Alton West end of Great River Road overlap; signed as exits 3A (south) and 3B (north)
4 Old Alton Road
4.39 4 IL 203 south – Granite City
5.92 6 IL 111 / GRR south – Pontoon Beach, Wood River East end of Great River Road overlap; signed as exits 6A (south) and 6B (north)
7.16 7 I-255 south / IL 255 north – Memphis, Wood River Signed as exits 7A (south) and 7B (north) westbound
9.13 9 IL 157Collinsville, Edwardsville
11.87 12 IL 159Collinsville, Edwardsville
14.57 15A I-55 south (I-70 west) – St. Louis Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
14.57 15B I-55 north – Chicago
14.57 I-70 east – Indianapolis Eastbound exit and westbound entrance

References

Browse numbered routes
< IL 267 IL I-280 >
< Route 269 MO Route 273 >