Interstate 72 in Missouri

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Interstate 72 Primary route of the Interstate Highway System
Maintained by MoDOT
Length:	4 mi (6 km)
Formed:	2000
West end:	US 61, Hannibal
East end:	I-72, Illinois state line
Missouri Highways < US 71 Route 72 > Supplemental

In the U.S. state of Missouri, the entire length of Interstate 72 is within the city limits of Hannibal. I-72 runs east from an intersection with US 61 to the Mississippi River. Presently, this is a distance of 2 miles (3 km). The speed limit on I-72 in Missouri is 55 mph (88 km/h).

Contents 1 Route description 2 History 3 Future 4 Timeline 5 Current status 6 Exit list 7 References

Route description

Presently, there are only two exits for I-72 in Missouri:

• The unnumbered exit that serves as its western terminus is US 61 McMasters Avenue/Avenue of the Saints. This intersection is a Single Point Urban Interchange (SPUI), located under the freeway.

• The only numbered exit is Exit 157 Route 79 Mark Twain Avenue and Great River Road (southbound) / Harrison Hill (northbound). This intersection is a standard diamond interchange.

History

Prior to September 2000, Mark Twain Avenue (old US 36) was composed of the current Mark Twain Avenue (now Route 79) and the portion of I-72 and US 36 west of Exit 157 to the Hannibal city limits. Route 79 terminated at the foot of the old Mark Twain Memorial Bridge at the corner of Third Street and Mark Twain Avenue. Signs along the four-lane expressway portion of Mark Twain Avenue marked the route as "Future I-72", while signs along what is now Route 79 had I-72 trailblazers to direct drivers to the temporary terminus at Fall Creek, Illinois.

When the new Mark Twain Memorial Bridge was completed in September 2000, I-72 was routed over the new bridge, along with US 36. Route 79 was extended along Mark Twain Avenue to terminate at Exit 157. The portion of I-72 and US 36 west of Exit 157 is now referred to as the V.F.W. Memorial Highway.

Originally, I-72 opened with a posted speed limit of 65 mph. However, when it first opened, some drivers were confused and were driving it at 35 mph, the old posted speed limit on Mark Twain Avenue. Later, Hannibal convinced MoDOT to lower the speed limit along I-72 and US 36 within the Hannibal city limits to 55 mph.

Future

This article contains information about a planned or expected future road. It may contain information of a speculative nature and the content may change as the road's construction or completion approaches and more information becomes available.

Based on the 157 mile marker at Route 79, when US 36 is upgraded to Interstate standards across Missouri, the future western terminus of I-72 would be at Cameron, Missouri at the intersection with I-35.

The concept of I-72 across Missouri was to create the Kansas City - Chicago Expressway, a rural 4-lane highway across northern Missouri and west central Illinois from Cameron, Missouri at I-35 to Springfield, Illinois at I-55. This would provide a series of rural 4-lane highways (I-35, US 36, I-72, and I-55) connecting Chicago to the NAFTA Corridor (High Priority Corridor 23). This would reduce the amount of through traffic, primarily truck traffic, in the St. Louis, Des Moines, and Quad Cities metropolitan areas by serving as an alternate route for I-70 and I-80.

The Missouri portion of this route is designated as part of High Priority Corridor 61.

I-72 continues west of US 61 as US 36. In 2004, US 36 was upgraded to a 4-lane expressway between US 61 and US 24 at the Rocket Junction (7 miles). There are three exits along this expressway: Veterans Road, Shinn Lane (Hannibal Regional Hospital), and US 24 East (Future Hannibal Bypass) at the Rocket Junction. This expressway is up to interstate standards (completed August 2007). Also, an interchange with Route 15 was installed in Shelbina. Four miles east of Macon, US 36 resumes 4-lane expressway status. As of December 2006, US 36 is now 4-lane the rest of the way into St. Joseph.

Due to funding priorities, it was initially determined that upgrading US 36 between Macon and Hannibal was a low-priority project and was officially tabled by MoDOT. MoDOT committed to building the four-lane highway as a non-interstate expressway only if the five counties served by US 36 east of Macon would contribute half of the $100 million cost.

Timeline

The first proposition, Proposition 36, did pass by a majority of the voters, and it did receive a majority in Macon, Marion, Monroe, and Shelby counties. However, residents of Ralls County rejected the proposition, citing lack of economic benefit for the county. US 36 cuts through the very northwest corner of Ralls County from Monroe City to the BNSF viaduct, a distance of 4 miles. Since the proposition failed in Ralls County, the entire proposition failed.

Businesses and voters in the other four counties still strongly supported the four-lane expressway project. At the next election, on August 3, 2005, voters of all five counties approved Proposition 36B, which excludes Ralls County from the Transportation Development District and allows for the construction of a 4-lane US 36 to be constructed without Ralls County's participation. The Proposition passed 66 percent to 34 percent and passed by a majority in all 5 counties.

As of March 2008, the revised total cost of the project is estimated at $89 million.^[1]

• A fifteen year, 1/2-cent sales tax was levied in Macon, Marion, Monroe, and Shelby counties for their portion (42%) of the construction costs for the project.
• The Ralls County portion is covered by a $7 million earmark for US 36 from Congressman Kenny Hulshof.
• The remainder of the project costs (for construction) is being funded by MoDOT. All other project costs, including engineering, right of way acquisition, survey, etc., are being funded by MoDOT.

Road construction to complete the 52.4 miles (84.3 km) between Hannibal and Macon began in 2007. According to MoDOT, the estimated completion date of four lanes from Hannibal to Monroe City, 11.5 mi (18.5 km), is September 2008, from Monroe City to Shelbina, 18.4 mi (29.6 km), is December 2009, and from Shelbina to Macon, 22.5 mi (36.2 km), is December 2010.

On November 14, 2007, MoDOT revised the completion date for the entire project to November of 2009. This means US 36 will be a 4-lane expressway across Missouri in 2010.^[2]

Current status

As of May 18, 2008, the cement for the new westbound expressway lanes has been poured from the US 24 East exit to the Monroe City exit, with the only exception being the approaches of the eastbound lanes at the BNSF viaduct. Also, the right asphalt shoulder for the westbound lanes has been poured from the US 24 East exit to 2 miles east of the BNSF viaduct. Also, bridge construction is continuing at the BNSF viaduct for the new eastbound lanes. The grading has begun for the segment between Monroe City and Shelbina. Clearing has begun for the Shelbina to Macon segment.

Exit list

County	Location	Mile[3]	#	Destinations	Notes
Marion	Hannibal	0.0		US 61 / US 36 Bus. east – New London, Palmyra	West end of I-72; continues as US 36
		1.0	157	Route 79 / US 36 Bus. west – Downtown Hannibal, Louisiana

References

Interstate 72
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