Interstate 55 in Missouri
# Interstate 55 in Missouri

Interstate 55 (I-55) in the US state of Missouri runs from the Arkansas state line to the Poplar Street Bridge over the Mississippi River in St. Louis.

## Route description

I-55 enters Missouri at the Arkansas border near Cooter. It runs northward through mostly flat land in the Bootheel, where it has an interchange with U.S. Route 412 (US 412) and I-155. The highway continues over bumpy land through or near the towns of Hayti, Portageville, and New Madrid before reaching an interchange with US 60 and I-57 just south of Sikeston. The next interchange, US 62, provides access into the city of Sikeston and one of its most popular attractions, Lambert's Cafe, the "Home of the Throwed Rolls".

North of Sikeston, I-55 begins to traverse rolling terrain on its way to Cape Girardeau. Exit 95, Route 74 east, provides direct access to the Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge into southern Illinois. The heart of the city of Cape Girardeau as well as Southeast Missouri State University can be reached by taking either exit 96 or exit 99.

I-55 then goes through rural areas again as it makes a north-northwesterly run through the towns of Perryville and Ste. Genevieve before entering the southern reaches of the St. Louis metro area at the interchange with US 67 and the Twin Cities of Festus and Crystal City. US 61 and US 67 run concurrently immediately east of I-55 nearly due north through the Jefferson County towns of Herculaneum, Pevely (where the Interstate expands from four lanes to six), Barnhart (and then to eight), Imperial, and finally Arnold before crossing the Meramec River into St. Louis County.

From Richardson Road in Arnold to I-270, I-55 is 10 lanes wide. The Interstate narrows back down to eight lanes past I-270, through southern St. Louis County, and into the city of St. Louis. In the last few miles of I-55 in the state of Missouri, there is an interchange and brief overlap with I-44 before reaching the Poplar Street Bridge crossing into Illinois.

## History

### Sponsorship controversy

The white supremacy group Ku Klux Klan began fighting several court battles with the state of Missouri after the state disputed its right to sponsor a stretch of freeway in Saint Louis County and Jefferson County, near St. Louis. In March 2001, after a US District Court judge found that blocking the Klan's sponsorship was unconstitutional, the Court of Appeals ruled that the state must erect signs announcing the group's sponsorship. However, the Missouri Legislature later voted to rename the stretch of I-55 the "Rosa Parks Freeway" in honor of the Montgomery civil rights hero who began the Montgomery bus boycott. When asked how she felt about this honor, she is reported to have commented, "It is always nice to be thought of." The Klan were eventually dropped from the scheme on April 4, 2001, on the grounds that, for the duration of their sponsorship, they had not once cleaned the freeway.

## Exit list

| County | Location | mi | km | Exit | Destinations | Notes |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Pemiscot | ​ | 0.000 | 0.000 | | I-55 south – Memphis | Continuation into Arkansas |
| Pemiscot | ​ | 1.132 | 1.822 | 1 | Route O to US 61 – Holland | |
| Pemiscot | ​ | 4.487 | 7.221 | 4 | Route E – Cooter, Holland | |
| Pemiscot | ​ | 7.977 | 12.838 | 8 | US 61 south / Route 164 / Great River Road – Steele, Cottonwood Point | Southern end of US 61 and Great River Road concurrency |
| Pemiscot | ​ | 14.483 | 23.308 | 14 | Route U / Route H / Route J – Caruthersville, Braggadocio | |
| Pemiscot | ​ | 17.644 | 28.395 | 17 | I-155 east / US 412 – Caruthersville, Dyersburg, Hayti, Kennett | Signed as exits 17A (east) and 17B (west); I-155/US 412 exits 1A-B |
| Pemiscot | Hayti | 19.074 | 30.697 | 19 | Route 84 – Hayti, Caruthersville | |
| Pemiscot | ​ | 27.607 | 44.429 | 27 | Route K / Route A / Route BB – Wardell, Homestown | |
| New Madrid | Portageville | 32.905 | 52.955 | 32 | US 61 north / Route 162 / Great River Road – Portageville, Gideon | Northern end of US 61 and Great River Road concurrency |
| New Madrid | Marston | 40.984 | 65.957 | 40 | Route EE (St. Jude Road) – Marston | |
| New Madrid | New Madrid | 44.913 | 72.280 | 44 | I-55 BL north / US 61 / US 62 – New Madrid, Howardville | |
| New Madrid | ​ | 49.637 | 79.883 | 49 | I-55 BL south / US 61 / US 62 – New Madrid, Kewanee | |
| New Madrid | ​ | 52.165 | 83.951 | 52 | Route P – Kewanee, Bernie | |
| New Madrid | ​ | 58.221 | 93.698 | 58 | Route 80 – Matthews, East Prairie | |
| Scott | Sikeston | 66.177 | 106.502 | 66 | I-57 north / US 60 – Dexter, Poplar Bluff, Chicago | Signed as exits 66A (north/east) and 66B (west); I-57/US 60 exits 1A-B; current southern terminus of I-57 |
| Scott | Sikeston | 67.486 | 108.608 | 67 | US 62 – Sikeston, Bertrand | |
| Scott | Sikeston | 69.379 | 111.655 | 69 | Route HH – Miner, Sikeston | |
| Scott | ​ | 80.956 | 130.286 | 80 | Route 77 – Benton, Diehlstadt | |
| Scott | Kelso | 87 | 140 | 87 | Route PP – Kelso, Commerce | |
| Scott | Scott City | 89.717 | 144.386 | 89 | US 61 south / Route M / Route K / Great River Road – Scott City, Chaffee | Southern end of US 61 and Great River Road concurrency |
| Scott | Scott City | 91.811 | 147.755 | 91 | Route AB – Cape Girardeau Regional Airport | |
| Cape Girardeau | Cape Girardeau | 93.504 | 150.480 | 93 | I-55 BL north / US 61 north / Route 74 west / Great River Road – Dutchtown, Cape Girardeau | Northern end of US 61 and Great River Road concurrency; southern end of Route 74 concurrency; signed as exits 93A (west) and 93B (north) northbound |
| Cape Girardeau | Cape Girardeau | 95.245 | 153.282 | 95 | Route 74 east to IL 146 – Cape Girardeau | Northern end of Route 74 concurrency |
| Cape Girardeau | Cape Girardeau | 96.463 | 155.242 | 96 | Route K – Cape Girardeau, Gordonville | |
| Cape Girardeau | Cape Girardeau | 99.859 | 160.707 | 99 | I-55 BL / US 61 / Route 34 – Cape Girardeau, Jackson | |
| Cape Girardeau | ​ | 102.304 | 164.642 | 102 | East Main Street, LaSalle Avenue | |
| Cape Girardeau | ​ | 105.758 | 170.201 | 105 | I-55 BL south / US 61 – Fruitland, Jackson | |
| Cape Girardeau | ​ | 111.292 | 179.107 | 111 | Route E – Oak Ridge, Pocahontas | |
| Cape Girardeau | ​ | 118.049 | 189.981 | 117 | Route KK – Old Appleton, Arnsberg | |
| Perry | ​ | 124.037 | 199.618 | 123 | Route B – Biehle | |
| Perry | Perryville | 129.869 | 209.004 | 129 | Route 51 – Perryville, Marble Hill | |
| Perry | ​ | 135.589 | 218.209 | 135 | Route M – Brewer | |
| Ste. Genevieve | ​ | 141.212 | 227.259 | 141 | Route Z – St. Mary | |
| Ste. Genevieve | ​ | 143.816 | 231.449 | 143 | Route N / Route J / Route M – Ozora | |
| Ste. Genevieve | ​ | 150.411 | 242.063 | 150 | Route 32 / Route B / Route A – Ste. Genevieve, Farmington | |
| Ste. Genevieve | ​ | 154.984 | 249.423 | 154 | Route O – Ste. Genevieve, Rocky Ridge | |
| Ste. Genevieve | ​ | 157.785 | 253.930 | 157 | Route Y – Bloomsdale | |
| Ste. Genevieve | ​ | 162.123 | 260.912 | 162 | Route DD / Route OO | |
| Jefferson | ​ | 165.263 | 265.965 | 165 | Route TT | Southbound exit and northbound entrance |
| Jefferson | ​ | 171.087 | 275.338 | 170 | US 61 – Selma | |
| Jefferson | Crystal City | 174.470 | 280.782 | 174 | I-55 BL north / US 67 to US 61 – Crystal City, Farmington, Bonne Terre | Signed as exits 174A (north) and 174B (south) |
| Jefferson | Festus | 175.843 | 282.992 | 175 | Route A – Hillsboro, Festus | |
| Jefferson | Herculaneum | 178.742 | 287.657 | 178 | I-55 BL south (McNutt Street) – Herculaneum | |
| Jefferson | Pevely | 180.957 | 291.222 | 180 | Route Z – Pevely | |
| Jefferson | Barnhart | 185.272 | 298.166 | 185 | Route M – Barnhart, Antonia | |
| Jefferson | Imperial | 186.892 | 300.774 | 186 | Imperial Main Street | |
| Jefferson | Arnold | 190.188 | 306.078 | 190 | Richardson Road | Signed as Richardson Road/Vogel Road southbound |
| Jefferson | Arnold | 192.087 | 309.134 | 191 | Route 141 – Arnold, Fenton | |
| St. Louis | ​ | 193.475 | 311.368 | 193 | Meramec Bottom Road | |
| St. Louis | ​ | 195.409 | 314.480 | 195 | Butler Hill Road | |
| St. Louis | ​ | 196.947 | 316.955 | 196 | I-255 east / I-270 west – Chicago, Kansas City | Southbound exit is via exit 197; I-255/270 exits 1A-B; access to St. Louis Lambert International Airport |
| St. Louis | ​ | 197.519 | 317.876 | 197 | US 61 / US 67 / US 50 (Lindbergh Boulevard) | |
| St. Louis | ​ | 199.583 | 321.198 | 199 | Reavis Barracks Road | |
| St. Louis | ​ | 200.309 | 322.366 | 200 | Union Road | Southbound exit and northbound entrance |
| St. Louis | ​ | 201.122 | 323.674 | 201A | Bayless Avenue | |
| City of St. Louis | City of St. Louis | 201.761 | 324.703 | 201B | Weber Road | Southbound exit and northbound entrance |
| City of St. Louis | City of St. Louis | 202.229 | 325.456 | 202A | Carondelet Boulevard, River City Boulevard | Northbound exit and southbound entrance |
| City of St. Louis | City of St. Louis | 202.305 | 325.578 | 202B | Germania Avenue | Southbound exit and northbound entrance |
| City of St. Louis | City of St. Louis | 202.990 | 326.681 | 202C | Loughborough Avenue | |
| City of St. Louis | City of St. Louis | 203.877 | 328.108 | 203 | Virginia Avenue, Bates Street | |
| City of St. Louis | City of St. Louis | 204.894 | 329.745 | 204 | 4500 South Broadway | |
| City of St. Louis | City of St. Louis | 205.526 | 330.762 | 205 | Gasconade Street | Southbound exit and northbound entrance |
| City of St. Louis | City of St. Louis | 206.346 | 332.082 | 206A | Potomac Street | Northbound exit and southbound entrance |
| City of St. Louis | City of St. Louis | 206.597 | 332.486 | 206B | 3200 South Broadway | Northbound exit and southbound entrance |
| City of St. Louis | City of St. Louis | 206.952 | 333.057 | 206C | Arsenal Street | |
| City of St. Louis | City of St. Louis | 207.803 | 334.427 | 207A | Historic US 66 / Route 30 east (Gravois Avenue) | Northbound exit and southbound entrance |
| City of St. Louis | City of St. Louis | 207.836 | 334.480 | 207B | Truman Parkway | Northbound exit and southbound entrance |
| City of St. Louis | City of St. Louis | 207.982 | 334.715 | 207B | I-44 west – Tulsa | Southern end of I-44 concurrency; no exit number southbound; I-44 exit 290A |
| City of St. Louis | City of St. Louis | 208.040 | 334.808 | 290A | Historic US 66 / Route 30 (Gravois Avenue / 12th Street) | Southbound exit and northbound entrance |
| City of St. Louis | City of St. Louis | 208.614 | 335.732 | 290C | Park Avenue, 7th Street | Exit number follows I-44 |
| City of St. Louis | City of St. Louis | 209.190 | 336.659 | | I-44 east to I-70 west – Kansas City, Walnut Street | Northern end of I-44 concurrency; I-44 exit 291A; northbound exit and southbound entrance. Access to St. Louis Lambert International Airport |
| City of St. Louis | City of St. Louis | 209.315 | 336.860 | | I-64 west / US 40 west – St. Louis | Southern end of I-64/US 40 concurrency; I-64 exit 40B; southbound exit and northbound entrance |
| Mississippi River | Mississippi River | 209.689 | 337.462 | Poplar Street Bridge; Missouri–Illinois state line | Poplar Street Bridge; Missouri–Illinois state line | Poplar Street Bridge; Missouri–Illinois state line |
| Mississippi River | Mississippi River | 209.689 | 337.462 | | I-55 north / I-64 east / US 40 east to I-70 east – Illinois | Continuation into Illinois |
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi Concurrency terminus Incomplete access |||||||

## Auxiliary routes

* I-155: A spur running from I-55 in Hayti, Missouri, to US 51 in Dyersburg, Tennessee; overlaps with US 412 for its entire length. Eight miles (13 km) of this highway will be absorbed into the newly extended I-69 in the future.
* I-255: The eastern third of the beltway around the St. Louis Metro Area (with I-270 forming the remaining two-thirds)
* I-55 BL: I-55 has three business loops in Missouri.
