Interstate 670 (Kansas–Missouri)

Interstate 670
Interstate 670
Jay B. Dillingham Freeway
	I-670 highlighted in red
Route information
	Auxiliary route of I-70
Length	2.81 mi (4.52 km)
Existed	1968[citation needed]–present
NHS	Entire route
Major junctions
West end	I-70 / US-24 / US-40 / US-69 / US-169 in Kansas City, KS
	I-35 in Kansas City, MO
East end	I-70 / US 24 / US 40 / US 71 in Kansas City, MO
Location
Country	United States
States	Kansas, Missouri
Counties	KS: Wyandotte; MO: Jackson
Highway system
	Interstate Highway System; Main; Auxiliary; Suffixed; Business; Future;
	Kansas State Highway System; Interstate; US; State; Spurs;
	Missouri State Highway System; Interstate; US; State; Supplemental;

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 (and reduced speed limit) 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.

The road crosses the Kansas River and the West Bottoms, the former location of the Kansas City Stockyards, on the I-670 Viaduct. The leg of the highway west of I-35 is known as the Jay B. Dillingham Freeway.^[2] Jay B. Dillingham was a former president of the Stockyards.

Route description

I-670 begins in Kansas City, Kansas, as ramps from I-70/U.S. Route 24 (US 24)/US 40/US 169 meet to form the freeway just before a bridge over the Kansas River, which is located just south of its confluence with the Missouri River. The freeway then crosses the Kansas–Missouri state line and enters Kansas City, Missouri. The road then has an interchange with I-35 just before passing beneath the Kansas City Convention Center. The freeway passes just to the south of the Kansas City Power & Light District and T-Mobile Center in Downtown Kansas City. It meets up with I-70/US 40 again on the southeastern corner of the downtown area; US 71 comprises the north–south portion of the interchange.^[3] In Missouri, I-670 is signed as an alternate route to I-70.^[4]

History

The freeway was not part of the original planned freeways around Kansas City in 1955.^[5]^[6] The section east of the I-35 interchange was built first and finished in 1968.^[7]^[8] The western portion was not planned until 1971 and was not finished until several years later.^[9]^[10] By 1987, the freeway was extended slightly westward in the Downtown Kansas City area^[11]^[12] but was not fully extended to I-70 until 1991, when it was fully opened.^[13]^[14]

On May 20, 1997, sections of I-670 and I-35 in Downtown Kansas City were closed for the filming of a music video for the U2 song "Last Night on Earth". The closure, which was criticized by a local American Automobile Association official, caused some traffic congestion and was the subject of 50–60 complaints to the city government.^[15]^[16]

Exit list

State	County	Location	mi	km	Exit	Destinations	Notes
Kansas	Wyandotte	Kansas City	0.00	0.00		I-70 / US-24 / US-40 west / US-69 south – Topeka	I-70 exit 421B
			0.39	0.63	1A	Central Avenue	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
			0.47– 0.56	0.76– 0.90	Kansas River bridge
			0.83 0.00	1.34 0.00	Kansas–Missouri state line
Missouri	Jackson	Kansas City	0.13– 0.19	0.21– 0.31	1B	Genesee Street / Wyoming Street
			0.88	1.42	2T	I-35 south – Wichita	I-35 exit 2U
			0.88	1.42	2T	I-35 north / 12th Street	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance; I-35 exit 2U
			1.02	1.64	2S	Broadway	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance. Access to Kansas City Convention Center and Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts.
			1.10	1.77	2R	Central Street	Eastbound exit only; access to Downtown, Kansas City Convention Center, Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, Power and Light District, and T-Mobile Center.
			1.42	2.29	2Q	Truman Road / Locust Street / Oak Street / Grand Boulevard / Walnut Street / Main Street / Baltimore Avenue	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance. Access to Power and Light District and T-Mobile Center.
			2.10	3.38	2P	13th Street / 14th Street / Charlotte Street / Holmes Street	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance only. Access to Downtown Kansas City, UMKC Medical School, and Truman Medical Center-Hospital Hill.
					2N	I-70 west / US 71 north to I-29 / I-35 north – St. Joseph, Des Moines	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance; I-70 exit 2L
					2M	US 71 south – Springfield	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance. Access to UMKC Medical School, and Truman Medical Center-Hospital Hill.
					2K	12th Street / 11th Street to Charlotte Street / 10th Street / Harrison Street / Troost Avenue	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
					3A	The Paseo	Eastbound exit and entrance and westbound exit only. Access to the American Jazz Museum and the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.
						I-70 / US 24 east / US 40 – St. Louis	I-70 exit 2L
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi Incomplete access

References

^ Staff (October 31, 2001). "Table 2: Auxiliary Routes of the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System Of Interstate and Defense Highways as of October 31, 2002". Route Log and Finder List. Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved May 28, 2012.
^ "Interstate 670 (Kansas–Missouri)" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved June 8, 2009.
^ "Interstate 670 (Kansas–Missouri)" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
^ Alternate I-70 (Road sign). Over I-670 in Kansas City. July 2019. Retrieved August 3, 2021 – via Google Maps.{{cite sign}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
^ General Location of National System of Interstate Highways Including All Additional Routes at Urban Areas (Map). Bureau of Public Roads. September 1955. Kansas City, Missouri inset. Retrieved May 28, 2012.
^ "KC Freeway History". The Line Creek Loudmouth. December 8, 2016. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
^ Missouri State Highway Map (PDF) (Map). Missouri Department of Transportation. 1968. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 27, 2011. Retrieved February 27, 2011.
^ Kansas State Highway Map (Map). Kansas Department of Transportation. 1968. Retrieved February 27, 2011.
^ Missouri State Highway Map (PDF) (Map). Missouri Department of Transportation. 1971. Retrieved February 27, 2011.^{[permanent dead link]}
^ Kansas State Highway Map (Map). Kansas Department of Transportation. 1971. Retrieved February 27, 2011.
^ Missouri State Highway Map (PDF) (Map) (1987–88 ed.). Missouri Department of Transportation. 1987. Retrieved February 26, 2011.^{[permanent dead link]}
^ Kansas State Highway Map (Map). Kansas Department of Transportation. 1987. Retrieved February 27, 2011.
^ Missouri State Highway Map (PDF) (Map) (1991–92 ed.). Missouri Department of Transportation. 1991. Retrieved February 27, 2011.^{[permanent dead link]}
^ Kansas State Highway Map (Map) (1991–92 ed.). Kansas Department of Transportation. 1991. Retrieved February 27, 2011.
^ Heider, Timothy (May 20, 1997). "U2: Last night they rocked...but today you don't roll; Downtown commuters face delays while band makes a video on I-670". The Kansas City Star. p. A1.
^ White, Tanika; Lester, Chris (May 21, 1997). "Making of video makes a big mess". The Kansas City Star. p. A1.