Interstate 35
 Interstate 35 | |
|---|---|
 Interstate 35, with eastern and western forks. | |
| Route information | |
| Length | 1,569.06 mi[1](2,525.16 km) |
| Existed | 1956–present |
| History | Completed in 1982[2] |
| NHS | Entire route |
| Major junctions | |
| South end |  US 83inLaredo, TX |
| |
| North end |  MN 61inDuluth, MN |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| States | Texas,Oklahoma,Kansas,Missouri,Iowa,Minnesota |
| Highway system | |
Interstate 35(I-35) is a majorInterstate Highwayin the centralUnited States.As with most primary Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route. It stretches fromLaredo, Texas,near theMexican bordertoDuluth, Minnesota,atMinnesota State Highway 61(MN 61, London Road) and 26th Avenue East.[3]The highway splits intoI-35EandI-35Win two separate places, theDallas–Fort Worth metroplexinTexasand at theMinnesotatwin cities ofMinneapolis–Saint Paul.
At 1,568 miles (2,523 km), I-35 is the ninth-longest Interstate Highway followingI-94,and it is the third-longest north–south Interstate Highway, followingI-75andI-95.Even though the route is generally considered to be aborder-to-border highway,this highway does not directly connect to either international border. I-35's southern terminus is thetraffic signalat Hidalgo Street in Laredo, Texas, just short of the Mexican border. Travelers going south can take one of two toll bridges across theRio Grandeand the border, either straight ahead into theJuárez–Lincoln International Bridge,or viaBusiness Interstate 35-A(Bus. I-35-A) through downtown Laredo into theGateway to the Americas International Bridge.To the north, I-35 terminates in Duluth, Minnesota, with connections to Canada from the Interstate's terminus via MN 61 toGrand Portage,or north to the border atInternational Falls, Minnesota,viaU.S. Route 53(US 53) in Duluth.
In addition to the Dallas–Fort Worth and Minneapolis–Saint Paul areas, the major cities that I-35 also connects to include (from south to north)San Antonio, Texas;Austin, Texas;Oklahoma City, Oklahoma;Wichita, Kansas;Kansas City, Missouri;andDes Moines, Iowa.
Route description
[edit]| mi | km | |
|---|---|---|
| TX | 503.96 | 811.05 |
| OK | 235.96 | 379.74 |
| KS | 235.53 | 379.05 |
| MO | 114.74 | 184.66 |
| IA | 219.23 | 352.82 |
| MN | 259.64 | 417.85 |
| Total | 1,569.06 | 2,525.16 |
Texas
[edit]
I-35 northbound begins at a traffic-signaled intersection withBus. I-35-AinLaredo, Texas,just north of theRio Grandeand the international border betweenMexicoand the US. It has a 17-mile (27 km)concurrencywithUS 83.ThroughWebb,La Salle,andFriocounties, it has a mostly north-northeastern course, turning more northeasterly aroundMoore.[4]It then cuts across the corners ofMedinaandAtascosacounties before enteringBexar CountyandSan Antonio.
I-35 is named thePan Am Expresswayin San Antonio. There, it has brief concurrencies withI-10(with itUS 87) andI-410,and it serves as the northern terminus ofI-37.I-35 heads northeast out of the city toward the state capital,Austin.
In Austin, I-35 is the Interregional Highway and has a concurrency withUS 290through Downtown Austin.[5]Throughout Austin, elevated express lanes were constructed on either side of the originalfreeway.Prior to this expansion, this section included anat-grade railroad crossing,which is extremely unusual for a freeway. From Austin, I-35 goes throughRound Rock,Temple,Pflugerville,andWaco.InBelton,south of Temple, it serves as the current eastern terminus forI-14.In Waco, I-35 is known as the Jack Kultgen Freeway, and begins its concurrency withUS 77.The campuses of both theUniversity of Texas at AustinandBaylor Universityare located adjacent to I-35.
I-35 then heads toHillsboro,where it splits intoI-35WandI-35Eand runs through theDallas–Fort Wortharea. The official milemarkers, along with the route of US 77, follow I-35E through Dallas—I-35W, which is 85 miles (137 km) in length, carries its own mileage from Hillsboro toDenton,as though it were an I-35 loop. In Dallas, I-35E is the R.L. Thornton Freeway south ofI-30,which picks up the name heading east. North of I-30, it is the Stemmons Freeway.
After passing through Dallas and Fort Worth, I-35's two forks rejoin each other in Denton near theUniversity of North Texascampus. The unified Interstate then continues north toGainesvillebefore crossing theRed Riverinto Oklahoma.
Oklahoma
[edit]
In Oklahoma, I-35 runs from the Red River at the Texas border to the Kansas state line nearBraman.It passes through or adjacent to many of the state's major cities. From south to north, these cities includeArdmore,Pauls Valley,Purcell,Norman,Moore,Oklahoma City,andEdmond.InDowntown Oklahoma City,I-35 has a major junction withI-40and spurs intoI-235through the north central inner city as heavy traffic follows through the city into the northern area of the state.
Kansas
[edit]
Between the Oklahoma state line andEmporia,I-35 is part of theKansas Turnpike.This section of Interstate servesWichitaand passes through theFlint Hillsarea. At Emporia, I-35 branches off on its own alignment. This free section of I-35 provides access toOttawabefore entering theKansas City Metropolitan Area,where it servesJohnson CountyandKansas City, Kansas.
Of note on the route, at several points between Cassoday and Emporia in the Flint Hills, dirt driveways that provide direct access without a ramp, for cattle trucks, may be found in either direction along the highway.
BETO Junctionis a highway intersection inCoffey County, Kansas,that is the intersection ofUS 75and I-35. It derives its name from the four major cities nearest the intersection:Burlington,Emporia,Topeka,andOttawa.It is located 16 miles (26 km) north of Burlington at exit 155. Historically, the intersection referred to as "BETO Junction" before I-35 was constructed was located on the old US 75 alignments two miles (3.2 km) south and two miles (3.2 km) east, nearWaverly, Kansas.
Missouri
[edit]
I-35 enters Missouri two miles (3.2 km) southwest of Kansas City'sCentral Business Districtas a six-lane highway. After merging withSouthwest Trafficwayand Broadway, it becomes eight lanes and continues north to downtown Kansas City, where it serves as the west and north legs of thedowntown freeway loop.Along the north edge of the loop, I-35 joins withI-70immediately west of Broadway and carries six lanes of traffic with a speed limit of 45 mph (72 km/h). Upon leaving the loop,I-29begins, concurrent with I-35. The two Interstates cross theMissouri Rivertogether on theBond Bridge.
After crossing the river, I-29 and I-35 split. I-35 heads north toCameron, Missouri,and then continues northward to the Iowa state line.
Iowa
[edit]
In the southern sections of the state, I-35 is parallel toUS 69for much of its course.
InDes Moines,I-35 has a 12-mile (19 km)overlapwithI-80.The concurrency takes place northwest of the downtown district of the city. At exit 127 of I-80, the overlap turns east and terminates at exit 137 via an interchange withI-235.
North of Des Moines, I-35 is mainly parallel with US 69, traversing a vast and rural area of Iowa.[6]
I-35 is part of theAvenue of the SaintsbetweenClear Lakeand St. Paul, Minnesota. A four-lane link has been completed between Clear Lake andI-380inWaterloo,Iowa.
Minnesota
[edit]
AtMedford,Minnesota,the on- and offramps lead toroundaboutsrather than standard cross intersections.[7]This is the first site in the state linked to a major highway to use roundabouts.
I-35 splits again intoI-35WandI-35Ein theMinneapolis–Saint Paularea. The mile- and exit-numbering sequence continues along I-35E. At one sharp turn in I-35W near the junction with I-94, drivers are advised to slow to 35 mph (56 km/h) (although many drivers are able to maintain the speed limit of 55 mph (89 km/h)). It is not possible to go from westbound I-94 to northbound I-35W, from southbound I-35W to eastbound I-94, and vice versa, without resorting to surface streets.
On I-35E in Minnesota betweenMN 5andI-94,in both directions, trucks weighing more than 9,000 pounds (4,100 kg) are banned from the freeway, and the speed limit drops to 45 mph (72 km/h). This section was not completed until the late 1980s (although the route was cleared and graded earlier) due to opposition from the historic Crocus Hill neighborhood, which sits only a few hundred feet from the alignment. The four-lane alignment, "parkway" design was a compromise. The truck bypass for this section is signed onI-494andI-694to the east of Saint Paul.
I-35 has aninterchangewithI-535/US 53inDuluth, Minnesota,known locally as the "Can of Worms". Thisjunctionfeatures a pair of left exits from I-35, a stoplight, and lane drops over the I-35 bridge.[8]
The national northern terminus of I-35 is at anintersectionin eastern Duluth. Drivers' options include merging with London Road/MN 61northbound, proceeding through the stop lights onto 26th Avenue East, or turning left onto London Road southbound.
History
[edit]Some portions of I-35 in Oklahoma City were already built in 1953, before the Interstate system was created.[9]ThroughNorman,Oklahoma,the Interstate opened in June 1959. InMoore,it opened in two parts: the northern half, connecting Moore to Oklahoma City, opened in January 1960. The southern half, linking it to Norman, was opened to traffic in June 1967.[10]
I-35 through Oklahoma largely parallelsUS 77.This is in large part due to efforts of the towns ofWynnewood,Paoli,andWayne,which fought to keep I-35 as close as possible to US 77. This was successful due to a threat from GovernorHenry Bellmonto build a toll road rather than I-35, and legislation preventing state funds for the Interstate from being spent if it were more than one mile (1.6 km) from the U.S. Route.[11]
I-35 was completed in Oklahoma in 1971, when parts of the Interstate running throughCarter Co.andMurray Co.were opened to traffic.[9]
The final segment of I-35 (as originally planned) to open was in north-centralIowa,betweenMason CityandUS 20nearIowa Falls.This segment was delayed due to some controversy. Originally, I-35 was to follow the alignment ofUS 69fromDes Moinesto theMinnesotaborder, but Mason City's business community lobbied for the route to be moved closer to their city. On September 1, 1965, the alignment was changed to instead parallelUS 65through northern Iowa, which brought the highway much closer to Mason City. This created a long diagonal section throughWrightandFranklincounties. Local farmers objected to their farms being bisected into triangular pieces, and resulting litigation delayed I-35 for several years. A November 1972 ruling rejected a lawsuit filed by the farmers, and the final segment of I-35 was allowed to proceed, eventually opening in 1975.
ThePaseo Bridgeover theMissouri Riverin Kansas City, Missouri, was replaced by thedual-spancable-stayedChristopher S. Bond Bridgein December 2010.[12]
"NAFTA Superhighway" controversy
[edit]
The proposedTrans-Texas Corridortoll-road project included one proposal (TTC-35) to primarily parallel I-35 from the Mexican border up to the Oklahoma border.[13]There are major disagreements as to what impact this parallel route would have on I-35 in terms of traffic, maintenance, and commerce.
The Trans-Texas Corridor was first proposed byTexasGovernorRick Perryin 2002. It consisted of a 1,200-foot (370 m) wide highway that also carried utilities such as electricity, petroleum, and water as well as railway track and fiberoptic cables.[14]In July 2007, US RepresentativeDuncan Huntersuccessfully offered an amendment to House Resolution 3074, the FY2008 Transportation Appropriations Act, prohibiting the use of federal funds forDepartment of Transportationparticipation in the activities of theSecurity and Prosperity Partnership of North America(SPP). Hunter stated that: "Unfortunately, very little is known about the NAFTA Super Highway. This amendment will provide Congress the opportunity to exercise oversight of the highway, which remains a subject of question and uncertainty, and ensure that our safety and security will not be compromised in order to promote the business interests of our neighbors."[15]Fellow Republican Congressman and presidential candidateRon Paulbrought the issue to mainstream prominence during the December 2007CNN–YouTubeGOP debate, where he rejected the concept and also called it the NAFTA Superhighway after theNorth American Free Trade Agreementand, like Hunter, framed it within the ultimate goal of creating aNorth American Union.
In 2011, the Texas Legislature formally repealed its authority for the establishment and operation of the Trans-Texas Corridor with the passage of HB 1201.[16][17]
Junction list
[edit]Source:[18]
- Southern segment
-
- Texas
- US 83inLaredo;the highways travel concurrently toBotines,approx. 18 miles (29 km) north.
I-69W/US 59in Laredo
US 57inMoore
I-410inSan Antonio
I-10/US 87/US 90in San Antonio. I-10/I-35/US 87 travels concurrently through Downtown San Antonio.
I-37/US 281in San Antonio- I-410on the San Antonio–Windcrestcity line; concurrency for three miles (4.8 km).
US 290inAustin;the highways travel concurrently through Austin.
US 183in Austin
US 79inRound Rock
I-14/US 190inCopperas_Cove;US 190 travels concurrently toBelton.
US 77inWaco;the highways travel concurrently to northeast ofHillsboro;follows route of I-35E afterward.
US 84on the Waco–Bellmeadcity line
I-35E/I-35Wnorth-northeast of Hillsboro
- Central segment
-
- Texas
- I-35E/I-35WinDenton
US 380in Denton- US 77in Denton; the highways travel concurrently to south ofThackerville, Oklahoma.
US 82inGainesville- Oklahoma
US 70inArdmore;the highways travel concurrently through Ardmore.- US 77north ofSpringer
- US 77inDavis
- US 77inNorman;the highways travel concurrently toOklahoma City.
I-240/US 62in Oklahoma City; I-35/US 62 travels concurrently through Oklahoma City.
I-40/I-235/US 77/US 270in Oklahoma City; I-35/I-40/US 270 travels concurrently through Oklahoma City.
I-44in Oklahoma City; the highways travel concurrently through Oklahoma City.- US 77inEdmond;the highways travel concurrently toGuthrie.
- US 77inPerry
US 64in Perry; the highways travel concurrently to north-northwest of Perry.
US 64/US 412north-northwest of Perry
US 60inTonkawa
US 177north-northwest ofBraman- Kansas
US 166east-northeast ofSouth Haven
Kansas Turnpikesouthern terminus in ruralSumner County
US 160east ofWellington
I-135inWichita
US 54/US 400in Wichita- US 77north ofEl Dorado
I-335/Kansas TurnpikeinEmporia
US 50in Emporia- US 50east of Emporia; the highways travel concurrently toLenexa.
US 75south-southeast ofOlivet- US 59inOttawa;the highways travel concurrently to east-northeast of Ottawa.
US 56inGardner;the highways travel concurrently toMerriam.
US 169inOlathe;the highways travel concurrently to Merriam.
I-435/US 50in Lenexa
US 69in Lenexa; the highways travel concurrently to Merriam.
I-635/US 69inMission;I-35/US 69 travels concurrently toKansas City.- US 169in Kansas City
- Missouri
I-670inKansas City
I-70/US 24/US 40/US 169in Kansas City; the highways travel concurrently through Kansas City.
I-29/I-70/US 40/US 71in Kansas City; I-29/I-35/US 71 travels concurrently through Kansas City.- US 69in Kansas City
- I-435inClaycomo
- US 69inPleasant Valley;the highways travel concurrently toLiberty.
- US 69south ofCameron
US 36in Cameron- US 69southwest ofWinston
- US 69north-northwest ofAltamont
US 136inBethany- Iowa
- US 69on theIowastate line south ofLamoni
US 34inOsceola
I-80/I-235inWest Des Moines;I-35/I-80 travels concurrently toAnkeny.
US 6on theClive–Urbandalecity line- US 69inDes Moines
- I-80/I-235in Ankeny
US 30southeast ofAmes
US 20southeast ofBlairsburg
US 18south-southeast ofClear Lake;the highways travel concurrently to Clear Lake.- Minnesota
US 65southeast ofAlbert Lea- US 65in Albert Lea
I-90northeast of Albert Lea
US 14/US 218inOwatonna- I-35E/I-35WinBurnsville
- Northern segment
References
[edit]- ^Starks, Edward (January 27, 2022)."Table 1: Main Routes of the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways as of December 31, 2021".Route Log and Finder List.Federal Highway Administration.RetrievedAugust 24,2024.
- ^Gyure, Joseph."Interstate 35 dramatically changed Waco's face".Waco Tribune-Herald.Archived fromthe originalon January 12, 2006.RetrievedJanuary 10,2006.
- ^"Overview Map of I-35"(Map).Google Maps.Google. February 15, 2008.RetrievedFebruary 15,2008.
- ^Texas Department of Transportation(2006).Texas Official Travel Map(Map). Texas Department of Transportation.
- ^Bear, Jacci Howard."Are Interstate Highway 35 and Interregional Highway 35 the Same Road?".About.com.Archived fromthe originalon December 7, 2008.RetrievedDecember 7,2006.
- ^Rand McNally(2007).Motor Carriers' Road Atlas(Map) (Deluxe ed.). Chicago: Rand McNally. p. 38.
- ^Federal Highway Administration (September 2004)."Excellence in Highway Design 2004".Focus: Accelerating Infrastructure Innovations.Vol. 21, no. 8. Federal Highway Administration.ISSN1060-6637.FHWA-HRT-04-029.Archivedfrom the original on June 10, 2010.RetrievedFebruary 12,2006.
- ^"Overview Map and Aerial Photo of the Can of Worms Interchange"(Map).Google Maps.Google. June 8, 2009.RetrievedJune 8,2009.
- ^abCockerell, Penny (June 29, 2006). "50 Years: As the Intersection of Interstates 35, 40, and 44, Oklahoma Is at America's Crossroads".The Daily Oklahoman.Oklahoma City. p. 2A.
- ^Medley, Robert (June 29, 2006). "Highways Continue to Drive Economy".The Daily Oklahoman.Oklahoma City. p. 1D.
- ^McNichol, Dan (2006).The Roads that Built America: The Incredible Story of the U.S. Interstate System.New York: Sterling.ISBN1-4027-3468-9.[page needed]
- ^Jansen, Meghan (December 17, 2010)."All Interstate 29/35 Ramps and Lanes Open Tomorrow: On-Budget and Six Months Ahead of Schedule"(Press release). Missouri Department of Transportation. Archived fromthe originalon March 20, 2012.RetrievedNovember 27,2011.
- ^"I-35 Corridor Section".Trans-Texas CorridorStudy.Archived fromthe originalon May 9, 2007.
- ^Kovach, Gretel (December 10, 2007)."Highway to Hell?".Newsweek.RetrievedDecember 7,2007.
- ^Kasper, Joe (July 25, 2007)."Hunter NAFTA Super Highway Amendment Passes House"(Press release). Office of Congressman Duncan Hunter. Archived fromthe originalon December 21, 2008.
- ^"Texas Legislature Online - 82(R) History for HB 1201".Texas Legislature.RetrievedJanuary 28,2013.
- ^"Texas Legislature Online - 82(R) Text for HB 1201"(PDF).Texas Legislature.Archived(PDF)from the original on October 9, 2022.RetrievedAugust 13,2013.
- ^Rand McNally (2014).The Road Atlas(Walmart ed.). Chicago: Rand McNally. pp. 38, 41, 54–55, 58, 83, 100–101.ISBN978-0-528-00771-2.
External links
[edit]
Geographic data related toInterstate 35atOpenStreetMap- Kansas City Star's "I-35 Odyssey, A Summer Travel Series"
- Highway History- A Look at the History of the Federal Highway Administration
- Interstate 35 Through Austin
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Routes initalicsare no longer a part of the system. Major Interstates are highlighted. | |
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