 Interstate 64 | |
|---|---|
 I-64 highlighted in red | |
| Route information | |
| Length | 963.52 mi[1] (1,550.64 km) |
| Existed | 1961–present |
| NHS | Entire route |
| Major junctions | |
| West end |    I-70 /US 40 /US 61 inWentzville, MO |
| Major intersections |
|
| East end |      I-264 /I-664 /US 13 /US 58 /US 460 inChesapeake, VA |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| States | Missouri,Illinois,Indiana,Kentucky,West Virginia,Virginia |
| Highway system | |
Interstate 64 (I-64) is an east–westInterstate Highway in theEastern United States. Its western terminus is atI-70,U.S. Route 40 (US 40), andUS 61 inWentzville, Missouri. Its eastern terminus is at theBowers Hill Interchange withI-264 andI-664 atBower's Hill inChesapeake, Virginia. I-64 connectsGreater St. Louis, theLouisville metropolitan area, theLexington–Fayette metropolitan area, theCharleston metropolitan area, theGreater Richmond Region, andHampton Roads.
| mi[1] | km | |
|---|---|---|
| MO | 40.50 | 65.18 |
| IL | 128.12 | 206.19 |
| IN | 123.33 | 198.48 |
| KY | 191.0 | 307.4 |
| WV | 188.75 | 303.76 |
| VA | 297.62 | 478.97 |
| Total | 963.52 | 1,550.64 |
I-64 has concurrencies withI-55,I-57,I-75,I-77,I-81, andI-95. I-64 does not maintain exit number continuity for any of the overlaps, as each of the six north–south routes maintain their exit numbering on their respective overlaps with I-64. Of all the overlaps, I-64 only goes northeast and southwest with I-55 and I-81, while going southeast and northwest with the other Interstates.
In Missouri, the stretch was originally labeled as the Daniel Boone Expressway then only as US 40, and, as such, is still known to some locals inGreater St. Louis as Highway 40, even though the road has been designated as both I-64 and US 40 since 1988. This road is also the southernmost portion of theAvenue of the Saints. An interchange at Highway N inO'Fallon opened on December 13, 2004. This interchange also accommodates the tie-in of theRoute 364 freeway to I-64. In April 2007, construction started to rebuild 10.5 miles (16.9 km) of I-64 inSt. Louis from Spoede Road to Kingshighway. This project included repaving the entire road, rebuilding theoverpasses andinterchanges, adding a fourth lane between Spoede Road andI-170, and connecting I-64 to I-170 in all directions. Construction resulted in the complete closure of portions of the expressway in 2008 and 2009. In 2008, I-64 was closed fromI-270 to I-170, reopening December 15, 2008. Beginning December 15, 2008, I-64 from I-170 to Kingshighway was closed. On December 6, 2009,[2] with a grand opening ceremony and dedication, I-64 was completed in its entire length in Missouri from thePoplar Street Bridge to I-70 inWentzville.[3] As of December 7, 2009, I-64 is now complete and signed all the way to I-70 in Wentzville.[4] All stoplights have been removed. The portion of I-64 in St. Louis has been named the Jack Buck Memorial Highway, in honor ofthe late sportscaster.
I-64 enters Illinois from St. Louis, Missouri, via the Poplar Street Bridge, where it overlaps I-55 as it crosses the Mississippi River. After crossing the city ofEast St. Louis and the rest of suburbanSt. Clair County, the freeway heads southeast through ruralSouthern Illinois. Shortly after passingMidAmerica St. Louis Airport at exit 23, I-64 entersClinton County and thenWashington County. After providing access to towns such asCarlyle,Breese,Nashville, andCentralia, the freeway overlaps I-57 through theMount Vernon area for approximately five miles (8.0 km). East of Mount Vernon in Illinois, services along I-64 are slim to none. It is an almost completely flat and empty freeway, crossingJefferson,Wayne, andWhite counties as it progresses east toward Indiana and theEvansville, Indiana, area. East of the St. Louis area, there are numerous oilwells dotting the landscape.
The section fromIllinois Route 127 (IL 127) to I-57 opened on October 4, 1974.[5] The section fromIL 161 to IL 127 opened in December 1973.[6] The section inMetro East, except for a short section near I-55/I-70, opened on December 23, 1975.[7] The section fromUS 460 (laterIL 142) toUS 45 opened on August 7, 1975.[8]
I-64 crosses the Wabash River and enters the state of Indiana. It passesGriffin (State Road 69, or SR 69; exit 4) andPoseyville (SR 165; exit 12) and also passes under nearbySR 68 (no direct interchange serves SR 68, though one can access said route from either SR 165 orSR 65). The Interstate then passes three officially marked exits forEvansville (SR 65,US 41, andI-69 [formerly designated asI-164]) then proceeds through part of the scenicHoosier National Forest, with exits leading toDale andHuntingburg (US 231; exit 57);Santa Claus andFerdinand (SR 162; exit 63);French Lick andTell City (SR 37; exit 79); and Indiana's first state capital,Corydon (SR 135; exit 105).
Near milepost 61, there is a time change from theCentral Time Zone (CT;Spencer County) to theEastern Time Zone (ET;Dubois County). Between mileposts 60 and 80, I-64 crosses the CT–ET zone boundary five times. With most timezone changes on highways maintained by theIndiana Department of Transportation (INDOT), changes in timezone are not usually marked with any roadside signage. The final crossing into the ET zone at thePerry–Crawford county border, however, is marked with road signage.
Between Evansville andNew Albany, I-64 intersects a few major north–south arterial highways, such asUS 231,SR 37, andSR 135 and offers access toI-65 toIndianapolis viaI-265 before crossing into Kentucky on theSherman Minton Bridge.
The 123.33-mile (198.48 km) route in Indiana can be described as being somewhat winding, especially the farther east one travels within the state. The longest straight line distance along the route is the nine-mile (14 km) stretch from the SR 65 exit to mikemarker 26, one mile (1.6 km) east of US 41. There are many points along the route where the two halves of the highway are nearly 500 feet (150 m) apart, especially around the Hoosier National Forest and points to the east. In addition, there are several points, especially in the very sharp valleys along its route in Dubois, Perry, Crawford, andHarrison counties, where the highway towers more than 100 feet (30 m) above the surrounding terrain.
I-64 entersKentucky atLouisville, paralleling theOhio River along the Riverfront Expressway. It intersects with several downtown interchanges before coming to theKennedy Interchange, where it intersectsI-65 andI-71 in a tangle of ramps often referred to as the "Spaghetti Junction". Moving eastward, I-64 passes throughShelbyville,Frankfort,Midway,Lexington,Winchester,Mount Sterling,Owingsville, andMorehead, before leaving the state nearAshland atCatlettsburg. It overlapsI-75 as it makes an arc around the northeast of Lexington's urban core, with the exit numbers for I-75 used for the concurrent portion. The two Interstates separate a few miles east of downtown Lexington.
I-64 travels for 188.75 miles (303.76 km) within the state ofWest Virginia, passing by the major cities ofHuntington,Beckley, andLewisburg and directly through the capital city ofCharleston. It has only two major junctions within the state:I-77 in Charleston and in Beckley. It also crosses theKanawha River a total of four times in a 20-mile (32 km) stretch (twice west of Charleston, immediately before entering the downtown Charleston area, then approximately five miles (8.0 km) east of downtown Charleston inKanawha City).
Between I-64's two junctions with I-77, I-64 and I-77 overlap. From the final crossing of theKanawha River east of Charleston to their split at exit 40 south of Beckley, the two Interstates are tolled, forming a part of theWest Virginia Turnpike.
While the two expressways overlap, the exit signs are those for I-77. Thus, eastbound travelers entering from Kentucky will see exit numbers increase until exit 60, at which time I-77's exit numbers are used, decreasing from exit 100.
I-64 inVirginia runs east–west through central Virginia from West Virginia viaCovington,Lexington,Staunton, andCharlottesville toRichmond. From Lexington to Staunton, it overlaps I-81 (using I-81 exit numbers). In Richmond, it overlaps I-95.[9] From Richmond, I-64 continues southeasterly throughNewport News andHampton to theHampton Roads Bridge–Tunnel and then throughNorfolk and a small portion ofVirginia Beach to end inChesapeake.
I-64 itself does not reach theOceanfront area of Virginia Beach, as it continues through the western portion of Virginia Beach as part of the circumferentialHampton Roads Beltway. At its terminus, eastbound I-64 runs over 12 miles (19 km) westbound (and westbound I-64 eastbound) as the route forms a fishhook around Norfolk.I-264 intersects the beltway, providing access to other parts of Norfolk and Chesapeake and extending east to the Oceanfront.
Access to the Oceanfront area is accomplished from I-64 via a portion of I-264, a roadway originally built as theVirginia Beach Expressway, funded bytolls to retirerevenue bonds.
Elements of I-64, such as the Sherman Minton bridge over the Ohio River on the Indiana–Kentucky border, were completed by the early 1960s. The Interstate was complete between St. Louis and Charleston with the completion of the 9th Street overpass in Louisville in December 1976.[10]
In Virginia, the proposed southern route betweenClifton Forge and Richmond called for the Interstate to follow from Richmond viaUS 360 and US 460, viaLynchburg toRoanoke andUS 220 from Roanoke to Clifton Forge, then west followingUS 60 into West Virginia.[11] The initial 1957 recommendation by a state-retained engineering consultant was for the northern route, but, due in large part to the efforts of a Virginia SenatorMosby Perrow Jr. from Lynchburg, the state changed the location to the southern route in 1959.[12] Despite assurances from the federal government that the route would be decided by the state, Virginia's 1959 decision was overturned in favor of the northern route through Charlottesville.
I-64 had a proposed routing around theUS 50 corridor in Illinois when the Interstates were first planned. Local pressure pushed the routing closer to the US 460 corridor because of the cheaper cost and shorter mileage compared to the original routing,[13] but not before construction was started on a short section that is now US 50 betweenVincennes, Indiana, andLawrenceville, Illinois. It is also worth noting that the apparent route of I-64 would have taken it through the southern end ofCarlyle Lake which was also under construction at this time.
I-64 signs started going up in August 1987 on the US 40 freeway in St. Louis. This change was made in part due to truck drivers deliberately using US 40 to avoid mandatory fines for overweight trucks.[14]
On September 9, 2011, theSherman Minton Bridge was closed down by Indiana GovernorMitch Daniels after construction crews found cracks in the main load bearing structural element. Mainline traffic was redirected toI-265, then south onI-65 across theJohn F. Kennedy Memorial Bridge before rejoining I-64 at theKennedy Interchange in Louisville. Repairs were completed in a few months later, and the Sherman Minton Bridge reopened at 11:50 pm on February 17, 2012.[15][16][17]
I-70 /US 40 /US 61 inWentzville. I-64/US 40 travels concurrently toEast St. Louis, Illinois. I-64/US 61 travels concurrently to theFrontenac–Ladue city line.
I-270 inTown and Country
US 61 /US 67 on the Frontenac–Ladue city line
I-170 inRichmond Heights
I-44 /I-55 inSt. Louis. I-55/I-64 travels concurrently to East, St. Louis, Illinois.I-55 /I-70 /US 40 in East St. Louis
I-255 /US 50 inCaseyville. I-64/US 50 travels concurrently toO'Fallon.
US 51 inRichview
I-57 inMount Vernon. The highways travel concurrently to south-southwest of Mount Vernon.
US 45 north ofMill Shoals
US 41 west-southwest ofWarrenton
I-69 west-northwest ofElberfeld. Former Junction ofInterstate 164
US 231 inDale
US 150 west ofNew Albany. The highways travel concurrently toLouisville, Kentucky.
I-265 in New AlbanyI-264 in Louisville
I-65 in Louisville
I-71 in Louisville
US 42 /US 60 in LouisvilleI-264 in LouisvilleI-265 on theMiddletown–Louisville city line
US 127 inFrankfortUS 60 southeast of Frankfort
US 62 northwest ofLexington
I-75 in Lexington. The highways travel concurrently through Lexington.
US 27 /US 68 in LexingtonUS 60 northeast ofWinchesterUS 460 inMt. SterlingUS 60 northeast of Mt. SterlingUS 60 east-southeast ofOwingsvilleUS 60 northeast ofOlive HillUS 60 inCoalton
US 23 south-southwest ofCatlettsburg
US 52 inKenova. The highways travel concurrently toHuntington.US 60 inBarboursville
US 35 inTeays ValleyUS 60 inSouth Charleston
US 119 inCharleston. The highways travel concurrently through Charleston.US 60 in Charleston
I-77 in Charleston. The highways travel concurrently to southeast ofCrab Orchard.US 60 north ofChelyanUS 60 south-southeast ofCrawley
US 219 inLewisburgUS 60 east ofWhite Sulphur SpringsUS 60 east-southeast of White Sulphur Springs. The highways travel concurrently toCallaghan, Virginia.
US 60 /US 220 inMallow. I-64/US 60 travels concurrently to north-northwest ofLexington. I-64/US 220 travels concurrently to east-northeast ofClifton Forge.
US 11 inEast Lexington
I-81 east of East Lexington. The highways travel concurrently toJolivue.US 11 northeast of East LexingtonUS 11 inGreenville
US 340 inWaynesboro
US 250 inRockfish GapUS 250 inYancey Mills
US 29 west-southwest ofCharlottesvilleUS 250 east-southeast of Charlottesville
US 15 north-northeast ofZion Crossroads
US 522 northeast ofGum Spring
I-295 inShort PumpUS 250 inInnsbrookUS 250 inDumbarton
US 33 in Dumbarton
I-195 inRichmond
I-95 in Richmond. The highways travel concurrently through Richmond.
US 1 /US 301 in Richmond
US 360 on the boundary of Richmond withEast Highland ParkI-295 /US 60 east ofSandston
US 17 inNewport News
US 258 inHamptonI-664 in HamptonUS 60 in Hampton. The highways travel concurrently toNorfolk
I-564 /US 460 in NorfolkUS 13 in NorfolkI-264 in Norfolk
I-464 /US 17 inChesapeake. I-64/US 17 travels concurrently through Chesapeake.US 13 /US 460 in ChesapeakeI-264 /I-664 in Chesapeake
I-164: Former spur toEvansville, Indiana, known as theRobert D. Orr Highway, becameI-69 in 2014.I-264: Loop aroundLouisville, Kentucky; also called the Georgia Davis Powers/Shawnee Expressway west of theDixie Highway (US 31W) exit and the Watterson Expressway east of US 31W/Dixie HighwayI-264,I-464,I-564,I-664: All serving theHampton Roads region inVirginia.
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| Lists | |
| Other | |
Routes initalics are no longer a part of the system. Major Interstates are highlighted. | |
| International | |
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| Geographic | |
