 Interstate 29 | |
|---|---|
 I-29 highlighted in red | |
| Route information | |
| Length | 750.58 mi[1] (1,207.94 km) |
| NHS | Entire route |
| Major junctions | |
| South end |      I-35 /I-70 /US 24 /US 40 /US 71 inKansas City, MO |
| Major intersections |
|
| North end |  US 81 / PTH 75 at thePembina–Emerson Border Crossing inPembina, ND |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| States | Missouri,Iowa,South Dakota,North Dakota |
| Highway system | |
Interstate 29 (I-29) is anInterstate Highway in theMidwestern United States. I-29 runs fromKansas City, Missouri, at a junction withI-35 andI-70, to the Canada–US border nearPembina, North Dakota, where it connects withManitoba Provincial Trunk Highway 75 (PTH 75), which continues on toWinnipeg.[2] The road follows the course of three major rivers, all of which form the borders of US states. The southern portion of I-29 closely parallels theMissouri River from Kansas City northward toSioux City, Iowa, where it crosses and then parallels theBig Sioux River. For the northern third of the highway, it closely follows theRed River of the North. The major cities that I-29 connects to includes (from south to north)Council Bluffs, Iowa;Sioux City, Iowa;Sioux Falls, South Dakota;Fargo, North Dakota; andGrand Forks, North Dakota. I-29 also serves as a road connection between the four largest public universities inthe Dakotas: theUniversity of North Dakota,North Dakota State University, theUniversity of South Dakota, andSouth Dakota State University.
| mi | km | |
|---|---|---|
| MO | 128.71 | 207.14 |
| IA | 151.83 | 244.35 |
| SD | 252.50 | 406.36 |
| ND | 217.54 | 350.10 |
| Total | 750.58 | 1,207.94 |
Near its southern terminus, I-29 is concurrent with I-35 andU.S. Route 71 (US 71). The Interstate diverts from US 71 just north of St. Joseph and follows a sparsely populated corridor along theMissouri River to Council Bluffs. During the design phase there was an alternative sending the route further along US 71 through the bigger towns ofMaryville, Missouri, andClarinda, Iowa. During theGreat Flood of 1993, the Missouri River flooded this section and traffic was rerouted to US 71 through Maryville and Clarinda. I-29 was closed again for about two months during the2011 Missouri River Flood.
Almost all of I-29 in Missouri is in an area called thePlatte Purchase that was not originally part of Missouri when it entered the Union.
I-29 begins in Iowa nearHamburg. It goes northwest to an interchange withIowa Highway 2 (Iowa 2), then goes north untilCouncil Bluffs. It appears to briefly runs concurrent withI-80, but I-29 actually runs outside I-80 until the two separate less than one mile (1.6 km) east ofOmaha, Nebraska, to follow the Missouri River north, winding its way along the western and northern edges of Council Bluffs. North of Council Bluffs, I-29 intersectsI-680 at exit 61. At exit 71,I-880 begins, while I-29 continues on a northwesterly path towardSioux City. At Sioux City,I-129 spurs off of I-29 to go west towardSouth Sioux City, Nebraska. After continuing toward downtown Sioux City on a northerly route, I-29 turns west and enters South Dakota.
All of I-29 through Iowa is part of theLewis and Clark Trail.
I-29 enters South Dakota atNorth Sioux City by crossing over theBig Sioux River. It runs northwest until its interchange withHighway 50 (SD 50) nearVermillion, where it turns north. The highway alignment is due north until just beforeSioux Falls. In the Sioux Falls area, I-29 serves the western part of Sioux Falls whileI-229 spurs off and serves eastern Sioux Falls. In northwestern Sioux Falls, I-29 meetsI-90. After that, it continues north pastBrookings and an intersection withUS 14. At the intersection withSD 28, I-29 turns northwest towardWatertown. After Watertown, the highway continues north and passes an intersection withUS 12 before continuing intoNorth Dakota.
I-29 enters North Dakota from the south nearHankinson. At Fargo, it meetsI-94/US 52 and continues north along theRed River towardGrand Forks. At its northern terminus, I-29 entersCanada and becomesPTH 75 inManitoba, which leads toWinnipeg.
.svg) Interstate 31 | |
|---|---|
| Location | Fargo, North Dakota, toCanada–US border |
| Existed | 1957–1958 |
The portion fromFargo, North Dakota, to the Canada–US border was originally considered for designation asInterstate 31 (I-31) in 1957 for present-day I-29.[3] No freeway was initially planned south of Fargo. However, it was subsequently decided in 1958 to connect I-29 and I-31 between Sioux Falls and Fargo. The entire freeway was then built and numbered as I-29.[4]
Residents of Missouri, Arkansas, and Louisiana began campaigning in the 1960s to extend I-29 via the US 71 corridor from Kansas City, Missouri, toNew Orleans, Louisiana.[5] The campaign would create a limited access highway from New Orleans to Canada and on toWinnipeg.[citation needed] That extension came to be calledI-49, which was not part of the 1957 master plan.[citation needed] It was assigned a separate number instead of I-29 to conform with the numbering rules for Interstate Highways (increasing from west to east for north–south routes), as it would lie east ofI-35 and west ofI-55.[6] When I-49 is complete, the goal of the association will have been accomplished, with only a brief gap (served byother Interstates or US 71).
In March and April 2019, as a result of the2019 Midwestern US floods, I-29 was closed in both directions for approximately 187 miles (301 km) betweenSt. Joseph andCouncil Bluffs. Much of this section of I-29, including at the Missouri–Iowa border, runs over or through a large floodplain for theMissouri andPlatte rivers. As such, multiple elevated sections of the highway collapsed and other sections were submerged or washed out by floodwaters. This was the largest closure of an Interstate Highway in terms of distance in the history of the Interstate Highway System. A signed detour was not officially designated in most areas, as the roads that would be used as detours are mostly rural farm roads that were also submerged by flooding. However, along I-80 in Iowa, traffic from I-80 in Iowa was officially detoured via I-35 from Des Moines, Iowa, to Kansas City, Missouri.US 75, paralleling I-29 on the other side of the Missouri River, was also closed in large sections due to flooding.
By May 2019, the vast majority of I-29 had been repaired and reopened, with the exception of 10 miles (16 km) around Council Bluffs where the highway ran concurrent withI-680 (now the portion of I-29 between I-680 and I-880). However, throughout the remainder of the spring and summer, and even early fall, more rainfall and flooding resulted in sections of I-29 being closed again, including on the recently repaired sections. At a few times, the entire 187-mile (301 km) section between St. Joseph and Council Bluffs was completely shut down, although this was rare after May 2019.[7][8][9]
As of October 2019, all of I-29 is open to traffic in both directions, although some Missouri River bridges and local farm roads remain closed due to flooding.
I-35 /I-70 /US 24 /US 40 /US 71 at theDowntown Loop inKansas City. I-29 / I-35 travel concurrently through Kansas City. I-29 / US 71 travel concurrently to east ofAmazonia.
US 69 on theGladstone–Kansas City city line
US 169 on the Gladstone–Kansas City city line
I-635 in Kansas City
I-435 in Kansas City. The highways travel concurrently toPlatte City.
I-229 south-southeast ofSt. JosephUS 169 in St. Joseph
US 36 in St. JosephUS 169 in St. Joseph
US 59 north-northeast of St. Joseph. The highways travel concurrently to east ofAmazonia.I-229 /US 59 /US 71 north of St. JosephUS 59 northwest of Amazonia. The highways travel concurrently for approximately 1.8 miles (2.9 km).US 59 north ofOregon
US 159 south-southeast ofMound CityUS 59 east ofCraig
US 136 inRock Port
US 34 /US 275 west ofGlenwood. I-29 / US 275 travel concurrently toCouncil Bluffs.
I-80 /US 6 in Council Bluffs. I-29 / US 6 travel concurrently through Council Bluffs.
I-480 in Council Bluffs.
I-680 west-southwest ofCrescent
I-880 west-southwest ofLoveland
US 30 inMissouri Valley
I-129 /US 20 /US 75 inSioux City
US 77 in Sioux City
US 18 south-southwest ofWorthing. The highways travel concurrently for approximately 3.02 miles (4.86 km).I-229 inSioux Falls
I-90 in Sioux Falls
US 14 inBrookings
US 212 inWatertownUS 81 northeast of Watertown. The highways travel concurrently to east ofManvel, North Dakota.
US 12 northwest ofSummit
I-94 /US 52 inFargo
US 10 in Fargo
US 2 inGrand ForksUS 81 south-southwest ofJoliette. The highways travel concurrently to theCanada–United States border north ofPembina.PTH 75 at the Canada–United States border north of Pembina
Media related toInterstate 29 at Wikimedia Commons
 PrimaryInterstate Highways | |
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| Signed | |
| Unsigned | |
| Lists | |
| Other | |
Routes initalics are no longer a part of the system. Major Interstates are highlighted. | |
