60-657: Interstate 64 ( I-64 ) passes through the Greater St. Louis area in the US state of Missouri . The entire route is concurrent with U.S. Route 40 (US 40). Because the road was a main thoroughfare in the St. Louis area before the development of the Interstate Highway System , it is not uncommon for locals to refer to the stretch of highway as "Highway 40" rather than "I-64". On December 6, 2009,
120-592: A public transportation network that includes bus , as well as the MetroLink light rail which began operating in 1993. The principal airport serving the region is St. Louis Lambert International Airport , located in St. Louis County. It also includes MidAmerica St. Louis Airport . Education in Greater St. Louis is provided by 132 public school districts, independent private schools, parochial schools , and several public library systems. Greater St. Louis also
180-557: A French fur trading post in 1764 because it was a rarely flooded area at the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers. In 1770, ownership of St. Louis was transferred to Spain, and then returned to France during a secret treaty ( Treaty of San Ildefonso ). The area became part of the United States in the 1803 Louisiana Purchase , and steadily grew thereafter. It was the starting point for Lewis and Clark . St. Louis
240-663: A fourth lane east of Compton Avenue. Another lane drop occurs at the Chestnut and 20th Street exit, where the canceled Route 755 was to interchange. The freeway passes just south of the Enterprise Center and again becomes double-decked in the same arrangement, passing within 50 feet (15 m) of the New Busch Stadium . The route becomes two lanes as it approaches the Mississippi River and
300-520: A new alignment of I-70 as a tunnel from the southeast corner of the downtown loop to 22nd/23rd streets, covering the southern portion of the downtown loop (I-670), or making the downtown loop into a unidirectional freeway around downtown, essentially becoming a large roundabout . In March 2023, Governor Mike Parson announced a proposal to widen I-70 to six lanes (three lanes each way) across the state, which he approved in July 2023. The Missouri Hyperloop
360-629: A rural highway as it leaves Jackson County . The highway remains this way for the next 100 miles (160 km), going through gently rolling terrain while it meets US 65 at a cloverleaf interchange and finally crossing the Missouri River at Rocheport just west of where it reaches the midsized college town of Columbia in the center of the state. Through Columbia, the highway is lined with restaurants and hotels and can get congested during University of Missouri sporting events. The highway leaves Columbia after an exit with St. Charles Road on
420-666: Is a continued population decline although revitalization efforts are under way. As noted above, the Greater St. Louis area includes two municipalities named O'Fallon (in St. Charles County, Missouri and St. Clair County, Illinois), two municipalities named Troy (in Lincoln County, Missouri and Madison County, Illinois), and two municipalities named Chesterfield (in St. Louis County, Missouri and Macoupin County, Illinois). Greater St. Louis contains several separately-chartered, county-level governmental units that exist independently of
480-541: Is among the busiest section of highway in the state, with annual average daily traffic (AADT) counts approaching 165,000 in 2005. I-270 draws much of the traffic, so I-70 continues east through Bridgeton with only six lanes. After interchanges with Route 180 (St. Charles Rock Road) and US 67 ( Lindbergh Boulevard ), it passes on the southern edge of St. Louis Lambert International Airport and through several bedroom communities—including Edmundson , Berkeley , Ferguson , and Jennings —and crossing I-170 in
540-509: Is home to more than 30 colleges and universities. Parks in Greater St. Louis are administered by a variety of state, county, and municipal authorities, and the region also includes the state of Missouri's only National Park , Gateway Arch National Park . Several Missouri state parks in the region and parks owned by St. Louis County are larger than 1,000 acres, while one park in the city of St. Louis, Forest Park , also exceeds 1,000 acres. The 2014 Gross Metropolitan Product (GMP) of St. Louis
600-747: Is home to several area companies. Monsanto Company , formerly a chemical company and now a leader in genetically modified crops , is headquartered in Creve Coeur . Express Scripts , a pharmaceutical benefits management firm, has its corporate headquarters in the suburbs of St. Louis, near the campus of the University of Missouri–St. Louis . Energizer Holdings , the battery company, is headquartered in Town and Country. Enterprise Rent-A-Car 's headquarters are located in Clayton . Charter Communications
660-537: Is home to the headquarters of ten of Missouri's eleven Fortune 500 companies, six Fortune 1,000 companies, and two of the top 30 largest private companies in America, as ranked by Forbes . The metropolitan area received the All-America City Award in 2008. The Illini Confederacy once dominated what is today the St. Louis area. During the 17th century, the population of indigenous peoples in
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#1732775477598720-645: Is located adjacent to the I-70/ I-435 interchange. East of I-435, I-70 continues east through Independence , passing a busy cloverleaf interchange at I-470 . The highway then continues with six lanes to the rapidly growing suburb of Blue Springs , where the roadway narrows to four lanes (two each direction) at Route 7 . I-70 remains at this width until just west of the intersection with I-64 /US 40/ US 61 in Wentzville , over 170 miles (270 km) away. East of Blue Springs, I-70 takes on
780-623: The 2010 United States Census , in Greater St. Louis there were 2,787,701 people living in 1,143,001 households, of which 748,892 households were families. In 2010, 98.2% of the population of Greater St. Louis considered themselves of one race , while 1.8% considered themselves of two or more races . Of those of one race, 76.9% (2,214,298) were white , 18% (519,221) were African American , 2.1% (60,316) were Asian American , and 1.1% (32,542) were American Indian , Native Hawaiian , Pacific Islander American , or some other race. 2.5% (72,797) were Hispanic or Latino Americans of any race. Religion in
840-466: The Centralia, IL micropolitan statistical area , which includes Marion County , Illinois . In 2020, the St. Louis MSA was the 21st-largest in the nation with a population of 2,820,253. The larger CSA is ranked 20th largest in the United States, with a population of 2,909,003. It fell out of the country's top 20 largest MSAs in 2017 for the first time since 1840. As of 2021, Greater St. Louis
900-587: The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center , the Solae Company , Sigma-Aldrich , and Multidata Systems International . Although it was purchased by Belgium-based InBev , Anheuser-Busch continues its presence in the city, as does Mallinckrodt Incorporated in spite of its purchase by Tyco International . General Motors continues to produce cars in the St. Louis area, although Chrysler closed its production facility in
960-727: The Lewis and Clark Viaduct , running concurrently with U.S. Route 24 (US 24), US 40 and US 169 , and the east end is on the Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge in St. Louis . Crossing into Missouri on the Lewis and Clark Viaduct , I-70 immediately encounters the Downtown Loop , also called the Alphabet Loop, a small but complex loop of freeways with all of its exits having
1020-691: The Metro East ); and the Missouri counties of Crawford (only the City of Sullivan ), Franklin , Jefferson , Lincoln , St. Charles , St. Louis (separate from and not inclusive of the city of St. Louis), and Warren . The larger St. Louis–St. Charles–Farmington, MO–IL combined statistical area (CSA) includes all of the aforementioned MSA, plus the Farmington, MO micropolitan statistical area , which includes St. Francois County , Missouri , and
1080-659: The Poplar Street Bridge , where it is intersects I-55 and I-44 at an incomplete interchange; it was also at this interchange that I-70 joined I-55 and I-64 to cross the Poplar Street Bridge, but its former downtown route is now an extension of I-44. Eastbound I-64 cannot directly access either one of the other routes, but westbound I-64, however, can directly access both. I-64 continues into Illinois concurrent with I-55; until 2014, it also ran concurrent with I-70, which has since been rerouted onto
1140-550: The Special School District of St. Louis County . The East-West Gateway Council of Governments is the federally-designated metropolitan planning organization for the region's transportation infrastructure. The nearby Hannibal – Quincy micropolitan area and Springfield, Illinois metropolitan area are technically not located within the metropolitan area, but are regionally associated due to their proximity and accessibility to Greater St. Louis. According to
1200-535: The St. Louis Cardinals ( MLB ), who have won 19 National League Pennants, and 11 World Series Championships, the St. Louis BattleHawks ( UFL ) and the St. Louis City SC ( MLS ). Interstate 70 (Missouri) Interstate 70 ( I-70 ) in the US state of Missouri is generally parallel to the Missouri River . This section of the transcontinental interstate begins at the Kansas state line on
1260-545: The Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge further upstream. Before the Interstate Highway System, US 40 was a main thoroughfare through St. Louis and Kansas City. From each state line, there were signs saying "Future I-55/I-64 Corridor" and "Future I-70 Corridor". The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) rebuilt the stretch of I-64 from Spoede Road to Kingshighway Boulevard between 2008 and 2009. The project included new concrete pavement on
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#17327754775981320-668: The bedroom community of Lake St. Louis , then the growing towns of O'Fallon and St. Peters , and finally the historic city of St. Charles . It crosses over the Missouri River one last time on the Blanchette Memorial Bridge , which is actually made up of two bridges: the westbound span built in the late 1950s and refurbished in 2013 and the eastbound one completed in the late 1970s. Traffic volume increases as I-70 enters St. Louis County , requiring more lanes. There are as many as 13 lanes at one point. The section of I-70 from Fifth Street in St. Charles to I-270
1380-597: The beltway around the Kansas City metropolitan area . US 24 departs from I-70 exit 8B and heads north following I-435. While passing through Kansas City, I-70 is known as the George Brett Super Highway , named after former Kansas City Royals third baseman and Baseball Hall of Fame member George Brett . The Truman Sports Complex , which houses the Royals's and Chiefs 's stadiums,
1440-477: The number 2 and a letter suffix that uses the entire alphabet (except I, O, and Z). I-70 runs concurrently with I-35 once it enters into the Loop. Both Interstates maintain the concurrency until they approach the northeastern corner of the loop. Back at the northwest corner, US 169 splits off to the north, leaving four routes concurrent with each other. There is a large interchange with Route 9 in
1500-470: The St. Louis CSA Greater St. Louis is the 21st-largest metropolitan statistical area (MSA) in the United States, the largest in Missouri , and the second-largest in Illinois . Its core city — St. Louis, Missouri —sits in the geographic center of the metro area, on the west bank of the Mississippi River . The river bisects the metro area geographically between Illinois and Missouri, although
1560-532: The St. Louis metro area are as follows: As of 2010, the median age for Greater St. Louis is 38.2, and 47.4% of the population was male while 52.6% was female. As of 2010, Greater St. Louis included 1,264,680 housing units , of which 90.4% (1,143,001) were occupied. Of those units that were vacant, 3.2% (40,553) of units were for rent, 1.6% (19,956) were for sale, 1% (12,575) were unoccupied seasonal homes, and .5% (6,771) were sold or rented but unoccupied. 3.3% (41,884) of units were vacant and not for sale or rent. Of
1620-433: The St. Louis metropolitan area (2014) According to a Pew Research study conducted in 2014, 75% of St. Louis metro area residents identify with Christianity and its various denominations, and 4% are adherents of non-Christian religions. 21% have no religion. Of those, about 3% specifically identify as atheists, about 3% identify as agnostics, and about 16% identify as "Nothing in particular". The religious demographics of
1680-532: The United States. In 1904, St. Louis hosted the world's fair in Forest Park and the Olympics at Washington University's Francis Field . More than 20 million people visited the city during the fair's seven-month long run. St. Louis was seen as a city of industrialization with ties to the automobile industry. The Great Migration between World War I and World War II brought thousands of African Americans to
1740-487: The arch. In 1959, builders of the Poplar Street Bridge asked for the National Park Service to give 25 acres (10 ha) of the park for the bridge. The request generated enormous controversy and ultimately 2.5 acres (1.0 ha) was turned over to use for the bridge. The New Mississippi River Bridge was finished and opened to traffic on Sunday, February 9, 2014. It reroutes and redirects I-70 traffic off
1800-609: The area is home to six Fortune 1,000 companies: Stifel (#633), Peabody Energy (#772), Energizer Holdings (#775), Caleres (#935), Belden (#964), Spire (#999). As well as two of the Top 50 Largest Private Companies in America, as ranked by Forbes: Enterprise Holdings (#9) and World Wide Technology (#20). Other notable corporations from the area include Wells Fargo Advisors (formerly A.G. Edwards), Energizer Holdings , and Ralcorp . Significant healthcare and biotechnology institutions with operations in St. Louis include Pfizer ,
1860-602: The area was well over tens of thousands, including 20,000 in the Grand Village of Illinois. Indigenous peoples in the area built earthwork mounds on both sides of the Mississippi River, with the Cahokia Mounds as the regional center. St. Louis would later receive the nickname of "Mound City". Pierre Laclede Liguest and his 13-year-old grandson, Auguste Chouteau , selected St. Louis as the site for
Interstate 64 in Missouri - Misplaced Pages Continue
1920-510: The city, boosting St. Louis's population to 800,000 by 1940. The population peaked in 1950 at 856,000. There was no more room for expansion within city boundaries and earlier immigrant generations started moving to suburbs that could not be annexed. During the mid-1960s, construction began on the Gateway Arch and Busch Stadium , in part to help revitalize the central business district. A 30-year downtown building boom followed. Today, there
1980-405: The congested Chesterfield Valley, where it gains a fourth lane and then meets I-270 at a flyover interchange built in the early 1990s in the city of Town and Country . Continuing east, I-64 remains four lanes and travels through the affluent areas of Frontenac and Ladue . The next major interchange is I-170 in the city of Richmond Heights . This stretch, located between Ballas Road and I-170,
2040-418: The congested Poplar Street Bridge. The bridge was named in honor of St. Louis Cardinals baseball legend Stan Musial . As of 2021 , US 24 follows I-70 east to I-435 north. US 24 that used to follow Independence Avenue will become a business route of US 24. I-70 across central Missouri is one of the oldest stretches of Interstate Highway in the system, as some sections date as far back as
2100-430: The east end of town. East of Columbia, I-70 has an interchange with US 54 at Kingdom City , Route 19 at New Florence , and Route 47 at Warrenton . Then, it continues through more gently rolling terrain until it reaches Wentzville, where it meets I-64/US 61. Here, US 40 departs from I-70. It then expands to three lanes each direction to St. Louis . East of Wentzville, I-70 passes through
2160-449: The express lane traffic patterns accordingly. These lanes have no entrance or exit ramps, except at the ends. They extend approximately eight miles (13 km) from near Union Boulevard to just north of Downtown St. Louis . Just before it enters downtown, I-70 turns to the east to cross the Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge , which redirects the highway's traffic away from the congested Poplar Street Bridge two miles (3.2 km) to
2220-492: The expressway passes through older neighborhoods and enters into the city of St. Louis . After readding a fourth lane, the freeway skirts the southern edge of Forest Park . In this area, one finds both the Saint Louis Science Center and Saint Louis Zoo . Kingshighway marks the end of the completely reconstructed eastern half, where again outdated exits were updated and shoulders widened. The eastern half
2280-757: The hierarchical municipality-county-state structure. These span multiple counties, and even cross state lines. Generally, their jurisdiction is focused on providing specific services that otherwise would be inadequately funded or inefficiently provided. They include the Bi-State Development Agency , the Great Rivers Greenway District , the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District, the Metropolitan Zoological Park and Museum District , and
2340-443: The highway; approximately 25 rebuilt bridges; and several reconfigured interchanges, including a new freeway-to-freeway interchange at I-170. The section between Spoede Road and I-170 was closed for reconstruction on January 2, 2008, and opened to traffic on December 15, 2008. The section between I-170 and Kingshighway Boulevard was closed on December 15, 2008, and reopened to traffic on December 7, 2009. The project
2400-413: The late 1950s. As a result, the exits often have short, substandard acceleration and deceleration ramps and the median is relatively narrow. Certain spots of both directions of traffic are separated by no more than a Jersey barrier . Also, a number of overpasses have low clearance, especially railway overpasses. Long-term plans have been identified to expand the highway to between six and eight lanes across
2460-415: The latter portion is much more populous. The MSA includes St. Louis County , which is independent of the City of St. Louis; their two populations are generally tabulated separately. The St. Louis, MO-IL metropolitan statistical area (MSA) includes the City of St. Louis; the Illinois counties of Bond , Calhoun , Clinton , Jersey , Macoupin , Madison , Monroe , and St. Clair (known collectively as
Interstate 64 in Missouri - Misplaced Pages Continue
2520-558: The loop's northeastern corner. At that corner, I-29 ends, and US 71 joins. Once it leaves I-35, I-70 turns south, with interchanges to more roads. At the southeastern corner, I-70, US 40 , US 24 , and US 71 all exit the loop. I-70, US 40, and US 24 split off to the east, and US 71 continues south. I-670 ends at the alignment. Not long after they usurp that alignment, I-70/US 40/US 24 turn southeast. US 40 departs from I-70 at exit 7A. I-70 and US 24 then interchanges with I-435,
2580-583: The middle of the state. Tolling the Interstate has become a possible alternative, although the public does not support this idea. In May 2023, about $ 2.8 billion was allocated to widen the interstate throughout the entire state to at least three lanes in each direction. Dubbed as the MODOT’s Improve I-70 program, the project will be broken down in six segments and being construction work in Spring 2024;
2640-457: The non-farm workforce of Missouri and Illinois combined. As of May 2011, 125,000 non-farm workers were unemployed in Greater St. Louis, with an unemployment rate of 8.6 percent. As of the third quarter of 2010, the Greater St. Louis region had more than 73,000 companies or establishments paying wages, while average weekly wages for that period were $ 833, slightly lower than the U.S. national average of $ 870. The largest industry by business conducted
2700-467: The occupied housing units, 70.6% (807,431) were owner-occupied with 2,075,622 occupants. 29.4% (335,570) of units were rented with 739,749 occupants. In 2010, the median income for a household in the St. Louis metro was $ 50,900. Transportation in Greater St. Louis includes road , rail , and air transportation modes connecting the communities in the area with national and international transportation networks. Parts of Greater St. Louis also support
2760-534: The portion of the highway running through the city of St. Louis was named the Jack Buck Memorial Highway in honor of the late sportscaster . I-64 begins at an interchange with I-70 , US 40 , and US 61 in St. Charles County and heads south. Previously, the freeway was a divided highway signed only as US 40 with at-grade intersections, which were slowly converted to limited-access exits. The final intersection at Callahan Road
2820-628: The process. As it finally enters the city of St. Louis, motorists encounter what are signed as the "Express Lanes", known by the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) as the " reversible lanes ". Two lanes in the middle of the freeway are separated from the eastbound and westbound lanes by Jersey barriers . Due to traffic pattern changes caused by the I-64 reconstruction, the lanes travel eastbound all day. MoDOT regularly monitors traffic patterns of this stretch of I-70 and will adjust
2880-581: The region, which was located in Fenton, Missouri . Despite its purchase by Nestlé , Ralston Purina remained headquartered in St. Louis as a wholly owned subsidiary. St. Louis is also home to Boeing Phantom Works (formerly McDonnell-Douglas ). In addition, the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis in downtown is one of two federal reserve banks in Missouri. St. Louis County in particular
2940-468: The south. This two-mile (3.2 km) stretch of former I-70 is now an extension of I-44 . I-70 had been criticized for cutting off downtown from the Mississippi River waterfront particularly at the Gateway Arch. St. Louis constructed a $ 90-million (equivalent to $ 127 million in 2023 ) project to cover the highway (now I-44) by the arch. This was not the first controversy involving I-70 and
3000-574: The work is expected to last about seven years. A March 2010 study of I-70 from the Kansas state line to the I-470 interchange identified several possible improvements, including expanding the freeway from four to eight lanes, adding high-occupancy vehicle or toll lanes, reconstructing the Truman Road interchange, and improving the curves at Jackson Avenue and Truman Road. Some novel ideas included
3060-428: Was $ 145.958 billion, that makes St. Louis the 21st highest GMP in the United States. The three largest categories of employment in Greater St. Louis are trade, transportation, and utilities with 249,000 workers, education and healthcare services with 225,000 workers, and professional and business services with 185,000 workers. Greater St. Louis has more than 1.3 million non-farm workers, representing roughly 15 percent of
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#17327754775983120-591: Was $ 213 billion in 2007. With a gross metropolitan product of $ 112 billion in 2009, St. Louis' economy makes up 40% of the Gross State Product of Missouri. As of 2021, Greater St. Louis is home to eight of Missouri's ten Fortune 500 companies: Centene (#24), Emerson Electric (#181), Reinsurance Group of America (#207), Edward Jones (#295), Graybar (#399), Ameren (#469), Olin Corporation (#472), and Post Holdings (#474). In addition,
3180-405: Was closed from December 15, 2008, to December 7, 2009. I-64's speed limit drops from 60 to 55 mph (97 to 89 km/h) east of Kingshighway and drops a lane at Vandeventer Avenue (the opposite of the westbound lanes). Passing by Saint Louis University , the freeway becomes double-decked for the first time (eastbound lanes at a lower level; westbound lanes at an upper one), gaining back
3240-451: Was closed in 2008 for a complete reconstruction, at which point substandard exits were upgraded and the fourth lane was added. The interchange with I-170 was also overhauled, creating a full interchange with highspeed ramps in all directions. The reconstructed expressway opened to traffic on the morning of December 15, 2008. East of the interchange with I-170, I-64 drops a lane and stays at three throughlanes to Clayton Road. Through here,
3300-495: Was completed with a dedication and opening day ceremony on Sunday, December 6. In 2020, exits 39 and 38B were closed and demolished to make way for the CityPark , a new soccer-specific stadium for St. Louis City SC on the site. The ramps were the remnants of a 3.3-mile-long (5.3 km) north–south distributor highway that was never built. Greater St. Louis St. Louis, MO–IL MSA Other Statistical Areas in
3360-689: Was formerly headquartered in Town and Country, until the executive team moved to Stamford, Connecticut; however, Charter has continued to grow in St. Louis and has upwards of 4,000 employees in the region as of mid-2018. Emerson Electric 's headquarters are located in Ferguson . Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is headquartered in Berkeley . Edward Jones Investments is headquartered in Des Peres . From 1994 until its acquisition in 2000 by Tyco International , another chemical company, Mallinckrodt ,
3420-551: Was headquartered in St. Louis County. Many of the former Mallinckrodt facilities are still in operation by Tyco in the St. Louis suburb of Hazelwood, Missouri . Others are SSM Health Care , Mercy Hospital , and the Tenet Healthcare Corporation chain. The Greater St. Louis area is currently home to four professional sports teams: the St. Louis Blues ( NHL ) who won the Stanley Cup in 2019 , and
3480-474: Was incorporated as a city in 1823. Between 1840 and 1860, the population exploded, particularly because of the arrival of German and Irish immigrants. St. Louis's current boundaries were established in 1876. After the American Civil War , St. Louis continued to grow into a major manufacturing center due to its access to rail and water transportation. By the 1890s, St. Louis was the 4th-largest city in
3540-518: Was removed on October 14, 2009. The next major exit is for Route N and the western terminus of Route 364 . Route 364 was completed and opened on November 2, 2014. From here, I-64 continues past interchanges with Route DD /Winghaven Boulevard, Route 94 , and Research Park Circle and then crosses the Missouri River via the Daniel Boone Bridge and enters St. Louis County . The freeway travels through
3600-399: Was wholesaling with $ 71 billion, followed by manufacturing with $ 67 billion, retail trade with $ 36 billion, and healthcare with $ 16 billion. The area's largest employer by sector was healthcare with 174,000 workers, followed by retail trade with 152,000 workers and manufacturing with 134,000 workers. Using available data, the combined value of business conducted in the combined statistical area
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