Interstate 49
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Route of completed sections of I-49 as of 2014 in red
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| Route information | |
| Length: | 528.02 mi (849.77 km) |
| Existed: | 1984 – present |
| Original segment | |
| South end: |
  I-10 / US 167 in Lafayette, LA
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| North end: |
 I-20 in Shreveport, LA
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| Northern Louisiana–southern Arkansas segment | |
| South end: |
 LA 1 north of Shreveport, LA |
| Major junctions: |
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| North end: |
  US 71 / US 59 in Texarkana, AR |
| Northern Arkansas segment | |
| South end: |
 I-40 / US 71 in Alma, AR
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| North end: |
US 71 in Bella Vista, AR
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| Missouri segment | |
| South end: |
 US 71 in Pineville, MO
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| Major junctions: |
 I-44 near Joplin, MO
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| North end: |
   I-435 / I-470 / US 50 / US 71 in Kansas City
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| Location | |
| States: | Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri |
| Highway system | |
Interstate 49 (I-49) is an Interstate Highway that exists in multiple segments: the original portion entirely within the state of Louisiana with an additional signed portion extending from LA 1 in Shreveport to the Arkansas state line, four newer sections in Arkansas, and a new section that opened in Missouri. Its southern terminus is in Lafayette, Louisiana, at Interstate 10 while its northern terminus is in Kansas City, Missouri at Interstate 435 and Interstate 470. Portions of the remaining roadway in Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri, and Texas, which will link Kansas City with New Orleans, are in various stages of planning or construction.
Although not part of the original 1957 interstate highway plan, residents of Missouri, Arkansas and Louisiana began campaigning for the highway in 1965 via the "US 71 - I-29 Association." The campaign called for Interstate 29 to be extended south from Kansas City to New Orleans following much of the route along US 71. The plan called for creating a limited access expressway from New Orleans to the Canadian border and on to Winnipeg (via Manitoba Highway 75). The highway is not named Interstate 29 because of interstate naming rules. The rules state that north-south roads are odd numbered and the highways are named in increasing order from west to east. Since there are an Interstate 35 and an Interstate 45 to the west and an Interstate 55 to the east Interstate 49 was chosen for the name.
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Wikipedia