James River Freeway | ||||
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Route information | ||||
Maintained by MoDOT | ||||
Length: | 14 mi (23 km) Route 360: 4 mi (6.4 km) |
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Component highways: |
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Major junctions | ||||
West end: | I-44 near Republic | |||
East end: | US 65 at Springfield | |||
Highway system | ||||
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James River Freeway is a 14-mile-long (23 km) freeway located largely on the south side of Springfield, Missouri. Its western terminus is at Interstate 44 (I-44) north of Brookline and its eastern terminus is at U.S. Route 65 (US 65) in southeastern Springfield. It is named for the James River, which passes near the highway at the freeway's eastern terminus. A total of four highways (and one business route) are routed on the highway: Route 360, US 60, US 160, Route 13, and Business US 65.
The four-mile (6.4 km) portion of the James River Freeway between I-44 and the interchange with US 60 and Route 413 is designated as Route 360. Other than its endpoints, there is only one interchange on the route: Route MM in Brookline (now part of Republic). Exit markers for the highway mark the road as the James River Freeway and have no control cities, only "To Route 60" eastbound and "To I-44" westbound.
The control cities between US 60 and US 65 are Republic westbound and Rogersville eastbound. At US 65, they are Springfield westbound and Cabool eastbound.
As Springfield began to expand to the south, traffic began to grow rapidly on Route M (known locally as Republic Road) causing significant traffic problems. A proposal for a new highway on the south side (I-44 is on the north, and US 65, also a freeway, is on the east) had been around for some time. By the early 1990s, the road was under construction. It opened in four sections: