Interstate 64

Interstate 64
Interstate 64
	I-64 highlighted in red
Route information
Length	963.52 mi (1,550.64 km)
Existed	1961–present
NHS	Entire route
Major junctions
West end	I-70 / US 40 / US 61 in Wentzville, MO
	I-44 / I-55 in St. Louis, MO; I-55 / I-70 / US 40 in East St. Louis, IL; I-57 in Mt. Vernon, IL; I-69 in Elberfeld, IN; I-65 / I-71 in Louisville, KY; I-75 through Lexington, KY; I-77 between Charleston and Beckley, WV; I-81 between Lexington and Staunton, VA; I-95 through Richmond, VA;
East end	I-264 / I-664 / US 13 / US 58 / US 460 in Chesapeake, VA
Location
Country	United States
States	Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia
Highway system
	Interstate Highway System; Main; Auxiliary; Suffixed; Business; Future;

Interstate 64 (I-64) is an east–west Interstate Highway in the Eastern United States. Its western terminus is at I-70, U.S. Route 40 (US 40), and US 61 in Wentzville, Missouri. Its eastern terminus is at the Bowers Hill Interchange with I-264 and I-664 at Bower's Hill in Chesapeake, Virginia. I-64 connects Greater St. Louis, the Louisville metropolitan area, the Lexington–Fayette metropolitan area, the Charleston metropolitan area, the Greater Richmond Region, and Hampton Roads.

Route description

Lengths
	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 with I-55, I-57, I-75, I-77, I-81, and I-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.

Missouri

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 in Greater 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 the Avenue of the Saints. An interchange at Highway N in O'Fallon opened on December 13, 2004. This interchange also accommodates the tie-in of the Route 364 freeway to I-64. In April 2007, construction started to rebuild 10.5 miles (16.9 km) of I-64 in St. Louis from Spoede Road to Kingshighway. This project included repaving the entire road, rebuilding the overpasses and interchanges, adding a fourth lane between Spoede Road and I-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 from I-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 the Poplar Street Bridge to I-70 in Wentzville.^[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 of the late sportscaster.

Illinois

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 of East St. Louis and the rest of suburban St. Clair County, the freeway heads southeast through rural Southern Illinois. Shortly after passing MidAmerica St. Louis Airport at exit 23, I-64 enters Clinton County and then Washington County. After providing access to towns such as Carlyle, Breese, Nashville, and Centralia, the freeway overlaps I-57 through the Mount 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, crossing Jefferson, Wayne, and White counties as it progresses east toward Indiana and the Evansville, Indiana, area. East of the St. Louis area, there are numerous oilwells dotting the landscape.

The section from Illinois Route 127 (IL 127) to I-57 opened on October 4, 1974.^[5] The section from IL 161 to IL 127 opened in December 1973.^[6] The section in Metro East, except for a short section near I-55/I-70, opened on December 23, 1975.^[7] The section from US 460 (later IL 142) to US 45 opened on August 7, 1975.^[8]

Indiana

I-64 crosses the Wabash River and enters the state of Indiana. It passes Griffin (State Road 69, or SR 69; exit 4) and Poseyville (SR 165; exit 12) and also passes under nearby SR 68 (no direct interchange serves SR 68, though one can access said route from either SR 165 or SR 65). The Interstate then passes three officially marked exits for Evansville (SR 65, US 41, and I-69 [formerly designated as I-164]) then proceeds through part of the scenic Hoosier National Forest, with exits leading to Dale and Huntingburg (US 231; exit 57); Santa Claus and Ferdinand (SR 162; exit 63); French Lick and Tell 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 the Central Time Zone (CT; Spencer County) to the Eastern 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 the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT), changes in timezone are not usually marked with any roadside signage. The final crossing into the ET zone at the Perry–Crawford county border, however, is marked with road signage.

Between Evansville and New Albany, I-64 intersects a few major north–south arterial highways, such as US 231, SR 37, and SR 135 and offers access to I-65 to Indianapolis via I-265 before crossing into Kentucky on the Sherman 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, and Harrison counties, where the highway towers more than 100 feet (30 m) above the surrounding terrain.

Kentucky

I-64 enters Kentucky at Louisville, paralleling the Ohio River along the Riverfront Expressway. It intersects with several downtown interchanges before coming to the Kennedy Interchange, where it intersects I-65 and I-71 in a tangle of ramps often referred to as the "Spaghetti Junction". Moving eastward, I-64 passes through Shelbyville, Frankfort, Midway, Lexington, Winchester, Mount Sterling, Owingsville, and Morehead, before leaving the state near Ashland at Catlettsburg. It overlaps I-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.

West Virginia

I-64 travels for 188.75 miles (303.76 km) within the state of West Virginia, passing by the major cities of Huntington, Beckley, and Lewisburg and directly through the capital city of Charleston. It has only two major junctions within the state: I-77 in Charleston and in Beckley. It also crosses the Kanawha 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 in Kanawha City).

Between I-64's two junctions with I-77, I-64 and I-77 overlap. From the final crossing of the Kanawha River east of Charleston to their split at exit 40 south of Beckley, the two Interstates are tolled, forming a part of the West 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.

Virginia

I-64 in Virginia runs east–west through central Virginia from West Virginia via Covington, Lexington, Staunton, and Charlottesville to Richmond. 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 through Newport News and Hampton to the Hampton Roads Bridge–Tunnel and then through Norfolk and a small portion of Virginia Beach to end in Chesapeake.

I-64 itself does not reach the Oceanfront area of Virginia Beach, as it continues through the western portion of Virginia Beach as part of the circumferential Hampton 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 the Virginia Beach Expressway, funded by tolls to retire revenue bonds.

History

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 between Clifton Forge and Richmond called for the Interstate to follow from Richmond via US 360 and US 460, via Lynchburg to Roanoke and US 220 from Roanoke to Clifton Forge, then west following US 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 Senator Mosby 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 the US 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 between Vincennes, Indiana, and Lawrenceville, Illinois. It is also worth noting that the apparent route of I-64 would have taken it through the southern end of Carlyle 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, the Sherman Minton Bridge was closed down by Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels after construction crews found cracks in the main load bearing structural element. Mainline traffic was redirected to I-265, then south on I-65 across the John F. Kennedy Memorial Bridge before rejoining I-64 at the Kennedy 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]

Junction list

Missouri: I-70 / US 40 / US 61 in Wentzville. I-64/US 40 travels concurrently to East St. Louis, Illinois. I-64/US 61 travels concurrently to the Frontenac–Ladue city line.; I-270 in Town and Country; US 61 / US 67 on the Frontenac–Ladue city line; I-170 in Richmond Heights; I-44 / I-55 in St. Louis. I-55/I-64 travels concurrently to East, St. Louis, Illinois.
Illinois: I-55 / I-70 / US 40 in East St. Louis; I-255 / US 50 in Caseyville. I-64/US 50 travels concurrently to O'Fallon.; US 51 in Richview; I-57 in Mount Vernon. The highways travel concurrently to south-southwest of Mount Vernon.; US 45 north of Mill Shoals
Indiana: US 41 west-southwest of Warrenton; I-69 west-northwest of Elberfeld. Former Junction of Interstate 164; US 231 in Dale; US 150 west of New Albany. The highways travel concurrently to Louisville, Kentucky.; I-265 in New Albany
Kentucky: I-264 in Louisville; I-65 in Louisville; I-71 in Louisville; US 42 / US 60 in Louisville; I-264 in Louisville; I-265 on the Middletown–Louisville city line; US 127 in Frankfort; US 60 southeast of Frankfort; US 62 northwest of Lexington; I-75 in Lexington. The highways travel concurrently through Lexington.; US 27 / US 68 in Lexington; US 60 northeast of Winchester; US 460 in Mt. Sterling; US 60 northeast of Mt. Sterling; US 60 east-southeast of Owingsville; US 60 northeast of Olive Hill; US 60 in Coalton; US 23 south-southwest of Catlettsburg
West Virginia: US 52 in Kenova. The highways travel concurrently to Huntington.; US 60 in Barboursville; US 35 in Teays Valley; US 60 in South Charleston; US 119 in Charleston. The highways travel concurrently through Charleston.; US 60 in Charleston; I-77 in Charleston. The highways travel concurrently to southeast of Crab Orchard.; US 60 north of Chelyan; US 60 south-southeast of Crawley; US 219 in Lewisburg; US 60 east of White Sulphur Springs; US 60 east-southeast of White Sulphur Springs. The highways travel concurrently to Callaghan, Virginia.
Virginia^[9]: US 60 / US 220 in Mallow. I-64/US 60 travels concurrently to north-northwest of Lexington. I-64/US 220 travels concurrently to east-northeast of Clifton Forge.; US 11 in East Lexington; I-81 east of East Lexington. The highways travel concurrently to Jolivue.; US 11 northeast of East Lexington; US 11 in Greenville; US 340 in Waynesboro; US 250 in Rockfish Gap; US 250 in Yancey Mills; US 29 west-southwest of Charlottesville; US 250 east-southeast of Charlottesville; US 15 north-northeast of Zion Crossroads; US 522 northeast of Gum Spring; I-295 in Short Pump; US 250 in Innsbrook; US 250 in Dumbarton; US 33 in Dumbarton; I-195 in Richmond; I-95 in Richmond. The highways travel concurrently through Richmond.; US 1 / US 301 in Richmond; US 360 on the boundary of Richmond with East Highland Park; I-295 / US 60 east of Sandston; US 17 in Newport News; US 258 in Hampton; I-664 in Hampton; US 60 in Hampton. The highways travel concurrently to Norfolk; I-564 / US 460 in Norfolk; US 13 in Norfolk; I-264 in Norfolk; I-464 / US 17 in Chesapeake. I-64/US 17 travels concurrently through Chesapeake.; US 13 / US 460 in Chesapeake; I-264 / I-664 in Chesapeake

^[18]

Auxiliary routes

I-44/I-55/I-64/I-70 on one highway sign in Downtown St. Louis, Missouri

I-164: Former spur to Evansville, Indiana, known as the Robert D. Orr Highway, became I-69 in 2014.
I-264: Loop around Louisville, Kentucky; also called the Georgia Davis Powers/Shawnee Expressway west of the Dixie Highway (US 31W) exit and the Watterson Expressway east of US 31W/Dixie Highway
I-264, I-464, I-564, I-664: All serving the Hampton Roads region in Virginia.

References

^ ^a ^b Starks, Edward (January 27, 2022). "Table 1: Main Routes of the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways". FHWA Route Log and Finder List. Federal Highway Administration. Archived from the original on July 3, 2017. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
^ "The Grand-Opening of the New 1-64 Project - "Fun on the Freeway!"" (PDF). Missouri Department of Transportation. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 14, 2016. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
^ "The New I-64". MoDOT. Archived from the original on January 27, 2007. Retrieved January 30, 2007.
^ Schlinkmann, Mark (October 14, 2009). "Last traffic light on Hwy. 40 removed". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Archived from the original on August 23, 2012. Retrieved November 5, 2009.
^ Mt. Vernon Register-News, October 8, 1974^{[full citation needed]}
^ Mt. Vernon Register-News, December 20, 1973^{[full citation needed]}
^ Southern Illinoisan, December 24, 1975^{[full citation needed]}
^ Freeport Journal-Standard, August 8, 1975^{[full citation needed]}
^ ^a ^b "Virginia Interstate Exits: Interstate 64". Richmond: Virginia Department of Transportation. March 29, 2018. Archived from the original on March 30, 2018. Retrieved March 29, 2018.
^ Kleber, John E. (2001). Encyclopedia of Louisville. University Press of Kentucky. p. 418. ISBN 0813121000. Retrieved October 4, 2014.^{[full citation needed]}
^ "Charlottesville won, and Lynchburg lost / Routing of I-64 was major tussle". Richmond Times-Dispatch 1999. Archived from the original on December 29, 2023. Retrieved October 4, 2014 – via LexisNexis.^{[full citation needed]}
^ See The Danville Bee, March 30, 1961 11-A^{[full citation needed]}
^ Mt. Vernon Register News, March 26, 1960^{[full citation needed]}
^ St. Louis Post-Dispatch. August 16, 1987.^{[full citation needed]}
^ "Sherman Minton bridge shut down; crack found in bridge". Louisville, KY: WDRB. September 9, 2011. Archived from the original on October 4, 2011. Retrieved September 9, 2011.
^ "Sherman Minton Bridge closed indefinitely due to structural cracks". The Courier-Journal. Louisville, KY. September 9, 2011. Retrieved September 11, 2011.^{[dead link‍]}
^ Barrouquere, Brett; Cappiello, Janet (September 12, 2011). "Traffic nightmare over closed Ohio River bridge". Associated Press. Archived from the original on August 20, 2014. Retrieved September 12, 2011.
^ Rand McNally (2014). The Road Atlas (Walmart ed.). Chicago: Rand McNally. pp. 33, 37, 42–43, 59, 106–107, 112. ISBN 978-0-528-00771-2.