Existed: 1968 – present KS K-1 → Length 4.52 km | States: Kansas, Missouri Constructed 1968 | |
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West end: I-70 / US-24 / US-40 / US-69 / US-169 in Kansas City, KS East end: I-70 / US 40 / US 71 in Kansas City, MO Counties: KS: Wyandotte; MO: Jackson | ||
Interstate 670 (abbreviated I-670) is a 2.81 mile (4.52 km) connector highway between I-70 in Kansas City, Kansas and I-70 in Kansas City, Missouri. The highway provides a more direct route through downtown Kansas City than the older mainline I-70, and avoids the sharp turn (and reduced speed limit) of the latter at the west end of the Intercity Viaduct. I-670 is also designated Alternate Interstate 70, one of the few interstates to be designated as an alternate. Interstate 670 also makes up the south side of Kansas City's downtown freeway loop, where it passes under the southern half of Bartle Hall Convention Center.
Contents
The road crosses the Kansas River and the West Bottoms, the former location of the Kansas City Stockyards, on the I-670 Viaduct. The leg of the highway west of I-35 has Kansas Department of Transportation signs proclaiming it the Jay B. Dillingham Freeway although maps list it as the Jay B. Dillingham Memorial Highway. Dillingham was a former president of the Stockyards.
Route description
The freeway begins with ramps from I-70 meeting to form I-670 just before a bridge over the Kansas River, which is located just south of the confluence of the Kansas and Missouri rivers. I-70 at that point comprises U.S. Route 24, U.S. Route 40, and U.S. Route 169. The freeway then crosses the Kansas–Missouri state line and enters Kansas City, Missouri. The road then interchanges with Interstate 35 before meeting its terminus at I-70. The freeway continues as I-70.
History
The freeway was not part of the original planned freeways around Kansas City in 1955. The section east of the I-35 interchange was built first and finished in 1968. The western portion was not planned until 1971, and was not finished until several years later. By 1987, the freeway was extended slightly westward in the downtown Kansas area, but was not fully extended to I-70 until 1991, when it was fully opened.
A portion of the highway near downtown Kansas City, Missouri was closed on May 20, 1997, in order to film the music video for the U2 song "Last Night on Earth". The band reimbursed the Kansas City Police Department for all traffic control and security costs. A permit issued by the Missouri Highway and Transportation Department (the predecessor to MoDOT) stated the closure "will enhance and promote the notoriety of...Kansas City's skyline." Mike Right, vice-president of public affairs for the American Automobile Association Auto Club of Missouri, told the Kansas City Star "I can't believe the stupidity of it. They're going to close down an interstate highway that serves downtown Kansas City for a...music video? I've never heard of such a thing."