Missouri Route 13
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Route 13 |
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| Maintained by MoDOT | |||||||||||||
| Length: | 296 mi (476 km) | ||||||||||||
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| Formed: | 1922 | ||||||||||||
| North end: |   US 69/136 in Bethany |
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| Major junctions: |
 I-35 in Bethany US 36 in Hamilton  Route 224/US 24 in Lexington  I-70/US 40 near Higginsville US 50 in Warrensburg,  Route 7/52 in Clinton US 54 in Collins I-44 in Springfield, Route 413 in Springfield  US 60/160 in Springfield |
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| South end: |  Highway 21 in Blue Eye |
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| Major cities: | Bethany Coffey Jameson Gallatin Hamilton Kingston Polo Knoxville Richmond Henrietta Lexington Higginsville Warrensburg Post Oak Clinton Deepwater Lowry City Osceola Collins Humansville Bolivar Brighton Springfield Nixa Highlandville Spokane Reeds Spring Branson West Kimberling City Lampe Blue Eye |
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Route 13 is a highway in Missouri which runs almost the entire north-south length of the state. Its northern terminus is at U.S. Route 69/136 in Bethany. Its southern terminus is at the Arkansas state line in downtown Blue Eye, Missouri/Arkansas where it continues as Highway 21. It is one of the original state highways of Missouri, and it is the second longest highway in the state.
The road serves as an important corridor between Springfield and Kansas City, two of the three largest cities in the state. Heading north from Springfield, Missouri 13 intersects Missouri 7 at Clinton which in turn carries traffic to U.S. Route 71 at Harrisonville. US 71 then continues on into downtown Kansas City. MO 13, MO 7, and US 71 provides a four-lane highway (much of it freeway) between Springfield and Kansas City except for a two-lane section between Collins and Clinton which is currently being upgraded to four-lane highway.
A large section of the road between Springfield and Reeds Spring has been rerouted due to a new section of road through Reeds Spring. This former section of highway is now Route 413.
[edit] History
The original southern terminus of the highways (as laid out in 1922) was at Route 71 (now U.S. Route 65) in Buffalo. With the creation of the U.S. Highway System in 1926, it continued south to Springfield on Route 69. It would also take over Route 43 to the Arkansas state line.
[edit] Route of the highway
Missouri 13 begins at US 69/MO 136 in Bethany. A few miles south is a junction with Interstate 35. Near Gallatin, it turns west forming a concurrency with Route 6 for three miles, then turns south again. At Hamilton is an intersection with U.S. Route 36, and further south, at Polo, the road forms a short concurrency with Route 116. This area of the state has lots of crops on either side of the two-lane highway. At Richmond is an intersection with Route 10. A few miles to the south, the highway crosses the Missouri River and enters the town of Lexington, site of a Civil War battlefield. The road intersects both Route 224 and U.S. Route 24 in Lexington.
At Higginsville is Missouri 13's first business route and also the western terminus of Route 20. South of Higginsville, Missouri 13 crosses Interstate 70/U.S. Route 40, and further south, in Warrensburg, is an intersection with U.S. Route 50. North of Post Oak, the highway has an intersection with Route 2.
At Clinton, Missouri 13 begins a concurrency with Route 7, a four-lane divided highway as well as another concurrency with Route 52, before Missouri 7 turns off east. Missouri 13's second business route passes through the middle of the town, and Route 18's eastern terminus is located here, too. South of Clinton, Missouri 13/Missouri 52 crosses the Harry S. Truman Lake, twice, before Missouri 52 heads west at Deepwater. This section of Missouri 13 (between Clinton and Collins) is currently being upgraded to a four-lane divided highway with partial sections open.
At Osceola, Missouri 13 crosses another branch of the Harry S. Truman Reservoir. The third business route of the highway passes through town and Missouri 13 intersects Route 82. At Collins is a junction with U.S. Route 54, and further south at Humansville is still another business route. South of Humansville is the intersection with Route 123. Missouri 123 is the old alignment of Missouri 13 all the way to Fair Play, where Missouri 13 turned east (now Route 32) back to Bolivar. At Bolivar, in addition to the intersection with Missouri 32, is another business route. Missouri 13 also becomes a four-lane divided highway. The business route ends, along with Route 83 at an interchange on the southern part of the town.
South of Bolivar, the divided highway splits apart, with the northbound lanes being the older highway, though an even older alignment runs further to the east. Because of the situation, numerous "Do not enter" signs are posted to help prevent local traffic from driving on the wrong lanes of the highway. Near Brighton is a short concurrency with Route 215.
In Springfield, Missouri 13 is known as Kansas Expressway and passes near the Ozark Empire Fairgrounds and the Dickerson Park Zoo. The highway crosses Interstate 44 on the north side of the city and Route 744 (Kearney Street) less than a mile south. At Sunshine Street is the northern terminus of Route 413 which is an old alignment of Missouri 13, changed in the early 2000s. At James River Freeway, Missouri 13 turns off Kansas Expressway (which runs one more block) and briefly joins U.S. Route 60/U.S. Route 160. At the first exit, US 160 and Missouri 13 leave the freeway and head straight south on Campbell Avenue to Nixa, where the roads intersect Route 14.
South of Nixa, the countryside becomes more rugged with several curves and hills. At Spokane, Missouri 13/US 160 has a short concurrency with Route 176. At Reeds Spring Junction is the southern terminus of Missouri 413 and US 160 turns east. Missouri 13 also begins a concurrency with Route 248 for two miles, then turns south forming another concurrency with Route 76 and Route 265 for three miles before turning off southwest at Branson West and enters the Mark Twain National Forest. South of Branson West, the highway crosses Table Rock Lake. South of Table Rock Lake is yet another concurrency, with Route 86 which lasts for three miles, before Missouri 13 heads south to Blue Eye and crosses the Arkansas state line.
