Missouri Route 5

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Route 5
Maintained by MoDOT
Length:	351 mi (565 km)
Formed:	1922
North end:	Iowa Highway 5 at the Iowa state line
Major junctions:	US 136 in Unionville, Route 6 in Milan US 36 south of Milan US 24 in Keytesville, Route 7 in Hurricane Deck US 54 in Camdenton, I-44 in Lebanon, US 60 in Mansfield, US 160 in Gainesville,
South end:	Highway 5 at the Arkansas state line
Major cities:	Unionville Lemons Milan Browning Purdin Linneus Laclede Brookfield Marceline Keytesville Glasgow Fayette New Franklin Boonville Tipton Fortuna Versailles Gravois Mills Sunrise Beach Hurricane Deck Camdenton Decaturville Lebanon Evergreen Grovespring Hartville Mansfield Ava Squires Wasola Gainesville
Missouri Highways < Route 3 Route 6 > Supplemental - Decommissioned

Route 5 is the only state highway in Missouri to cross the entire state. To the north, it continues into Iowa as Iowa Highway 5 and to the south it enters Arkansas as Highway 5. It is the longest state highway in Missouri, and, with only a few exceptions, is two-lane for its entire length. Business Missouri 5 serves Milan and Ava.

[edit] Route of the highway

The highway begins at the Iowa state line. Eight miles south of the Iowa state line at Unionville, Missouri 5 intersects with U.S. Route 136, with which it forms multiplexed for one mile before turning south towards Milan. At Milan, it joins Route 6 for eight miles as a bypass of the town before Missouri 6 turns west. Business Missouri 5 serves the city, passing directly through on an older alignment of the highway.

South of Milan, Missouri 5 turnes east forming a concurrency with U.S. Route 36 (currently a divided highway and proposed future Interstate 72). Five miles from the beginning of the concurrency is a junction with Route 11, thirteen miles from the northern/western junction with US 36, Missouri 5 turns south again on its own towards Marceline.

South of Marceline, Missouri 5 turns east again, forming a concurrency with U.S. Route 24 at Keytesville; the two highways are united for five miles before Missouri 5 turns south again. From Keytesville to Glasgow, Missouri 5 follows the Lewis & Clark Trail. South of Glasgow, the highway crosses the Missouri River at Boonvile, and crosses Interstate 70 south of Boonville. It runs into US 50 1 mile east of Syracuse, then turns east for 4 miles multiplexed with US 50 to Tipton. At Tipton, the two highways split, with Route 5 continuing on a southward course once again.

East of Versailles, the highway forms a short multiplex with Route 52. The highway continues south, entering the Ozarks, and crosses the Lake of the Ozarks at Hurricane Deck. Just south of the lake is the northern junction with Route 7, the roads are multiplexed to south of Camdenton. The highway from Camdenton south is particularly hilly and winding all the way to the Arkansas state line.

Missouri 5 continues south, crossing U.S. Route 54 at Camdenton. Between Camdenton and Lebanon, the road has undergone some major straightening and several older alignments are visible. At Lebanon is a junction with Interstate 44. The highway intersects Route 38 in Hartville and joins U.S. Route 60 for one mile (as a freeway) at Mansfield. The road turns south of Mansfield (the main part of the town is east of Missouri 5) has a short multiplex with Route 76 through Ava, where it also intersects Route 14 and spawns Business Missouri 5 through the town.

South of Ava, near Wasola, Missouri 5 forms a wrong-way concurrency with Route 95 for three miles. At Gainesville, the highway turns west, joining U.S. Route 160 for two miles before turning south again. Nine miles south of Gainesville, Missouri 5 reaches the Arkansas state line.