 Route 13 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 MO 13 highlighted in red | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by MoDOT | ||||
| Length | 290.601 mi (467.677 km) | |||
| Existed | 1922–present | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| South end |  AR 21 in Blue Eye | |||
| ||||
| North end |   US 69 / US 136 in Bethany | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | Missouri | |||
| Highway system | ||||
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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.
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, Route 13 intersects Route 7 at Clinton which in turn carries traffic to Interstate 49/U.S. Route 71 at Harrisonville. I-49/US 71 then continues on into downtown Kansas City. Route 13, Route 7, and I-49/US 71 now provide a four-lane highway (much of it expressway) between Springfield and Kansas City since the completion of the final widening project between Collins and Clinton.
Several sections from north of Reeds Spring through Branson West have been widened, rebuilt, moved, and renamed to help ease traffic congestion through the towns. Drivers regularly use these routes to get to many of the lakes in southern Missouri and this has caused a major headache in recent years. One section of road has been renamed Route 413 and travels north to Springfield. In June 2009, the nation's first diverging diamond interchange, a style of interchange where traffic crosses to the left-side of the road, opened to traffic. The interchange is located at the I-44/MO-13 junction in Springfield.[1]
In 2006 the portion through Caldwell County, Missouri was named the Zack Wheat Memorial Highway in honor of the Baseball Hall of Fame player.[1]
- ^ Nelson, Kristin (June 22, 2009). "Nation's first diverging diamond interchange is open". KY3 News. Archived from the original on June 25, 2009. Retrieved March 26, 2010.