Missouri Route 291

Route 291
Route information
Maintained by MoDOT
Length:	58.0 mi (93.3 km)
Major junctions
South end:	I-49 / US 71 in Harrisonville
	US 50 in Lee's Summit I-470 in Lee's Summit US 40 in Independence I-70 / I-470 in Independence US 24 in Independence I-35 / US 69 in Liberty I-435 / US 169 in Kansas City
North end:	near I-435 in Kansas City
Highway system
Missouri State Highway System Interstate US State Supplemental ← Route 283 Route 340 →

Route 291 is a 58.0-mile-long (93.3 km) state highway in the western part of the U.S. state of Missouri. Its southern terminus is at I-49/US 71 in Harrisonville; its northern terminus is at I-435 in Kansas City. The route was once designated as US 71 Bypass. Route 291 serves as a main arterial road and commercial strip in Liberty and Independence. It is also the main entrance road to the terminals at Kansas City International Airport in Platte County.

Route description

Route 291 begins in central Cass County at an interchange with I-49/US 71 in Harrisonville. Here, the roadway continues as Cantrell Road. It travels to the north, intersecting Missouri supplemental route P (203rd Street), and past Country Creek Golf Club. It has a brief concurrency with Route 58. The two routes separate after just over 1 mile (1.6 km). Route 291 is a major highway in eastern Jackson County. In Lee's Summit, it has an interchange with Route 150. After it passes Shamrock Hills Golf Course, it has a very brief concurrency with US 50. After the two highways separate, Route 291 travels through the main part of the city and has an interchange with I-470. The two highways begin a concurrency for the remainder of I-470's length. They have an interchange with Strother Road and then meet Woods Chapel Road. Then, they have an interchange with Lakewood Boulevard and Bowlin Road. Here, they pass to the east of Lakewood Oaks Golf Club. After crossing over the Little Blue River and entering Independence, they have an interchange with US 40 (Cpl M.E. Webster Memorial Parkway). Shortly afterward is an interchange with I-70, where I-470 meets its eastern terminus. Route 291 continues to the north. It has an interchange with 39th Street. It crosses over a Kansas City Southern Railway line on the southeastern corner of Van Hook Park. After a more westerly jog, it intersects Route 78 (East 23rd Street South). Immediately after crossing over a Union Pacific Railroad line is an interchange with Truman Road. Farther along is an interchange with US 24. Route 291 passes to the west of Winterstone Golf Course and travels to the north-northwest. It crosses over Mill Creek. It then crosses over a Union Pacific Railroad line just to the west of the River Bluff Nature Preserve. The highway then crosses over the Missouri River on the Liberty Bend Bridge. On the northern shore of the river, it enters River Bend. In town is an interchange with Route 210. The highway enters Clay County and Liberty. Route 291 curves to the west and then to the northwest. It intersects the eastern terminus of Route 152 (West Kansas Street). It curves to the north and parallels I-35/US 69 before curving back to the northwest and meeting those routes at an interchange. Almost immediately is an intersection with the southern terminus of Missouri supplemental route A (Church Road). Route 291 curves to the west and has an interchange with I-435. The route then passes north of Resurrection Cemetery. It then meets an interchange for US 169 (NW Arrowhead Trafficway). Immediately after it curves to the northwest, the highway enters Platte County and has a second interchange with I-435. Shortly afterward, the highway curves back to the west and meets its northern terminus, a third interchange with I-435. Here, the roadway continues as Cookingham Drive.

History

The route was renumbered in the mid-1960s when I-29 was opened.

It originally crossed the Missouri River about 2 miles (3.2 km) north of where it does now, until 1949, when the Missouri River was rerouted. The county line stayed constant, however, leaving some of Jackson County north of the river. It was aligned on what is now the western frontage road in southern Liberty, Southview Drive, until the mid-1970s, when a four-lane Route 291 was built.

Route 291 was designated as "Route 35" from 1926 to 1939, and then "US 71 Bypass" until 1972. From 1922 to 1926, Route 35 took the western route between Harrisonville and Kansas City, while Route 1 followed present Route 291; US 71 replaced that part of Route 1 in 1926, but followed what had been Route 35, and so Route 35 was moved east to replace the piece of Route 1 bypassed by US 71.

Major intersections

Interstate 49

Route P

Route 58

Route 150

Route 50

Colbern Road

Interstate 470

Strother Road

Woods Chapel Road

Lakewood Boulevard/Bowlin Road

I-470 Bridge Over Unknown River

I-470 Bridge over Little Blue Trace Trail

Route 40

Interstate 70

39th Street

Route 78

Truman Road

Route 24

Lewis and Clark Expressway

Missouri River

Route 210

Route 33

Route 152

Interstate 35/Route 69

Interstate 435

Route 169

Interstate 435

Interstate 435

Interstate 29/Route 71

KCI Airport

Exit list

The entire route is in Jackson County.

Location	mi	km	Exit	Destinations	Notes
Kansas City	0.000– 0.596	0.000– 0.959	— 1B	I-435 west / US 50 west – Wichita US 71 north to I-435 north – Kansas City, Des Moines	I-435 exit 71A; Western terminus at the Grandview Triangle; western end of US 50 overlap.
	0.615– 1.000	0.990– 1.609	1A	I-49 south / US 71 south – Grandview	I-49 exit 183; southern end of the Grandview Triangle.
	2.083	3.352	2	Blue Ridge Boulevard
	4.076	6.560	4	Raytown Road
Lee's Summit	5.354	8.616	5	View High Drive	Western ramps are partially located in Kansas City
	6.637– 8.148	10.681– 13.113	7C	Pryor Road, Blue Parkway
	7.599– 7.645	12.229– 12.303	7A‑B	US 50 east / Route 350 west – Raytown, Sedalia	Eastern end of US 50 overlap; signed as exits 7A (south) and 7B (north)
	9.286	14.944	9	Douglas Street – Lee's Summit Municipal Airport
	10.067	16.201	10A	Colbern Road	Westbound exit and northbound entrance only. Southbound becomes Westbound; Eastbound becomes Northbound.
	10.318– 10.418	16.605– 16.766	10B	Route 291 south – Lee's Summit, Harrisonville	Southern end of Route 291 overlap, northbound entrance and westbound exit only
	11.636	18.726	11	Strother Road
	12.644	20.349	12	Woods Chapel Road
	14.158	22.785	14	Lakewood Boulevard, Bowlin Road
Independence	16.187– 16.198	26.050– 26.068	16A	US 40
	16.493– 17.081	26.543– 27.489	16B‑C	I-70 – Kansas City, St. Louis	I-70 exits 15A-B; northern terminus & signed as exits 16B (east) & 16C (west).
	17.081	27.489	—	Route 291 north – Liberty	Continuation past I-70; northern end of Route 291 overlap
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus       Incomplete access

See also

• Missouri portal
• U.S. Roads portal
• List of Missouri highways

External links

• Media related to at Wikimedia Commons