Interstate 155 marker

Interstate 155

I-155 highlighted in red
Route information
Auxiliary route of I-55
Length26.77 mi[1] (43.08 km)
ExistedAugust 18, 1964[2]–present
NHSEntire route
Major junctions
West end I-55 / US 61 / US 412 near Hayti, MO
East end US 51 / US 412 at Dyersburg, TN
Location
CountryUnited States
StatesMissouri, Tennessee
CountiesMO: Pemiscot
TN: Dyer
Highway system
← Route 154MO→ Route 156
← SR 154TN→ SR 155

Interstate 155 (I-155) is an east–west auxiliary route of Interstate 55 (I-55) that runs through the Bootheel of Missouri and the northwestern corner of Tennessee. It begins south of Hayti, Missouri at I-55, passes eastward through Caruthersville, and crosses the Mississippi River on the Caruthersville Bridge into Tennessee. The route then proceeds to Dyersburg, Tennessee, where it terminates at U.S. Route 51 (US 51). I-155 is the only road that directly connects Missouri and Tennessee, and is concurrent with US 412 for its entire length.

Route description

I-155 westbound near its western terminus

Interstate 155 begins at a near-full cloverleaf interchange with I-55 in Pemiscot County, Missouri, on the edge of Hayti, where US 412 continues as a four-lane divided highway to the northwest. Initially traveling in a southeastward direction, the interstate passes through farmland in a sparsely populated rural area. A few miles later, the highway passes south of Caruthersville where it has an interchange first with a local road, and then with the southern terminus of Route 84 near the Caruthersville Memorial Airport. A few miles later, the highway shifts south-southeast before crossing the Mississippi River on the 1.35-mile (2.17 km) Caruthersville Bridge into Dyer County, Tennessee.

I-155 westbound at the Great River Road exit

Upon crossing the river, I-155 veers east-southeast and reaches an interchange with State Route 181 (SR 181), which is part of the Great River Road. Passing through additional farmland, the interstate crosses the Obion River a few miles later and has an interchange with SR 182 a short distance beyond south of the Lenox community. The highway then ascends out of the Mississippi Alluvial Plain on to the Gulf Coastal Plain and enters a wooded area, where the Tennessee Welcome Center is located, before reaching Dyersburg a few miles later. Traveling along the northern fringes of the city in an eastward direction, the interstate has an interchange first with SR 78, which also provides access to Tiptonville. A few miles later, the interstate turns northeast, before reaching a trumpet interchange with US 51, where the I-155 designation ends, and US 412 splits off to the south towards Jackson. The route continues to the northeast as a controlled-access segment of US 51.

History

Background and planning

The Caruthersville Bridge from the Tennessee side of the Mississippi River

Prior to the construction of the Caruthersville Bridge, a number of ferries crossed the Mississippi River between the two states. By the early 1940s, were two of the few remaining bordering states in the country which were not directly connected by road or rail, and a bridge across the river began to be proposed.[3] A committee was created by both state legislatures to study the possibility of constructing a bridge near Caruthersville in 1949.[4] The bridge site was chosen by the commission on November 18, 1952,[5] which was subsequently approved by the Army Corps of Engineers on August 20, 1953.[6]

After the passage of the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956, which authorized the Interstate Highway System, officials in Missouri, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Illinois began an effort to improve connectivity between the four states, which included a westward extension of I-24 from its allocated terminus in Nashville to southern Illinois. Governors John M. Dalton of Missouri and Buford Ellington of Tennessee announced on January 30, 1962, a proposal for a new Interstate Highway between I-55 in Hayti and I-40 in Jackson, Tennessee, which would incorporate the bridge.[7] On September 17, 1963, the governors of the four states met with President John F. Kennedy where they reached an agreement on the alignment for the I-24 extension and endorsed the routing for the Hayti-to-Jackson Interstate Highway.[8] On August 18, 1964, the Bureau of Public Roads, the predecessor agency to the Federal Highway Administration, approved the I-24 extension and authorized an Interstate Highway spur route between Hayti and Dyersburg, which was named I-155. However, they did not give approval to the entire proposed route to Jackson.[9][10]

Construction and later history

Construction of I-155 began with work on the Caruthersville Bridge in March 1969. The contract for grading and construction of bridges for the stretch between the Tennessee approach to the Mississippi River and SR 182 was awarded in January 1973,[11] and this was completed in the fall of 1975, after multiple delays.[12] In Missouri, the contract for construction of the section between I-55 and Routes D and U was let in May 1974,[13] and the adjacent section extending to the Mississippi River approach was awarded two months later.[14] The Caruthersville Bridge was opened to traffic on December 1, 1976, in a ceremony by Missouri Governor Kit Bond and Tennessee Governor Ray Blanton.[15][16] The last section of I-155, located between SR 182 and the eastern terminus with US 51/412, was completed in November 1979.[17] US 412 was added to the route in 1982. In the 1990s, an extension of I-69 was proposed to intersect the interstate northwest of Dyersburg and replace the remainder east of that point, reducing its length by approximately eight miles (13 km).[18]

Exit list

StateCountyLocationmi[19][20]kmExitDestinationsNotes
MissouriPemiscot​0.0000.000
 US 412 west		Westbound exit and eastbound entrance; western terminus; I-55 exit 17B; cloverleaf interchange.
​0.149–
0.206		0.240–
0.332		1 I-55 / US 61 – Memphis, St. LouisSigned as exits 1A (south) and 1B (north); I-55 exit 17A; cloverleaf interchange.
​4.3466.9944 Route D / Route U – Caruthersville
Caruthersville6.76910.8946 Route 84 / Route Y – Caruthersville
Mississippi River10.723
0.0		17.257
0.0		Caruthersville Bridge
TennesseeDyer​2.33.72 SR 181 (Great River Road)
​7.411.97 SR 182 (Lenox Road)
Dyersburg13.020.913 SR 78 – Dyersburg, Tiptonville
15.925.615

 US 51 south / US 412 east – Dyersburg, Jackson		Western end of US 412 concurrency

 US 51 north – Union City		Continuation past interchange; eastern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

  1. ↑ Starks, Edward (January 27, 2022). "Table 2: Auxiliary Routes of the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways as of December 31, 2021". Route Log and Finder List. Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved March 12, 2022.
  2. ↑ "It's Interstate 155". The Democrat-Argus. Caruthersville, Missouri. September 25, 1964. p. 11. Retrieved March 27, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ↑ Malone, Johnny (November 9, 1967). "1968 Start Seen For Mississippi Span". The Jackson Sun. p. 1, 20. Retrieved May 22, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ "Browning Appoints Bridge Commission". The Nashville Tennessean. Associated Press. September 10, 1949. p. 5. Retrieved May 22, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ "Bridge Commission Approves Site". The Jackson Sun. November 18, 1952. p. 8. Retrieved May 21, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ "Engineers Approve Site Of Mississippi Bridge". The Nashville Tennessean. Associated Press. August 21, 1953. p. 46. Retrieved May 22, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ "2 Governors Agree On Highway, Bridge". The Nashville Tennessean. January 31, 1962. p. 4. Retrieved May 22, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ Laycook, Lois (September 18, 1963). "4 Governors Agree On I-24; Campbell, Paducah On Route". The Nashville Tennessean. pp. 1, 4. Retrieved March 10, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ Laycook, Lois (August 19, 1964). "U.S. Approves I-24 to Illinois, Bridge in Dyer". The Nashville Tennessean. pp. 1, 2. Retrieved March 10, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ "Eisenhower Interstate Highway System, Previous Facts of the Day". Federal Highway Administration. 2010. Archived from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
  11. ↑ "Jackson Firms Bid Low On Area Highway Jobs". The Jackson Sun. January 14, 1973. p. 10. Retrieved October 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ↑ "Six Bridges Not Completed Near Dyersburg". Memphis Pres-Scimitar. May 23, 1975. p. 11. Retrieved October 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ↑ "Low road bids listed". The Daily Capital News. Jefferson City, Missouri. Associated Press. April 30, 1974. p. 8. Retrieved October 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ↑ "Open bids on highway projects". The Sedalia Democrat. June 30, 1974. p. 7A. Retrieved October 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ↑ Williams, Chambers (November 30, 1976). "New Bridge Opens Wednesday". The Jackson Sun. p. 1, 5. Retrieved May 22, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ↑ Williams, Chambers (December 1, 1976). "Two States Joined As Bridge Opens". The Jackson Sun. p. 1. Retrieved May 22, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ↑ Community Relations Division (2006). Map of West Tennessee Interstate Development (Map). Scale not given. Tennessee Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on July 21, 2006. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
  18. ↑ "I-69 Decision Made for Northern and Southern Portions of Millington to Dyersburg Section" (Press release). Tennessee Department of Transportation. May 19, 2006. Archived from the original on June 29, 2006. Retrieved March 12, 2022.
  19. ↑ Missouri Department of Transportation (November 13, 2012). MoDOT HPMAPS (Map). Missouri Department of Transportation. Retrieved November 13, 2012.
  20. ↑ Long Range Planning Division (2005). Dyer County, Tennessee (PDF) (Map). General Highway Map. Tennessee Department of Transportation. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 12, 2011. Retrieved November 23, 2011.
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