U.S. Route 67

U.S. Route 67
State	Multiple
Type	US
Route	67
Length mi	716
Direction a	South
Terminus a	Presidio
Direction b	North
Terminus b	Sabula
States	Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Iowa

U.S. Route 67 is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway that runs approximately 716 miles through the south-central and midwestern United States. Beginning at Presidio on the Rio Grande and ending near Sabula on the Mississippi River, the route connects multiple metropolitan areas, historic towns, and transportation corridors including El Paso, San Antonio, Dallas–Fort Worth, Little Rock, St. Louis, and Davenport. It intersects and parallels several major highways and interstates such as Interstate 10, Interstate 20, Interstate 30, Interstate 35, Interstate 40, and Interstate 55 while traversing varied terrain from desert borderlands to the Mississippi floodplain.

Route description

From its southern terminus in Presidio, the highway proceeds northeast across Brewster County and near the Big Bend region, passing through towns like Marfa and Alpine. It links with corridors serving Fort Davis and crosses landscapes associated with the Chihuahuan Desert. Continuing toward San Angelo and Ballinger, the route intersects corridors toward Midland, Odessa, and Lubbock via regional highways. Through Dallas–Fort Worth, the roadway parallels routes to Arlington and Fort Worth, connecting with arterial routes near Grapevine and Irving.

Crossing into Arkansas, the road enters the Ozark Highlands region and serves cities including Hope and Prescott before reaching Pine Bluff and the Arkansas River corridor toward Little Rock. In Missouri, the alignment approaches Cape Girardeau and follows river valley terrain toward Farmington and the greater St. Louis metro. Within Illinois, it crosses the Mississippi River into the Metro-East region near East St. Louis and continues north through towns like Alton and Jersey County toward Rock Island. The final segments in Iowa take the route through Davenport and along river islands to its terminus near Sabula at the Mississippi River lock and dam systems.

History

The corridor that would become the highway traces earlier alignments used during westward expansion, including wagon roads between San Antonio and frontier settlements and stagecoach routes connecting El Paso and San Angelo. With the 1920s establishment of the United States Numbered Highway System under standards influenced by the AASHO and legislative measures in state capitals such as Austin and Little Rock, the route was designated and gradually improved through New Deal-era projects overseen by agencies like the Public Works Administration and the Civilian Conservation Corps. During the mid-20th century, the highway was realigned around growing urban centers including Dallas and St. Louis as FHWA policies and interstate planning prompted transfers to concurrent interstate segments.

Key historical changes included nineteenth- and twentieth-century bridge projects crossing the Arkansas River and the Mississippi River, with involvement by entities such as the Army Corps of Engineers and regional port authorities in St. Louis and Davenport. The route also played roles in wartime mobilization linked to facilities in Fort Hood and Camp Robinson, and in supporting agricultural transport from Grand Prairie and Prairie County farm regions. Preservation efforts for historic alignments involve organizations like the National Trust for Historic Preservation and local historical societies in Galveston County and Madison County.

Major intersections

Major junctions along the corridor include interchanges and crossroads with interstate and U.S. highways: intersection with U.S. Route 90 and proximity to Interstate 10 in Texas, junctions with Interstate 20 and U.S. Route 385 near Big Spring, concurrency with U.S. Route 80 and interchanges near Dallas connecting to Interstate 30, major crossings with Interstate 40 and U.S. Route 70 in Arkansas, junctions with Interstate 55 and access to Memphis-oriented routes via Interstate 55 connections, approaches to Interstate 44 and the St. Louis metro, crossings of Illinois Route 3 near Alton, and terminus access with river crossings adjacent to U.S. Route 52 and Interstate 80 in the Quad Cities region including Davenport and Rock Island.

Related routes and business loops

Throughout its length, a series of suffixed and auxiliary alignments provide local access: state-maintained business routes into downtowns such as Presidio, Alpine, and Pine Bluff; bypasses around San Angelo and Fort Worth; and spur alignments to river crossings serving St. Louis riverfront facilities and Alton industrial areas. These related corridors intersect historic highways like U.S. Route 66 alignments and parallel state routes including Texas State Highway 16 and Arkansas Highway 299, linking to regional transport nodes such as DFW Airport and Little Rock Airport. Local business routes are maintained by departments such as the TxDOT, the ARDOT, the MoDOT, the IDOT, and the Iowa DOT.

Future developments and improvements

Planned projects involve corridor upgrades to relieve congestion near Dallas–Fort Worth and capacity improvements in the St. Louis region tied to metropolitan planning organizations like the North Central Texas Council of Governments and the East-West Gateway Council of Governments. Bridge replacement and enhancement programs coordinate with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and port authorities in Memphis and St. Louis. Federal and state funding initiatives influenced by legislation in Congress and grant programs administered by the Federal Highway Administration are slated to support safety improvements, interchange reconstructions near Interstate 35 and Interstate 30, and rural pavement rehabilitation through partnerships with universities such as Texas A&M University and University of Arkansas transportation research centers. Environmental reviews involve the Environmental Protection Agency and state agencies for projects impacting the Mississippi River floodplain and habitats adjacent to Big Bend and the Ozark National Forest.

Category:U.S. Highways