ST. LOUIS – There are five major interstates that run through the city limits of St. Louis: I-44, I-55, I-64, I-70 and I-270.
Each interstate has a unique charm. And for the most part, they have different beginnings and endpoints.
In some cases, you can’t take one end of the interstate any further out of the City of St. Louis. In others, St. Louis is one of many major cities you’ll pass by along your highway journey.
The Gateway City also represents a pivotal crossroads where some of these interstates converge from Missouri into Illinois.
How far can you take each of the five aforementioned interstates out of St. Louis City? FOX 2 does the math. You can do the exploring, if you’re interested.
Interstate 44
Interstate 44 stretches more than 600 miles and runs through three states (Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas). Drivers will primarily venture southwest out of St. Louis.
Is St. Louis an endpoint? Yes, at the most eastern end. It subsides into the path of I-70, just north of the Gateway Arch.
How far east can you take it out of St. Louis? Not applicable.
How far west can you take it out of St. Louis? Interstate 44 ends in Wichita Falls, Texas, not too far south from the Oklahoma state line. In total, you can take Interstate 44 around 637 miles from St. Louis to Wichita Falls.
Interstate 55
Interstate 55 stretches nearly 1,000 miles and runs through six states (Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi and Louisiana. Drivers can venture the highway northeast or south out of St. Louis.
Is St. Louis an endpoint? No. However, it’s significantly closer to the northernmost endpoint than the southernmost endpoint.
How far north can you take it out of St. Louis? Interstate 55 begins in Chicago, Illinois, near U.S. Route 41. In total, you can take Interstate 55 around 295 miles from St. Louis to Chicago.
How far south can you take it out of St. Louis? Interstate 55 ends in LaPlace, Louisiana near Interstate 10. In total, you can take Interstate 55 around 670 miles from St. Louis to LaPlace.
Interstate 64
Interstate 64 also stretches nearly 1,000 miles through six states (Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, West Virginia and Virginia). Drivers can venture west or east out of St. Louis.
Is St. Louis an endpoint? No, but it’s close. The westernmost endpoint is technically in the Greater St. Louis Area in St. Charles County.
How far west can you take it out of St. Louis? Interstate 64 begins in Wentzville, Missouri, as a diversion from I-70 that drivers can take into the big city. In total, you can take Interstate 64 around 40 miles from St. Louis to Wentzville.
How far east can you take it out of St. Louis? Interstate 64 ends in Chesapeake, Virginia, near Interstate 264. In total, you can take Interstate 64 around 923 miles from St. Louis to Chesapeake.
Interstate 70
Interstate 70 stretches more than 2,100 miles through ten states (Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Maryland). Drivers can venture west or east out of St. Louis.
Is St. Louis an endpoint? No, and not particularly close to either endpoint.
How far west can you take it out of St. Louis? Interstate 70 begins in Cover Fort, Utah, near Interstate 15. In total, you can take Interstate 70 around 1,358 miles from St. Louis to Cove Fort.
How far east can you take it out of St. Louis? Interstate 70 ends in Baltimore, Maryland near Interstate 695. In total, you can take Interstate 70 around 813 miles from St. Louis to Baltimore.
Interstate 270
Interstate 270 stretches around 51 miles through only two states (Missouri and Illinois). Drivers can venture west (before eventually heading south) or east out of St. Louis.
This interstate is quite different from the other listed in the sense that it doesn’t run through the heart of Downtown St. Louis. Only a small portion of it goes through the Riverview neighborhood of the big city.
Is St. Louis an endpoint? Technically, no because the interstate is designed for traffic to navigate through the metropolitan area.
How far east can you take it out of St. Louis? Interstate 270 begins near Interstate 55 in Troy, Illinois. In total, you can take Interstate 70 around 19 miles from St. Louis to Troy.
How far west (and south) can you take it out of St. Louis? Interstate 270 ends near Interstate 255 in Mehlville, Missouri. In total, you take Interstate 270 around 32 miles from north St. Louis to Mehlville.