Interstate 55 and Branches 
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From:  MS Line at Memphis (Shelby County)
To:  AR Line at Memphis (Shelby County)
Total Length:  12 miles
Nationally I-55 runs from I-10 at LaPlace, LA to US 41 in Chicago, IL, about 941 miles
ROUTE LOG
MS STATE LINE: 0 - 0
EXIT 2 - TN Secondary 175: 1.8 - 1.8
EXIT 5A - Brooks Rd: 3.1 - 4.9
EXIT 5B - US 51 (TN Secondary 3): 0.1 - 0.2 - 5.1
EXIT 6AB - I-240: 0.6 - 5.7
EXIT 7 - US 61 (TN Primary 14): 1.8 - 7.5
EXIT 8 - Horn Lake Rd: 0.3 - 7.8
EXIT 9 - Mallory Ave: 1.0 - 8.8
EXIT 10 - South Pkwy: 1.5 - 10.3
EXIT 11 - McLemore Ave: 0.6 - 10.9
EXIT 12AB - US 61, US 64, US 70, US 79 (TN Primary 1): 0.7 - 11.6
EXIT 12C - Metal Museum Dr: 0.3 - 11.9
AR STATE LINE: 0.3 - 12.2
Creation:  First appeared in 1939 as part of the long-term national planning leading to the Interstate system.  Was numbered as I-55 in August, 1957.
Adjustments:  The first segment of I-55 to open actually predates final approval of the Interstate system itself.  The Memphis-Arkansas Bridge was completed in 1949, and became the designated route of I-55 across the Mississippi River at Memphis.
The short segment between Horn Lake Rd (Exit 8) and South Pkwy (Exit 10) was completed in October, 1966.
I-55 was completed in Memphis by 1969.
The early 2000's saw reconstruction of the I-55/I-240 interchange, as well as 8-lane widening from I-240 south to the Mississippi line.  The inside lane along this segment is reserved for HOV-2 use, only the second set of HOV lanes in the Memphis area.
Posting:  Fully posted
Comments:  I-55 has the distinction of being one of the few Interstate routes where one has to exit in order to stay on the route.  At Exit 12AB, at Crump Blvd (US 61/64/70/79) and Riverside Dr, I-55 through traffic must exit in order to stay on I-55.  The northbound I-55 ramp is especially harrowing, as this is a 20 MPH loop ramp with a short merge.  TDOT is studying improvements to the interchange, but these won't be easy due to nearby development plus relatively close proximity to the Memphis-Arkansas Bridge.
From:  MO Line west of Lenox (Dyer County)
To:  near Dyersburg (Dyer County)
Total Length:  15 miles
Nationally, I-155 runs from I-55/US 412 at Hayti, MO to US 51/US 412 near Dyersburg, about 27 miles
ROUTE LOG
MO STATE LINE: 0 - 0
EXIT 2 - TN Primary 181: 2.3 - 2.3
EXIT 7 - TN Secondary 182: 5.1 - 7.4
EXIT 13 - TN Primary 78: 5.6 - 13.0
EXIT 15 - US 51, US 412 East (TN Primary 3): 2.9 - 15.9

Creation:  Proposed in the mid 1960s as a way to connect Dyersburg to the Interstate system.
Adjustments:  The Mississippi River bridge and continuation to TN 182 at Exit 7 was completed ca. 1977.
The rest of the route to US 51/US 412 was completed in November, 1979.
Posting:  Fully posted
Comments:  This route is notable for two things.  First, while I-55 does exist within Tennessee, I-155 does not connect to I-55 in the state...instead meeting I-55 in Missouri.  Second, the I-155 bridge over the Mississippi River is the only road connection between Missouri and Tennessee.

I-155 is also duplexed with US 412 for its entire length (both Tennessee and Missouri).

I got to drive this route in 2005.  The Mississippi River bridge is a neat steel truss bridge.

I-255   Renumbered
Previous I-255's: Creation:  Proposed in the late 1950s as a connecton from I-55 to I-40 through midtown Memphis.  Was not part of the "Yellow Book", but appears as a proposed route on the 1959 TN map.
History:  The segment from I-55 to US 78/Lamar Ave was open by 1969.
The rest of the route from US 78/Lamar Ave to I-40 was completed in July, 1971.
Around 1973, possibly relating to a Supreme Court decision against the then-planned I-40 segment through Overton Park, I-255 was replaced by an I-240 extension.

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Page last modified 25 November, 2006