Route 240 is a highway in the central part of Missouri. Its eastern terminus is at U.S. Route 40 about two miles (3 km) west of Columbia; its western terminus is at U.S. Route 65 in Marshall. Spur Route 240 connects the road with Rocheport.

Route 240 marker
Route 240
Map
MO 240 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by MoDOT
Length51.828 mi[1] (83.409 km)
Major junctions
West end US 65 in Marshall
East end US 40 near Rocheport
Location
CountryUnited States
StateMissouri
Highway system
Route 231 Route 242

From 1922 until 1926, Route 240 from Rocheport to Fayette was Route 67. It was renumbered Route 3 in 1926; that route has since been extended north and truncated, leaving Route 240 behind.

The highway was mentioned in the title of David R. Holsinger's four-movement piece "One Day In a Small Town...". The fourth movement is titled "Chasing the Band Bus on MO240".

Route description

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Route 240 begins its journey east in Marshall at U.S. Route 65, concurrent with southbound Business Loop 65. Less than ½ mile down the road, Route 240 dumps Business Loop 65 and picks up southbound Route 41. Route 41 leaves a few miles east of Marshall, leaving Route 240 to head on its own. Route 240 heads north-northeast through gently rolling hills to Slater, where Route turns east. The highway then passes through Gilliam, crosses the Missouri River, then enters Glasgow. At the Glasgow end of the bridge, Route 240 becomes concurrent with the southbound directions of Route 5 and Route 87, and at the same time gains a business loop. As the highway exits Glasgow, Routes 5 and 240 turn off of Route 87 and head east-northeast (despite being signed as a southbound direction) until meeting the other end of Business Loop 240, after which the duplex turns east. The duplex later turns south-south east and meets the southern terminus of Route 3. North of Fayette, Route 240 turns off of Route 5, but still heads in the southeasterly direction as it passes through Downtown Fayette. South of the city, Route 240 serves as the western end of Route 124. Route 240 then becomes hillier until it meets U.S. Route 40, where it flattens out and meets Alternate Route 240, which provides easier access from eastbound Route 240 to westbound Route 40, and vice versa (see below).

Intersections

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CountyLocationmi[1]kmDestinationsNotes
SalineMarshall0.0000.000  
 
 
  US 65 / US 65 Bus. begins / Lewis and Clark Trail / Santa Fe National Historic Trail
Western end of US 65 Business overlap
0.5810.935 
 
 
 
 
US 65 Bus. south / Route 41 north
Eastern end of US 65 Business overlap; western end of Route 41 overlap
1.11.8  Route O – MarshallWestbound exit eastbound entrance
Marshall Township5.5418.917   Route 41 / Lewis and Clark Trail / Santa Fe National Historic Trail – Arrow RockEastern end of Route 41 overlap
Missouri River25.73641.418Glasgow Bridge; SalineHoward county line
HowardGlasgow25.90941.696   
 
Route 5 / Route 87 / Route 240 Bus. – Slater
Western end of Route 5 / Route 87 overlap; western end of MO 240 Business
26.42542.527   Route 87 / Lewis and Clark Trail – BoonvilleEastern end of Route 87 overlap
Chariton Township30.59449.236 
 
 
Route 240 Bus. west
Eastern end of Route 240 Business
Prairie Township33.37653.713 
 
Route 3 north – Armstrong
Fayette38.37661.760   Route 5 / Lewis and Clark Trail – New FranklinEastern end of Route 5 overlap
Richmond Township40.14064.599 
 
Route 124 east – Harrisburg
Moniteau Township51.22582.439 
 
 
Route 240 Alt. west – Boonville
51.82883.409   US 40 / Lewis and Clark Trail – Boonville
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

Glasgow business loop

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Route 240 Business
LocationGlasgow, Missouri
Length4.858 mi[1] (7.818 km)

Business Loop 240 runs entirely on the old routing of Route 240. It begins at the Glasgow end of the bridge over the Missouri River. It heads north concurrent with Route 5 through Downtown Glasgow. After passing through downtown, Route 5 leaves, and Business 240 runs eastward to the new routing of Routes 5 and 240.

Howard County alternate

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Route 240 Alternate
LocationNorthwest of Rocheport, Missouri
Length0.789 mi[1] (1,270 m)

Alternate Route 240 in rural Howard County is technically a spur route that provides easy access from eastbound Route 240 to westbound U.S. Route 40, and vice versa, utilizing an old alignment of U.S. Route 40. The route runs northeast from U.S. Route 40 at the southeastern edge of the Davidsdale Conservation Area, then passes through some farmland. After running along the northwestern edge of a small pond, it intersects Howard County Road 435A, and immediately the shared intersection of Howard County Roads 442 and 435. Before reaching its northeastern terminus, the road curves east, where a connecting road leads to westbound Route 240, while the existing road curves to the southeast and ends at eastbound Route 240.

Rocheport spur

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Route 240 Spur
LocationRocheport, Missouri
Length1.092 mi[1] (1.757 km)

Route 240 Spur is a spur route from US 40/MO 240 that runs towards Rocheport, Missouri. Though cardinal direction signs read "East," it actually runs south from its parent route, taking the Lewis and Clark Trail with it. The road then curves to the southeast where it has a wye intersection with Howard County Road 440. Spur Route 240 officially enters Rocheport, just before crossing a bridge over Moniteau Creek where it also crosses the Howard-Boone County Line, then ends at Route BB (Third Street), which takes the Lewis and Clark Trail with it, while Spur Route 240 continues south as Central Avenue which leads to a portion of the Katy Trail State Park.

References

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KML is not from Wikidata
  1. ^ a b c d e Missouri Department of Transportation (December 17, 2020). MoDOT HPMAPS (Map). Missouri Department of Transportation. Retrieved December 17, 2020.