Wretched road Missouri 221 transamerica route options

[Ryld]

Missouri 221 has2 Much 70mph  traffic. There has got to be a better transparency route.

Shoulder has rumbles and road kills all over it

Drivers still buzz you on shoulders. Ironic as it is just past the best biker hostel I've seen.

[bbarrettx]

Isn't there a bridge across Missouri? Did you miss it?

[John Nelson]

If I remember correctly, the TransAm route avoids Missouri 221 for exactly that reason.

[JHamelman]

Actually, we do use SR 221 in Missouri between Pilot Knob and Farmington (I'm guessing that is the hostel location you are referring to Ryld).

Were the conditions worse near Pilot Knob or Farmington or equally bad all the way across?  Potentially SR NN would be better but that only goes part of the way. I would have to see if we could find someone in Missouri to look into other options.

Jenn

[Ryld]

From Farmington past Doe run the official transamerica route is the 221all the way to the town of Pilot Knob. I rode it and it had a lot of traffic going 70 mph with rumble blocked shoulders. For myself it is of no matter since I will do other tour routes in the future but for anyone riding it in the future they will be unhappy on 221.

[John Nelson]

Actually, we do use SR 221 in Missouri between Pilot Knob and Farmington.

That’s odd. I did the TransAm in 2010 and used map BC-1533-09 (which I’m looking at now). Going west, the TransAm left Farmington on Maple Street, used a bike path through St. Joe State Park and then followed SR 32 to Bismarck. Then it followed SR N all the way to Centerville, passing north of Pilot Knob without entering it. I didn’t get on SR 221 at all. At the time, I understood that SR 221 from Farmington to Pilot Knob was an earlier route that had been abandoned for just these reasons. Has the TransAm reverted the route?

[JHamelman]

Correct, the route reverted back to SR 221 probably because we had learned conditions improved. Since it is a direct line between Pilot Knob and Farmington cyclists I imagine cyclists were taking it and reported it as a good route. It would appear since then that rumble strips were added which brings it back to a difficult routing.

John, what do you recall about the route you took? Of course, those conditions have likely changed since 2009...

Jennifer

[John Nelson]

John, what do you recall about the route you took? Of course, those conditions have likely changed since 2009...

I recall that it was very hilly. There was a monster (but short) hill just getting out of Farmington. The ride through the Ozarks Savannah on the bike path through St Joe State Park was wonderful. I really liked that. And I found a grocery store in Bismarck--the first one I'd seen in a long time.

As you say, the route is definitely not direct. In my journal, I noted that 21 miles after I had left Farmington, I passed a sign telling me that Farmington was only 13 miles away down some other road.

Overall, the route was fine. Low traffic. Scenic. No shoulders, but none really needed.

[JHamelman]

Thanks for the further information, John.

We're looking into the situation and may need to revert back to that old route or see if some locals have another option.

Jennifer