Stopped on I-35 between Kansas City and Cameron? Start with exactly where you are

How I-35 is numbered north of the river

In Missouri, I-35's mileage starts at zero where it enters from Kansas near downtown Kansas City and counts up heading north. Outside the downtown loop, the exit numbers follow that mileage, so an exit number is also a rough mile marker. That is useful when you are stopped between exits: if you passed exit 26 a couple of minutes ago and have not reached exit 33, you are somewhere between mile 26 and mile 33.

The stretch this post covers runs from the I-29 split in Kansas City north through Claycomo, Liberty and Kearney, across Clinton County, and up to Cameron. It is all in Missouri, which keeps one part of the call simple: the Missouri State Highway Patrol is the agency, and *55 is its cellular number.

Through the metro: the I-29 split to Liberty

North of the Missouri River, I-35 carries I-29 with it until the two separate. From there the exits come fairly close together through the north side of Kansas City and Liberty:

• Exit 8B. Where I-29 and US-71 split off north toward Kansas City International Airport and St. Joseph, leaving I-35 on its own.
• Exits 8C, 9 and 10. Route 1 at Antioch Road, Route 269 at Chouteau Trafficway, and North Brighton Avenue.
• Exit 11. US-69 at Vivion Road, toward Claycomo.
• Exits 12A and 12B. I-435 south and I-435 north, at Claycomo.
• Exit 13. US-69 south, with a connection to I-435 north.
• Exit 16. Route 152 in Liberty.
• Exit 17. Route 291 in Liberty, with a connection to I-435.
• Exit 20. US-69 in Liberty, toward Excelsior Springs and Lawson.

North of Liberty: Kearney, Clinton County and Cameron

After Liberty the exits spread out. The gaps below are taken straight from the exit numbers, and on the longer ones there are few businesses or signs to describe your position by. Heading north:

• Exits 25 and 26, Kearney. Exit 25 is 19th Street. Exit 26 is Route 92, toward Excelsior Springs to the east and Kearney itself. Both are in Clay County.
• Exit 33, Holt. Route PP, toward Holt and Lawson, now in Clinton County. About seven miles past Kearney's Route 92 exit.
• Exit 40. Route 116, toward Polo and Lathrop. Another seven miles or so.
• Exit 48. US-69, toward Cameron and Lawson, about eight miles further.
• Exit 52, Cameron. The I-35 business loop north and Route BB.
• Exit 54, Cameron. US-36, the other end of the I-35 business loop, and Route 110, the Chicago–Kansas City Expressway. This exit sits in DeKalb County.

Why a precise location matters on the rural stretch

Inside the metro, "northbound near the Route 152 exit" is enough to find you. North of Kearney it is not. From exit 26 to exit 52 is roughly 26 miles, and "north of Kearney" or "south of Cameron" could mean anywhere along it. A trooper or a wrecker driving the wrong few miles, or on the wrong side of the median, costs you time you do not get back.

The fix is simple, but it has to happen before you need it. When something starts to go wrong, glance at the next exit sign or mile marker you pass and remember it. Once you have stopped, look for the nearest green mile marker post, which is the most precise reference you have. If you cannot see one safely from the cab, your phone's map app can usually show your position, and either the coordinates or a dropped pin you can share with the tow company will do.

Direction matters as much as the number. Say northbound, toward Cameron and Iowa, or southbound, toward Kansas City. If the truck has rolled to a stop just past an interchange, say whether you are before or after the exit ramp, because that decides where a wrecker gets back on the interstate to reach you.

Making the call from I-35

On this stretch, the emergency options are straightforward, and the safety steps come before any of them:

• Flashers and position first. Hazard flashers on the moment the truck stops, as 49 CFR 392.22 requires, and the truck as far out of the lanes as it will go. Missouri's Department of Transportation advises staying in the vehicle and not stepping out into a lane of traffic.
• Warning triangles within 10 minutes. On a divided highway like I-35 they go behind the truck at about 10, 100 and 200 feet, and if the truck is stopped within 500 feet of a hill crest or curve, one moves back toward it. Place them only if you can do it without walking in moving traffic.
• 911 for anything urgent. A truck in a lane, a crash, fire, or anyone hurt.
• *55 for the Missouri State Highway Patrol. From a mobile phone it connects you to the nearest patrol troop headquarters, for breakdowns and other highway problems as well as emergencies.
• Do not count on a roving assist truck. MoDOT describes its Kansas City Emergency Response crews as covering the busiest interstates in and around the metro. Out toward Cameron, the patrol is the call to make.

What the tow company needs from you

Once the emergency call is made, the next call decides which truck comes and whether it can do the job the first time. On a long rural stretch, a wasted trip is expensive in time for everyone. Give these details:

• Location, in full. I-35, direction, mile marker or last exit, and anything visible nearby, such as an overpass or a crossroad.
• Where the truck is sitting. On the paved shoulder, partly in the lane, or with wheels off the pavement. If a wheel has dropped onto soft ground, say how far, because that can turn a tow into a winch-out.
• Tractor and trailer. Make, day cab or sleeper, trailer type and length.
• Load. Loaded or empty, what the freight is, and anything hazardous or temperature-controlled.
• What the truck is doing. Whether it builds air, rolls and starts, what warning lights or codes are showing, and what happened just before it stopped.
• Where it should go. Your shop, your yard, a dealer, or somewhere to hold it.

Fixed on the shoulder or towed to a shop

A lot of what stops a truck on I-35 can be fixed where it sits, provided there is room to work away from the traffic lane. Our mobile truck repair covers air leaks, brake chambers and slack adjusters, batteries, starters, alternators, belts, hoses, coolant leaks and trailer lights and wiring. What it does not cover at the roadside is engine internals, transmissions or anything that needs the truck on a lift, and a truck sitting partly in a lane is a tow first.

Our yard is in Liberty, close to I-35, and our heavy-duty towing from Liberty covers loaded tractor-trailers up and down this corridor. We will tell you on the phone whether the fault sounds like a roadside fix or a tow, and which truck is coming.

For local detail, see our pages for Liberty, Kearney and Cameron. If you were heading south and your trouble started closer to downtown, our post on breaking down on I-70 in Kansas City covers the downtown loop and the state line.

Sources

• 49 CFR 392.22, Emergency signals; stopped commercial motor vehicles

Related reading

Broke Down on I-70 in Kansas City: Kansas and Missouri — Get as far out of the lanes as you safely can, turn on the hazard flashers and call 911, *55 on the Missouri side or *47 on the Kansas side.

Mile Markers at the Kansas-Missouri State Line, Explained — It depends on the interstate.

Semi Broke Down in a Construction Zone: What to Do — If the truck can still move safely, keep going until you clear the work zone.