User:OzarkMan417/sandbox

I have the MO 465 article here because now that the route does not exist, I planned on repurposing the page to talk about the Highroad itself, rather than any specific route. Because the highroad is a component of Route 76, it may be simpler to incorporate some of the information on this article into the Route 76 page and delete the 465 page. Right now, the name of the 465 article cannot be changed to "Ozark Mountain Highroad" because the redirect currently goes to the Route 76 page. For that reason, I may just revert the recent edits I made to prepare the article for a name change.

The Ozark Mountain Highroad is a short highway in southern Missouri. It is located northwest of Branson, where it acts as a partial bypass around the popular tourist destination. The southern terminus is at Route 376, while the northern terminus is at U.S. Route 65 north of Branson. The Highroad is a component of Route 76 and is a Missouri Scenic Byway.

Route description
The Ozark Mountain Highroad begins at an interchange with Route 376 northwest of Branson in Stone County. A stub of the freeway with ghost ramps continues a short distance south of the interchange. From the junction with Route 76, the four-lane freeway heads north through wooded hilly areas, curving to the northeast. The median widens as the road enters Taney County, before heading to the north again. The highway turns to the east, with the median narrowing before an interchange with Route 248. The freeway ends as the road comes to an at-grade intersection with Adair Road. Past this point, the Highroad continues east as a four-lane undivided road for a short distance before ending at an interchange with US 65, where Route 76 leaves the road to run concurrently along US 65 to downtown Branson. The road continues past US 65 as Route F.

History
In the late 1980s, Branson suddenly boomed into a major entertainment destination. The ever-increasing popularity of theaters and attractions along 76 Country Blvd resulted in heavy congestion. In light of the continued economic growth and congestion that came with it, Governor John Ashcroft declared an "economic emergency" for the area in 1992. This allowed MoDOT to design and build the Highroad on a fast-track schedule, despite working with some of the state's most rugged terrain.

The Ozark Mountain Highroad opened to traffic in June 2003. From its opening until 2020, it was signed as Route 465. There were plans to extend the Highroad back to US 65, creating a complete bypass around Branson to relieve congestion. These plans were eventually abandoned, and as of 2021 there are no plans to extend the highway.

For the city of Branson to gain ownership of 76 Country Blvd between Route 376 and US 65 from MoDOT, Route 76 was routed onto the Highroad and US 65 between the Highroad and 76 Country Boulevard. As Route 76 was re-aligned onto the entirety of the Highroad, Route 465 was decommissioned. Work to replace the old signage started on January 6, 2020, and was completed in March 2020. Former Route 76 between the now city-maintained part of 76 Country Boulevard and the Highroad became part of Route 376.

Major intersections
All exits were unnumbered.