In Missouri, US 54 runs from the southwest portion of the state to the northeast. It is a major conduit through the
Ozarks and is the primary access road to
Pomme de Terre Lake and
Lake of the Ozarks. After entering the state from neighboring
Kansas, the route moves eastward through many rural towns and communities. It passes through
Nevada, where it serves as the main access road to the town's business market. In Nevada, the route intersects with
I-49 and
US 71 as exits 102A and 102B on I-49/US 71. Here, it also passes by the Nevada Municipal Airport. Moving eastward, the route continues through
El Dorado Springs,
Collins,
Weaubleau, and
Wheatland, the latter is home of the
Lucas Oil Speedway. It passes through
Hermitage and
Preston, where it intersects with
US 65 at a four-way stop. US 54 intersects northern end of
Route 73 then passes through
Macks Creek. The route continues eastward and begins to enter the areas surrounding the
Lake of the Ozarks, a popular tourist destination and lake. It first crosses over the lake's Niangua Branch near
Ha Ha Tonka State Park. It then passes through
Camdenton. In Camdenton, the road intersects with
MO 5 and
MO 7 at an interchange. These routes provide access to
Lebanon and
I-44. After leaving Camdenton, the route becomes a four-lane
divided highway and remains that way to
Mexico. US 54 then passes through
Linn Creek and enters
Osage Beach. The route continues on a new expressway path initially built in 2010 and 2011. It crosses Lake of the Ozarks a second time on the
Grand Glaize Bridge. The route then briefly enters
Lake Ozark and
Lakeland, although access to these towns is only provided by exits from the highway. A sign seen westbound imitating the
Hollywood Sign reads ''Lake of the Ozarks." The route then leaves the Lake of the Ozarks after crossing the
Osage River before bypassing
Eldon. US 54 then goes through
Jefferson City, where it crosses
US 50 and crosses the
Missouri River via the
Senator Roy Blunt Bridge and briefly overlaps
US 63. Just north of the bridge, it splits then leaves the
Ozark Plateau before passing through
Fulton, crossing
I-70 and
US 40 at
Kingdom City, passes through
Auxvasse, then bypassing
Mexico where it turns into a two-lane highway. US 54 then turns right and continues on. Future plans call for passing lanes on US 54 from Mexico to the Missouri town of Louisiana. At a
roundabout, US 54 picks up a concurrency with
Route 19 and then passes through
Laddonia. North of Laddonia, US 54 splits from Route 19 before passing just north of
Vandalia, bypasses
Bowling Green crossing
US 61, and ultimately crossing the
Mississippi River via the
Champ Clark Bridge into
Illinois at
Louisiana. US 54 is a part of the
National Highway System, a system of highways important to the nation's defense, economy, and mobility. ==History==