At noon on December 12, 2012, the section of US 71 between Pineville, Missouri and I-435 in south Kansas City was also designated as a northern extension of Interstate 49 (I-49).

[citation needed] In northern Kansas City, US 71 shares many overlaps with interstates, including I-70, I-35, and I-29.

Additionally, a short segment between Carthage and Webb City (present day Route 171) had been widened to four lanes.

[4] Save for a four-mile section of four-lane highway south of Neosho that was completed in the 1960s, the entire portion of US-71 (including Alt.

Projects along the highway were also made in the northern part of the state around this time, as US-71 was widened from two to four lanes between Savannah and Maryville, with various sections opening between 2001 and 2004.

On August 5, 2014, voters in Missouri defeated Amendment 7 at the polls, which would have provided funding various road construction projects in the state.

[7] In March 2019, the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission approved the remaining funding needed to complete the Bella Vista Bypass.