The portion between the Route 121/US 45 exit and the Watson-Mason exit was completed and opened prior to July 1965, linking I-57 to I-70, and running in tandem with I-70 for several miles, with access to Indianapolis to the east, and St. Louis to the west.
A section of I-57 in Jefferson County from Bonnie (using a temporary road that is still partially visible from the northbound lanes) to Route 161 opened on December 9, 1969 [REF].