U.S. Route 50 in Kansas
Route information | ||||
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Maintained by KDOT, and the cities of Cimarron, Dodge City and Emporia | ||||
Length | 447.93 mi[1] (720.87 km) | |||
Existed | 1927[2]–present | |||
Major junctions | ||||
West end | US 50 / US 400 at Colorado state line | |||
US-83 in Garden City
US-400 in Dodge City US-56 from Dodge City to Kinsley
US-281 near St. JohnI-135 / US-81 / K-15 in Newton I-35 / Kansas Turnpike in Emporia US-59 in Ottawa US-169 / K-7 in Olathe US-69 in Overland Park | ||||
East end | I-435 / US 50 at State Line Road between Leawood, Kansas and Kansas City, Missouri | |||
Location | ||||
Country | United States | |||
State | Kansas | |||
Counties | Hamilton, Kearny, Finney, Gray, Ford, Edwards, Stafford, Reno, Harvey, Marion, Chase, Lyon, Coffey, Osage, Franklin, Miami, Johnson | |||
Highway system | ||||
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U.S. Route 50 (US-50) is a major east–west route of the
US-50 was established in Kansas by 1927, and at that time split into two branch routes in Kansas. The US-50 split began in Garden City and ended slightly west of Baldwin City. In Garden City, the split began at Kansas Avenue and Main Street. US-50N continued east on Kansas Ave. and went through Jetmore, Larned, Great Bend, Lyons, McPherson and Baldwin City. US-50S ran along current US-50. The routes rejoined near what is now the intersection of US-56 and K-33. US-50N was replaced by US-156 from Garden City to Great Bend and by US-56 the rest of the way. US-156 is now known as K-156. The split was removed during the late 1950s.
Route description
US-50 enters the state running concurrently with
US-50 then enters
US-50, along with I-35, then passes through a place known as "BETO Junction," which is where it meets US-75, north of Burlington. The letters in the acronym stand for Burlington, Emporia, Topeka and Ottawa, which are the cities to the south, west, north and east, respectively.
From there, US-50 passes through Olathe and meets I-435 in Lenexa. At this point. US-50 leaves I-35 and joins I-435 for the rest of its trip in Kansas.
The entire 1.369 miles (2 km) section of US-50 in Cimarron is maintained by the city.[3] The entire 1.662 section within Dodge City is maintained by the city. The section in Emporia from Graphic Arts Road to the east city limit is maintained by the city.
History
US-50 was established in Kansas by 1927, and at that time split into two branch routes. Branch routes were once common along the U.S. highway system but have always been discouraged. Branch routes that remain exist mostly in Kentucky and Tennessee. The US-50 split began in Garden City and ended near Baldwin City. In Garden City, the split began at Kansas Avenue and Main Street. US-50N continued east on Kansas Ave. and went through Jetmore, Larned, Great Bend, Lyons, McPherson and Baldwin City. US-50S ran along current US-50. The routes rejoined near what is now the intersection of US-56 and K-33.[2][4]
The first route considered for US-56 was via
In mid 2019, work began to convert the junction with US-281 to an enhanced roundabout. The roundabout includes outer diamond shape lanes for oversized loads to bypass the roundabout. The former intersection with US-281 was dangerous as only US-281 traffic had to stop and therefore was the location of several injury and fatal accidents.[15] Between 2002 and 2012, there were 21 accidents, resulting in one fatality.[16] On March 4, 2020, traffic was rerouted, from a four-way stop and temporary asphalt detour, onto the permanent concrete outer roads for the roundabout.[17] The roundabout was completed and opened up to traffic on May 22, 2020. Venture Corporation from Great Bend, was the primary contractor for the $5.2 million project.[18]
On July 20, 2020 work began on a project to reconstruct US-50 from Road E5 to a half mile east of Road F in Lyon County. The project will widen the highway to 4-lanes for one mile. Improvements also will be made at the Road E5 and Road F intersections. Koss Construction Company of Topeka is the primary contractor of the $7.8 million project.[19]
Future
In May 2020, KDOT's Eisenhower Legacy Transportation Plan was announced. One project included in the statewide plan will complete the four-lane expressway between Garden City and Dodge City.[20]
Junction list
This section is missing mileposts for junctions. |
County | Location | mi [21] | km | Exit | Destinations | Notes | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hamilton | Coolidge | 0.000 | 0.000 | US 50 west / US 400 west | Continuation into Colorado | |||
Syracuse | 16.094 | 25.901 | K-27 north (McDow Street) – Tribune | West end of concurrency with K-27 | ||||
16.624 | 26.754 | K-27 south (Main Street) – Johnson City | East end of concurrency with K-27 | |||||
Kearny | Lakin | 43.965 | 70.755 | K-25 (Main Street) – Ulysses, Leoti | ||||
Finney | Holcomb | 59.848 | 96.316 | Big Lowe Road – Holcomb | Diamond interchange | |||
US 83 Bus. south – Garden City, Scott City | Diamond interchange; west end of concurrency with US-83 | |||||||
69.618 | 112.039 | K-156 (Kansas Avenue) / Mary Street | Pair of half-diamond interchanges with one-way ramps connecting Mary Street and K-156 | |||||
71.156 | 114.514 | US 50 Bus. west (Fulton Street) – Garden City, Liberal | Partial cloverleaf interchange; east end of concurrency with US-83 | |||||
Gray | Cimarron | 102.427 | 164.840 | K-23 (Main Street) – Meade, Dighton | ||||
US-400 east – Greensburg, Hugoton | East end of concurrency with US-400 | |||||||
West end of concurrencies with US-56 and US-283 | ||||||||
Wright | 128.085 | 206.133 | US-283 north – Jetmore | East end of concurrency with US-283 | ||||
US-56 east – Great Bend | East end of concurrency with US-56 | |||||||
157.363 | 253.251 | US-183 (Niles Avenue) – Greensburg, La Crosse | ||||||
Belpre | 175.192 | 281.944 | K-19 north (Larned Street) – Larned | |||||
Stafford | | 194.427 | 312.900 | US-281 – Great Bend, Pratt | ||||
Reno | | 232.954 | 374.903 | K-61 south (John Neal Memorial Highway) – Pratt | Interchange; west end of concurrency with K-61 | |||
| 238.462 | 383.767 | — | K-14 north / K-96 west (Nickerson Boulevard) – Lyons | Partial cloverleaf interchange; west end of expressway; west end of concurrencies with K-14 and K-96 | |||
South Hutchinson | 239.974 | 386.201 | — | K-14 south / K-96 east / Main Street north – South Hutchinson, Wichita | East end of concurrencies with K-14 and K-96 | |||
240.957 | 387.783 | — | Scott Boulevard / McNew Road | |||||
Hutchinson | 242.535 | 390.322 | — | K-61 north (Ken Kennedy Freeway) / Lorraine Street south – McPherson | East end of concurrency with K-61 | |||
| — | Airport Road / Yoder Road | East end of expressway; serves Hutchinson Municipal Airport | |||||
K-89 south – Halstead | ||||||||
Newton | 271.238 | 436.515 | — | Meridian Road | Partial cloverleaf interchange; west end of freeway | |||
272.514 | 438.569 | — | Anderson Avenue | |||||
273.514 | 440.178 | — | K-15 north (Kansas Avenue) | Partial cloverleaf interchange; west end of concurrency with K-15; serves Newton Medical Center | ||||
274.272 | 441.398 | — | I-135 south (US-81 / K-15 south) – Wichita | Full Y interchange; east end of concurrency with K-15; west end of concurrency with I-135/US-81; I-135 exit 30 | ||||
275.037– 275.543 | 442.629– 443.443 | 31 | First Street / Broadway Street | Pair of half-diamond interchanges with one-way ramps connecting First Street and Broadway Street; exit number follows I-135 | ||||
276.373 | 444.779 | — | I-135 / US-81 north – Salina | Eastbound exit westbound entrance; east end of concurrency with I-135/US-81; I-135 exit number 33 | ||||
277.406 | 446.442 | — | 12th Street | Westbound exit and eastbound entrance; access via Old Trail Road; east end of freeway | ||||
Marion | Florence | 302.524 | 486.865 | US-77 / 8th Street east – Marion, El Dorado | Roundabout | |||
Chase | Elmdale | 320.589 | 515.938 | K-150 west – Marion | Eastern terminus of K-150 | |||
Strong City | 327.581 | 527.191 | K-177 – Cottonwood Falls, Council Grove | Partial cloverleaf interchange | ||||
Roundabout with connector to I-35; I-35 Exit 127A | ||||||||
348.128 | 560.258 | K-99 (Commercial Street) – Olpe, Admire | ||||||
350.438 | 563.975 | I-35 south – Wichita | Diamond interchange; west end of concurrency with I-35; I-35 exit 133 | |||||
Jackson Township | 135 | County Road R1 | ||||||
138 | County Road U | |||||||
141 | K-130 – Neosho Rapids, Hartford | |||||||
K-131 – Lebo | ||||||||
Key West Township | 155 | US-75 – Lyndon, Burlington | ||||||
Osage | Melvern | 160 | K-31 north – Melvern | Southern end of K-31 concurrency | ||||
162 | K-31 south – Waverly | Northern end of K-31 concurrency | ||||||
Franklin | Williamsburg | 170 | Williamsburg, Pomona | Formerly designated as K-273 | ||||
Homewood Township | 176 | Homewood | ||||||
Ottawa | 182 | Eisenhower Road | ||||||
183 | US-59 south – Garnett | Southern end of US-59 concurrency | ||||||
Harrison Township | 185 | 15th Street | ||||||
Ottawa | 187 | K-68 – Ottawa, Louisburg | ||||||
188 | US-59 north – Lawrence | Northern end of US-59 concurrency | ||||||
Franklin Township | 193 | Tennessee Road | ||||||
Wellsville | 198 | K-33 – Wellsville | ||||||
Miami |
No major junctions | |||||||
Johnson | Edgerton | 202 | Sunflower Road – Edgerton | |||||
Gardner Township | 205 | Homestead Lane | Diverging diamond interchange | |||||
Gardner | 207 | Gardner Road | ||||||
210 | US-56 west – Gardner | Southern end of US-56 concurrency | ||||||
Olathe | 214 | Lone Elm Road, 159th Street | ||||||
215 | US-169 south / K-7 – Paola | Southern end of US-169 concurrency | ||||||
217 | Old Highway 56 | Southbound exit and northbound entrance | ||||||
218 | Santa Fe | |||||||
220 | 119th Street | |||||||
US-56 east / US-169 north) – Des Moines | Exit 222A on I-35; east end of concurrency with I-35/US-56/US-169 | |||||||
I-435 west | Exit 83 on I-435; west end of concurrency with I-435 | |||||||
Overlap with I-435 | ||||||||
Leawood | 447.93 | 720.87 | I-435 east / US 50 east | Continuation into Kansas City, Missouri | ||||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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Special routes
In Garden City. US-50 and US-83 each have business routes. They both start at the same place, at the junction of US-50, 83 and 400 about one mile (1.6 km) north of town. They run concurrently along the former alignments of US-50 and 83 through town to the intersection of Main Street and Fulton Street. At that point, the business routes split and Business 50 heads east to meet up with US-50, 83 and 400 east of town.
US-50 once had alternate routings in Garden City and Dodge City and business routes in Dodge City and Ottawa. Former Alternate 50 in Garden City is now known as Campus Drive. Its purpose was to connect US-50 travelers to then-US-156 without having to go all the way into downtown. Its purpose was taken over by Spur US-83 in the 1970s. Spur US-83 is now the bypass around Garden City that carries highways 50, 83 and 400.
Former Alternate 50 at Dodge City is now the main route for US-50. Business 50 in Dodge City was decommissioned when the US-400 bypass was built to the south and west of that city. Business 50 in Ottawa ran along the former US-50 alignment through Ottawa.
References
- ^ Federal Highway Administration, National Highway Planning Network GIS data version 2005.08
- ^ OCLC 2078375. Retrieved August 24, 2020 – via Rumsey Collection.
- ^ Kansas Department of Transportation (January 1, 2012). "Resolution Designating City Connecting Links in State Highway System". Topeka: Kansas Department of Transportation. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
- ^ "1932 Kansas Highway Map" (PDF). Kansas Department of Transportation. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
- ^ Great Bend Daily Tribune, January 6, 1955
- ^ Great Bend Daily Tribune, New US-55 Route Approved Here, March 20, 1955
- ^ Atchison Daily Globe, March 20, 1955
- ^ Great Bend Daily Tribune, July 26, 1955
- ^ Great Bend Daily Tribune, July 29, 1955
- ^ Great Bend Daily Tribune, Highway Boosters Here Oppose New US-55 Plan, September 16, 1955
- ^ Oklahoma Department of Transportation, Chronological History Documentation: US 56 (correspondence between ODOT, AASHO, and other DOTs)
- ^ Resolution to redesignate a Highway (Map). KDOT. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
- ^ "1956 Kansas Highway Map" (PDF). Kansas Department of Transportation. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
- ^ "1957 Kansas Highway Map" (PDF). Kansas Department of Transportation. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
- ^ Rose, Gale. "Roundabout work begins near St. John". Salina: Salina Journal. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
- ^ Rose, Gale. "It's roundabout time at St. John". Pratt: Pratt Tribune. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
- ^ "Traffic flow change at U.S 50/281 roundabout work zone" (PDF). Kansas Department of Transportation. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
- ^ Green, John. "US-50/281 roundabout opens in Stafford County". Hutchinson: The Hutchinson News. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
- ^ Kansas Department of Transportation (July 20, 2020). "U.S. 50 T-WORKS project in Lyon County now underway". Topeka: Kansas Department of Transportation. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
- ^ Kansas Department of Transportation (May 2020). "Expansion Pipeline May 2020" (PDF). Topeka: Kansas Department of Transportation. Retrieved August 31, 2020.
- ^ Kansas Department of Transportation. "Pavement Management Information System". Archived from the original on September 24, 2014. Retrieved 2012-11-10.
External links
- Kansas Highway Maps: Current, Historic, KDOT
- 1926 US Highway Map, Department of Agriculture