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U.S. Route 50 in Kansas

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(Redirected from K-50 (Kansas highway)) Segment of American highway This article is about the section of U.S. Route 50 in Kansas. For the entire route, see U.S. Route 50.
U.S. Highway 50 markerU.S. Highway 50
US-50 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by KDOT, and the cities of Cimarron, Dodge City and Emporia
Length447.93 mi (720.87 km)
Existed1927–present
Major junctions
West end US 50 / US 400 at Colorado state line
Major intersections US-83 in Garden City

US-400 in Dodge City
US-56 from Dodge City to Kinsley US-281 near St. John
I-135 / US-81 / K-15 in Newton
I-35 / Kansas Turnpike in Emporia
US-59 in Ottawa
US-169 / K-7 in Olathe
I-35 / US-169 / US-56 / I-435 in Lenexa

US-69 in Overland Park
East end I-435 / US 50 at State Line Road between Leawood, Kansas and Kansas City, Missouri
Location
CountryUnited States
StateKansas
CountiesHamilton, Kearny, Finney, Gray, Ford, Edwards, Stafford, Reno, Harvey, Marion, Chase, Lyon, Coffey, Osage, Franklin, Miami, Johnson
Highway system
  • Kansas State Highway System
← K-49→ K-51

U.S. Route 50 (US-50) is a major east–west route of the U.S. Highway system, stretching just over 3,000 miles (4,800 km) from Interstate 80 (I-80) in West Sacramento, California, to Maryland Route 528 (MD 528) in Ocean City, Maryland, on the Atlantic Ocean. In the U.S. state of Kansas, US-50 is a main east–west highway serving the southwestern, central and northeastern parts of the state. Kansas City is the only metropolitan area US-50 serves in the state, but the highway does serve several other larger towns in Kansas such as (from west to east) Garden City, Dodge City, Hutchinson, Newton and Emporia.

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-400, which joins US-50 at Granada, Colorado. The first town it runs through is Coolidge. Syracuse is the first county seat (Hamilton County). In western Kansas, US-50 parallels the Arkansas River.

US-50 at its junction with US-77
US 50 Eastbound west of Emporia

US-50 then enters Kearny County and passes through the towns of Lakin and Deerfield before entering Finney County. West of the Old US-50 and Big Lowe Road overpass in Holcomb, US-50 splits into four lanes and the speed limit increases to 70 MPH until east of the intersection with US-83. The highway then tapers back into two lanes at the 3rd Street intersection and remains so until the intersection with Bus-50 south of town. US-50 then passes through the towns of Ingalls, Cimarron, Dodge City, Kinsley, and Hutchinson before it heads to Newton. In Newton, US-50 joins I-135 for a short time before it angles northeast to Emporia, another meat-packing town as well as the home of Emporia State University. US-50 then joins I-35 and it overlaps that interstate for most of the rest of the way in Kansas.

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. 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

Santa Fe Trail sign along US-50

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.

The first route considered for US-56 was via US-40 from Ellsworth to Topeka and K-4 and US-59 via Atchison to St. Joseph, Missouri. A revised route adopted in March 1955, due to AASHO objections to the original route, which traveled concurrently with other U.S. Highways for over half of its length, followed K-14, K-18, US-24, K-63, K-16, and US-59 via Lincoln and Manhattan. In July 1955, the US-50N Association proposed a plan that would have eliminated US-50N by routing US 56 along most of its length, from Larned east to Baldwin Junction, and then along US-59 to Lawrence and K-10 to Kansas City; towns on US-50N west of Larned, which would have been bypassed, led a successful fight against this. However, in September of that year, the Kansas Highway Commission accepted that plan, taking US-56 east to Kansas City. On June 27, 1956, the AASHO Route Numbering Committee considered this refined plan for US-56, between Springer, New Mexico and Kansas City, Missouri, with a short US-156 along the remaining portion of US-50N from Larned west to Garden City. The entirety of US-156 was decommissioned on April 1, 1981, and redesignated as K-156.

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. Between 2002 and 2012, there were 21 accidents, resulting in one fatality. 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. 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.

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.

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.

Junction list

This section is missing mileposts for junctions. Please help by adding them.
CountyLocationmi
kmExitDestinationsNotes
HamiltonCoolidge0.0000.000

US 50 west / US 400 west		Continuation into Colorado
Syracuse16.09425.901
K-27 north (McDow Street) – Tribune		West end of concurrency with K-27
16.62426.754
K-27 south (Main Street) – Johnson City		East end of concurrency with K-27
KearnyLakin43.96570.755 K-25 (Main Street) – Ulysses, Leoti
FinneyHolcomb59.84896.316Big Lowe Road – HolcombDiamond interchange
Garden City65.848105.972




US-83 north / US 50 Bus. east / US 83 Bus. south – Garden City, Scott City		Diamond interchange; west end of concurrency with US-83
69.618112.039 K-156 (Kansas Avenue) / Mary StreetPair of half-diamond interchanges with one-way ramps connecting Mary Street and K-156
71.156114.514


US-83 south / US 50 Bus. west (Fulton Street) – Garden City, Liberal		Partial cloverleaf interchange; east end of concurrency with US-83
GrayCimarron102.427164.840 K-23 (Main Street) – Meade, Dighton
Ford​116.681187.780
US-400 east – Greensburg, Hugoton		East end of concurrency with US-400
Dodge City126.349203.339

US-56 west / US-283 south – Dodge City, Minneola		West end of concurrencies with US-56 and US-283
Wright128.085206.133
US-283 north – Jetmore		East end of concurrency with US-283
EdwardsKinsley156.245251.452
US-56 east – Great Bend		East end of concurrency with US-56
157.363253.251 US-183 (Niles Avenue) – Greensburg, La Crosse
Belpre175.192281.944
K-19 north (Larned Street) – Larned
Stafford​194.427312.900 US-281 – Great Bend, Pratt
Reno​232.954374.903
K-61 south (John Neal Memorial Highway) – Pratt		Interchange; west end of concurrency with K-61
​238.462383.767—

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 Hutchinson239.974386.201—

K-14 south / K-96 east / Main Street north – South Hutchinson, Wichita		East end of concurrencies with K-14 and K-96
240.957387.783—Scott Boulevard / McNew Road
Hutchinson242.535390.322—
K-61 north (Ken Kennedy Freeway) / Lorraine Street south – McPherson		East end of concurrency with K-61
​— Airport Road / Yoder RoadEast end of expressway; serves Hutchinson Municipal Airport
Harvey​264.566425.778
K-89 south – Halstead
Newton271.238436.515—Meridian RoadPartial cloverleaf interchange; west end of freeway
272.514438.569—Anderson Avenue
273.514440.178—
K-15 north (Kansas Avenue)		Partial cloverleaf interchange; west end of concurrency with K-15; serves Newton Medical Center
274.272441.398—
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		31First Street / Broadway StreetPair of half-diamond interchanges with one-way ramps connecting First Street and Broadway Street; exit number follows I-135
276.373444.779—
I-135 / US-81 north – Salina		Eastbound exit westbound entrance; east end of concurrency with I-135/US-81; I-135 exit number 33
277.406446.442—12th StreetWestbound exit and eastbound entrance; access via Old Trail Road; east end of freeway
MarionFlorence302.524486.865 US-77 / 8th Street east – Marion, El DoradoRoundabout
ChaseElmdale320.589515.938
K-150 west – Marion		Eastern terminus of K-150
Strong City327.581527.191 K-177 – Cottonwood Falls, Council GrovePartial cloverleaf interchange
LyonEmporia345.346555.781


To I-35 / I-335 / Kansas Turnpike – Kansas City, Wichita, Topeka		Roundabout with connector to I-35; I-35 Exit 127A
348.128560.258 K-99 (Commercial Street) – Olpe, Admire
350.438563.975
I-35 south – Wichita		Diamond interchange; west end of concurrency with I-35; I-35 exit 133
Jackson Township135County Road R1
138County Road U
141 K-130 – Neosho Rapids, Hartford
CoffeyLebo148 K-131 – Lebo
Key West Township155 US-75 – Lyndon, Burlington
OsageMelvern160
K-31 north – Melvern		Southern end of K-31 concurrency
162
K-31 south – Waverly		Northern end of K-31 concurrency
FranklinWilliamsburg170Williamsburg, PomonaFormerly designated as K-273
Homewood Township176Homewood
Ottawa182Eisenhower Road
183
US-59 south – Garnett		Southern end of US-59 concurrency
Harrison Township18515th Street
Ottawa187 K-68 – Ottawa, Louisburg
188
US-59 north – Lawrence		Northern end of US-59 concurrency
Franklin Township193Tennessee Road
Wellsville198 K-33 – Wellsville
Miami
 No major junctions
JohnsonEdgerton202Sunflower Road – Edgerton
Gardner Township205Homestead LaneDiverging diamond interchange
Gardner207Gardner Road
210
US-56 west – Gardner		Southern end of US-56 concurrency
Olathe214Lone Elm Road, 159th Street
215
US-169 south / K-7 – Paola		Southern end of US-169 concurrency
217Old Highway 56Southbound exit and northbound entrance
218Santa Fe
220119th Street
Lenexa
I-35 north (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
Leawood447.93720.87

I-435 east / US 50 east		Continuation into Kansas City, Missouri
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

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

  1. Federal Highway Administration, National Highway Planning Network GIS data version 2005.08
  2. ^ Rand McNally and Company (1927). "Kansas" (Map). Rand McNally Auto Road Atlas of the United States and Ontario, Quebec, and the Maritime Provinces of Canada, with a Brief Description of the National Parks and Monuments. 1:1,600,000. Chicago: Rand McNally and Company. pp. 54–55. OCLC 2078375. Retrieved August 24, 2020 – via Rumsey Collection.
  3. 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.
  4. "1932 Kansas Highway Map" (PDF). Kansas Department of Transportation. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
  5. Great Bend Daily Tribune, January 6, 1955
  6. Great Bend Daily Tribune, New US-55 Route Approved Here, March 20, 1955
  7. Atchison Daily Globe, March 20, 1955
  8. Great Bend Daily Tribune, July 26, 1955
  9. Great Bend Daily Tribune, July 29, 1955
  10. Great Bend Daily Tribune, Highway Boosters Here Oppose New US-55 Plan, September 16, 1955
  11. Oklahoma Department of Transportation, Chronological History Documentation: US 56 (correspondence between ODOT, AASHO, and other DOTs)
  12. Resolution to redesignate a Highway (Map). KDOT. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
  13. "1956 Kansas Highway Map" (PDF). Kansas Department of Transportation. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
  14. "1957 Kansas Highway Map" (PDF). Kansas Department of Transportation. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
  15. Rose, Gale. "Roundabout work begins near St. John". Salina: Salina Journal. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
  16. Rose, Gale. "It's roundabout time at St. John". Pratt: Pratt Tribune. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
  17. "Traffic flow change at U.S 50/281 roundabout work zone" (PDF). Kansas Department of Transportation. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  18. Green, John. "US-50/281 roundabout opens in Stafford County". Hutchinson: The Hutchinson News. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
  19. 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.
  20. Kansas Department of Transportation (May 2020). "Expansion Pipeline May 2020" (PDF). Topeka: Kansas Department of Transportation. Retrieved August 31, 2020.
  21. Kansas Department of Transportation. "Pavement Management Information System". Archived from the original on September 24, 2014. Retrieved 2012-11-10.

External links

KML file (edit • help) Template:Attached KML/U.S. Route 50 in KansasKML is not from Wikidata


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