K-150 (Kansas highway)

K-150 is a 16.645-mile (26.788 km) east–west state highway in the U.S. state of Kansas. The route begins at a roundabout with U.S. Route 56 (US-56) and US-77 northeast of Marion and runs east to a junction with US-50 southwest of Elmdale. It runs through the Flint Hills region of Kansas, and is a two-lane road its entire length. There are no cities or towns along the road, but it provides a direct link for traffic from Marion, Hillsboro, McPherson and points west to Emporia and the Kansas Turnpike.

K-150 marker
K-150
Map
K-150 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by KDOT
Length16.645 mi[2] (26.788 km)
ExistedJuly 1, 1937[1]–present
Major junctions
West end US-56 / US-77 northeast of Marion
East end US-50 southwest of Elmdale
Location
CountryUnited States
StateKansas
CountiesMarion, Chase
Highway system
  • Kansas State Highway System
K-149 K-152

Before state highways were numbered in Kansas there were auto trails, which were an informal network of marked routes that existed in the United States and Canada in the early part of the 20th century. The western terminus connects to the former Old Santa Fe Trail, South West Trail, National Old Trails Road and Kansas-Oklahoma-Texas Highway. The eastern terminus connects to the former New Santa Fe Trail. K-150 was first designated a state highway on July 1, 1937, and its alignment has not been changed since. In 2015, the western terminus was upgraded to a roundabout. From 1955 to 1996, there was a second K-150 that ran from Olathe to the Missouri state line.

Route description

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K-150 at its western terminus

The route begins at a roundabout intersection with US-56 and US-77, at the southern end of their concurrency. From there, the route heads straight east through farmland, and after about 2.8 miles (4.5 km) crosses Martin Creek. Just past the creek the route intersects Yarrow Road, as it passes by a couple farmhouses. It then intersects Zebulon Road and then Alfalfa Road, passing by Grant Cemetery in between. The highway continues two miles (3.2 km) past here then intersects Clover Road. After an intersection with Clover Road, the fields around the highway turn into grassland as K-150 continues east, and enters into Chase County one mile (1.6 km) later.[3] As K-150 enters the county, it soon intersects C Road, then crosses Silver Creek 1.4 miles (2.3 km) later. It continues 3.5 miles (5.6 km) through grasslands then crosses Gould Creek. The road then ends 2.7 miles (4.3 km) later at US-50, which runs diagonally, south of Elmdale.[4][5]

 
K-150 westbound at its eastern terminus

The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) tracks the traffic levels on its highways, and in 2018, they determined that on average the traffic was 1490 vehicles per day near each terminus.[6] K-150 is not included in the National Highway System.[7] The National Highway System is a system of highways important to the nation's defense, economy, and mobility. K-150 does connect to the National Highway System at its eastern and western terminus.[8]

History

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Early roads

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Before state highways were numbered in Kansas there were auto trails, which were an informal network of marked routes that existed in the United States and Canada in the early part of the 20th century. The western terminus of K-150 connects to the former Old Santa Fe Trail, South West Trail, National Old Trails Road and Kansas-Oklahoma-Texas Highway. The eastern terminus connects to the former New Santa Fe Trail.[9]

Establishment and realignments

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US-50 at its junction with K-150

K-150 was first designated a state highway in a July 1, 1937 resolution and at that time ran from US-50N and US-77 eastward to US-50S.[1] It was first noted on the 1937 Kansas state roadmap.[10][11] On June 27, 1956, the AASHO Route Numbering Committee approved US 56, between Springer, New Mexico, and Kansas City, Missouri. At this time US-50N was renumbered to US-56 and US-50S was renumbered to US-50.[12]

The route has changed little, but in August 2001, work began on a $17.5 million (equivalent to $28.8 million in 2023[13]) project to reconstruct the entire length of K-150. New bridges were built, asphalt shoulders were added and the sight distances were improved. Work was completed by August 2003.[14] In 2012, KDOT decided that the western terminus was to be rebuilt as an enhanced roundabout.[15] Construction on the $5.416 million (equivalent to $6.81 million in 2023[13]) enhanced roundabout at the western terminus began in June 2015. The roundabout was enhanced by leaving in place the shooflies that were installed to take traffic around the site during construction. This allows oversized trucks that wouldn't fit on the roundabout to pass.[16][17] K-150 was closed from early September 2015, to late December 2015, and traffic was detoured south along US-77 to make room for construction on that section of the roundabout. The roundabout was completed and open to traffic in December 2015.[18]

K-150
LocationOlatheMissouri border
ExistedJanuary 5, 1955–March 31, 1996

On January 5, 1955, a second K-150 was established in Johnson County. It began at K-7 in Olathe and began traveling eastward and soon reached an interchange with I-35, US-50 and US-56. At this point it was joined by US-169, and the two routes continued east to an interchange with US-69. Here US-169 turned north as K-150 continued east to the Missouri border, where it became Route 150.[19] The highway was decommissioned on March 31, 1996, when US-169 was realigned to travel further north along I-35.[20] Also, Olathe and Overland Park had annexed more land around K-150, and would have run entirely through city limits, which is against Kansas law.[21]

Major intersections

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CountyLocationmi[2]kmDestinationsNotes
MarionCentre Township0.0000.000   US-56 / US-77 – McPherson, El Dorado, Council Grove, Junction CityWestern terminus; roundabout
ChaseDiamond Creek Township16.64526.788  US-50 – Strong City, Emporia, FlorenceEastern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b State Highway Commission of Kansas (July 1, 1937). "Resolution establishing a road in Marion and Chase Counties". Topeka: State Highway Commission of Kansas. Archived from the original on August 1, 2021. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
  2. ^ a b Staff (2016). "Pavement Management Information System". Topeka: Kansas Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on March 13, 2016. Retrieved April 23, 2017.
  3. ^ Bureau of Transportation Planning (November 2010). Marion County (PDF) (Map). [c. 1: 211,200]. General Highway Map. Topeka: Kansas Department of Transportation. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 5, 2020. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  4. ^ Bureau of Transportation Planning (December 2009). Chase County (PDF) (Map). [c. 1: 211,200]. General Highway Map. Topeka: Kansas Department of Transportation. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 5, 2020. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  5. ^ "Overview of K-150" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved April 4, 2011.
  6. ^ Bureau of Transportation Planning (2018). Traffic Flow Map Kansas State Highway System (PDF) (Map). [c. 1:1,584,000]. Topeka: Kansas Department of Transportation. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 5, 2020. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
  7. ^ Federal Highway Administration (May 8, 2019). National Highway System: Kansas (PDF) (Map). [c. 1:3,900,000]. Washington, DC: Federal Highway Administration. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
  8. ^ Natzke, Stefan; Neathery, Mike; Adderly, Kevin (September 26, 2012). "What is the National Highway System?". National Highway System. Washington, DC: Federal Highway Administration. Archived from the original on July 4, 2012. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
  9. ^ Rand McNally and Company (1924). "Kansas" (Map). AutoTrails Map, Southern Nebraska, Eastern Colorado, Kansas, Northeastern New Mexico, Northern Oklahoma. 1:1,600,000. Chicago: Rand McNally and Company. OCLC 2078375. Retrieved August 7, 2020 – via Rumsey Collection.
  10. ^ State Highway Commission of Kansas (1936). Kansas State Highway System (PDF) (Map). Scale not given. Topeka: State Highway Commission of Kansas. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 4, 2020. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  11. ^ State Highway Commission of Kansas (1937). Kansas State Highway System (PDF) (Map). Scale not given. Topeka: State Highway Commission of Kansas. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 4, 2020. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  12. ^ Oklahoma Department of Transportation. "Chronological History Documentation: US 56 (correspondence between ODOT, AASHO, and other DOTs)" (PDF). Oklahoma City: Oklahoma Department of Transportation. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  13. ^ a b Johnston, Louis; Williamson, Samuel H. (2023). "What Was the U.S. GDP Then?". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved November 30, 2023. United States Gross Domestic Product deflator figures follow the MeasuringWorth series.
  14. ^ Kansas Department of Transportation (March 2002). "Highway projects are in full swing across Kansas" (PDF). Topeka: Kansas Department of Transportation. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 22, 2011. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  15. ^ Ben Kleine (July 18, 2012). "Roundabout proposed for 56-77-150 junction". Marion Record. Archived from the original on October 18, 2020. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  16. ^ John Green (May 8, 2015). "Unique U.S. 56 roundabout set". The Hutchinson News. Archived from the original on August 1, 2021. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
  17. ^ John Green (March 12, 2018). "KDOT awards $5 mil contract for St. John roundabout". The Hutchinson News. Archived from the original on August 1, 2021. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
  18. ^ "Work on Marion County roundabout to enter second phase". Salina Journal. September 3, 2015. Archived from the original on August 1, 2021. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
  19. ^ State Highway Commission of Kansas (January 5, 1955). "Resolution for addition to state highway system". Topeka: State Highway Commission of Kansas. Archived from the original on August 1, 2021. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  20. ^ Kansas Department of Transportation (March 31, 1996). "State Highway resolution to relocate a segment of US 169 and withdraw K 150 in Johnson County". Topeka: Kansas Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on December 22, 2017. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  21. ^ Kansas Department of Transportation (2013). "Access Management Policy 2013 - KDOT". Topeka: Kansas Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on October 21, 2020. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
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