Kansas Highways Routelog

US Highway 40

A40
Original Kansas Highway
Length: 427.138 miles
West Endpoint:
Junction US 40N/US 40S, Manhattan (1926-1935); Colorado State Line west of Weskan

East Endpoint:
Missouri State Line in Kansas City

Counties Passed through: Wallace, Logan, Gove, Trego, Ellis, Russell, Lincoln, Ellsworth, Saline, Dickinson, Geary, Riley, Pottawatomie, Wabaunsee, Shawnee, Douglas, Leavenworth, Wyandotte

Highway 40 begins at the Colorado border near the town of Weskan, and followed the old Kansas Pacific Mainline, meeting K-27 at Sharon Springs and coinciding with K-25 for 7 miles in Logan County to I-70 and US 83 at Oakley. From Oakley, 40 joins I-70 across Kansas, meeting US 283 at WaKeeney, US 183 at Hays, US 281 at Russell, I-135/US 81 at Salina, US 77 at Junction City, and US 75 at Topeka before turning north off of I-70 when I-70 joins the Kansas Turnpike and turning on to a two lane route parallel to the Turnpike.

On the west end of Lawrence, 40 follows K-10 on the South Lawrence Trafficway around the west side of town before meeting US 59 on the south end Lawrence. 40 follows 59 on Iowa Street north from the Trafficway to 6th Street before turning east on 6th Street toward downtown, then turns north across the Kansas River onto North 2nd Street, crossing I-70 once again. After intersecting with I-70, 40 and 59 journey north a half mile before meeting with US 24 at Teepee Junction. 40 leaves 59 and joins 24 east to K-32 near the Douglas/Leavenworth county line before venturing northeast to Tonganoxie, where 24-40 meets K-16, then turns east toward Kansas City. At the junction with US 73 and K-7 near Bonner Springs, 24-40 follows K-7 south to the junction with I-70, where US 24 and US 40 rejoin I-70 all the way to the Missouri.

History

The original plan for US 40 through Kansas called for it to be routed on the Victory Highway from Kansas City, through Lawrence and Topeka, to Manhattan, where it followed the Midland Trail to Colby, Goodland, and hitting the Colorado line at Kanornado. The Victory Highway through Abilene, Salina, Ellsworth, Hays, and Oakley would have been US 340. The towns along the Victory Highway protested, claiming that the Midland trail got the nod because it passes through the hometown of Highway Commission Davidson. A meeting was held with the Victory Highway cities on December 18, 1925, leading to a compromise where the Midland Trail became US 40N, while the Victory became US 40S.

A May 1935 article from the Lawrence Journal-World indicated that K-10 would be re-routed on US 40 south of the Kansas River, while US 40 would follow K-10's alignment north of the river, easing congestion in Downtown Lawrence. K-10 was routed onto US 40's alignment, but US 40 was not moved. Instead, US 24 was extended west from Independence, Mo. along US 40, then took over K-10's alignment between Lawrence and Topeka. From Topeka to Manhattan, 24 followed US 40 once again. At Manhattan, US 24 replaced US 40N, while US 40 was replaced US 40S.

US 40 between Kansas City and K-7 was considered too dangerous in the 1930's. The State Highway Commission turned the old road (Parallel Parkway) to Kansas City and replaced it with a new four lane facility which, when completed in 1937, was the first stretch of four-lane dual carriageway road in Kansas and the region.

In 1938, Wyandotte County experimented with coloured concrete on stretches of US 40 through their county. The test showed that colored concrete was too expensive and the color additive was prone to dissolving concrete. Also, a new underpass was built under the Union Pacific railroad in North Lawrence. The roadbed for the new underpass is actually under the water level of the nearby Kansas River.

The original Victory Highway/US 40S/US 40 ran through Fort Riley, which was considered a problem when World War II broke out. On May 25, 1942, the Army closed US 40 through the fort and rerouted traffic around the fort on US 24 and US 77. This closure lasted through the end of the war.

In 1957, 40 was routed onto a new straight-shot alignment between Topeka and Junction City, bypassing Fort Riley problem. The old highway from Junction City to Manhattan was re-designated K-18, and the section between Manhattan and Topeka became US 24. Part of the new route was built under the 1956 Interstate Highway act - the road would be part of Interstate 70.

By 1964, I-70 was completed along a new alignment between Salina and Dorrance, bypassing the town of Ellsworth. 40 was rerouted along the new highway. Initially, the road between Dorrance and K-141 was to be turned back, with old US 40 east to Salina designated as an extension of K-141. However, the highway commission elected to retain the old road from K-141 west to Ellsworth, which was subsequently designated K-140.

In 1999, US 24-40 in Wyandotte county (which, by then, had lost its median) was rebuilt to a five-lane arterial to accompany the new Kansas Speedway and associated development. In 2008, the road was rebuilt from the Speedway west to the K-7 interchange with a wide median. Upon the completion of the project, State Avenue east of K-7 was turned back to the Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City and US 24/40 relocated along I-70. The interchange with K-7 was re-opened January 22, 2009, and reassurance signs started appearing along I-70 in February.

In 2015, the city of Lawrence agreeed to take over West 6th Street between the South Lawrence Trafficway (K-10) and Iowa Street (US 59. As a consequence of this agreement, US 40 was re-routed along the SLT and Iowa Street to the 6th and Iowa intersection. Signage reflecting the new alignment of US 40 began to appear in April, 2017.

Junction Guide
Photos 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Business US Highway 40 (Trego County)

Length: 2.2 miles
West Endpoint:
I-70/US 40 Exit 127

East Endpoint:
I-70/US 40 Exit 128

Counties Passed through: Trego

History

The Business Loop was created along US 283 through WaKenney and replaced a US 283 spur in 1984.

Alternate US 40 (Russell County, 1967-1981)

Business US Highway 40 (Russell County, 1981-2013)

Length: 6.4 miles
West Endpoint:
I-70/US 40 Exit 184

East Endpoint:
I-70/US 40 Exit 189

Counties Passed through: Russell

History

Created by 1967, when I-70 and US 40 bypassed Russell. It was rebannered as Business US 40 by 1978

Alternate US 40 (1967-1979)

Business US Highway 40 (Geary County)

Length: 4 miles
West Endpoint:
I-70/US 40 Exit 296

East Endpoint:
I-70/US 40 Exit 300

Counties Passed through: Sheridan

History

Created by 1967, when I-70 and US 40 bypassed Junction City. It was rebannered as Business US 40 by 1978.

Photos

Spur US Highway 40

South Endpoint:
Kansas Turnpike East Topeka Interchange (Exit 9/183)

North Endpoint:
Junction US 40 (6th Ave and Deer Creek Trafficway)

Counties Passed through: Shawnee

History

Originally built as the connection between US 40 (6th Avenue) and the Kansas Turnpike's East Topeka interchange, its fate was intertangled with the construction of I-70. When I-70 was completed in the area, I-70 traffic had to exit from the access road to I-70 and vice versa. The roadway that contained I-70 west of this intersection was slated to be extended east and north to what was then proposed as the Deer Creek expressway. By 1986, I-70 had been realigned to directly tie in with the Toll plaza, making the spur connection unnecessary. The portion of the road north of I-70 was subsequently abandoned.

Alternate US 40 (Ellis County, 1953-1963)

Length: 0.0 miles
West Endpoint:
Junction US 40 west of Hays

East Endpoint:
US 40 east of Hays

Counties Passed through:

History

In 1953, a new bypass around the south side of Hays was established by the State Highway Commission. The new bypass received the US 40 designation. The old US 40 through Hays was retained as an Alternate route.

In 1963, I-70 was designated from Ogallah to Hays. As part of the designation, the old US 40 through Hays, along with the Alternate route, was removed.

US Highway 40N (1926-1935)

DP5040
West Endpoint:
Colorado State Line near Kanorado

East Endpoint:
Junction US 40/US 40S, Manhattan

Counties Passed through: Sherman, Thomas, Sheridan, Graham, Rooks, Osbourn, Mitchell, Cloud, Clay, Riley

History

From the border, 40N travelled along the Midland Trail through Goodland, Colby, Hill City, Osborne, and Clay Center before hooking with US 40S at Manhattan. The Original 1925 plans called for the Midland Trail to be US 40, but the towns along the Victory Highway protested, claiming that the Midland trail got the US 40 designation because it passed through the hometown of the Highway Commissioner. A meeting was held with the Victory Highway cities on December 18, 1925, leading to a compromise where the Victory Highway became US 40S and the Midland Trail became US 40N.

US 40N was re-designated as an extension of US 24 in 1936.

US Highway 40S (1926-1935)

DP5040
West Endpoint:
Colorado state line west of Weskan

East Endpoint:
Junction US 40/US 40N, Manhattan

Counties Passed through: Wallace, Logan, Gove, Trego, Ellis, Russell, Ellsworth, Saline, Dickinson, Geary, Riley

History

From the border, 40S travelled along the Victory Highway through Oakley, WaKeeny, Hays, Elssworth, Salina, and Abiline before hooking with US 40N at Manhattan. The original planed called for the Victory Highway to be US 340 and the Midland Trail to be US 40. The towns along the Victory Highway protested, claiming that the Midland Trail got the US 40 designation because it passed through the hometown of the Highway Commissioner. A meeting was held with the Victory Highway cities on December 18, 1925, leading to a compromise where the Midland Trail became US 40N, while the Victory became US 40S

US 40S was re-designated as US 40 in 1936 when US 40N was re-designated as an extension of US 24.