Kansas Highways Routelog

History

US 50N started at Garden City and proceeded east to Larned, and through McPherson, Herrington, Osage City, Burlingame, and Overbrook before rejoining with US 50S at Baldwin Junction.

By 1932, 50N remained dirt from east of Garden City to west of Jetmore, from Council Grove to the Morris-Lyon County Line, and from Overbrook to Baldwin Junction. 50N was hard surfaced from Ellinwood to Silica, from Wisdom to Herrington, from Allen to Admire, and from Osage City to US 75. By 1933, 50N was gravelled in Finney and Morris Counties, and hard surfaced between Great Bend and Lyons and between Allen and Overbrook. By 1936, the remaining dirt segment in Hodgeman County had been gravelled, a segment northeast out of Larned hard-surfaced, and hard surfaced in its entirety east of Great Bend. All of US 50N was hard surfaced by 1941.

In the early 1950s, a push was made to create a new US 55 between Springer, New Mexico and Kansas via what was then K-45. There were various suggestions on the alignment. The first suggestion would have followed K-45 all the way to Ellsworth, then followed US 40 and K-4 via Topeka and Atchison. This was rejected by AASHO due to the excessive use of overlapping routes. A revised route, submitted in March 1955, routed the proposed route via Lincoln Center and Mahanttan, replacing various state numbered highways. The final proposal, submitted in June 1956, had the new route following US 50N east from Larned to Kansas City, with a spur US route designation between Larned and Garden City. The June 1956 proposal was adopted by AASHTO, but since the roadway was predominantly east-west, they adopted an even number, US 56.

Upon approval of the new US 56 designation, US 50N was re-designated as US 156 from Garden City to Larned, and as US 56 from Larned to Kansas City.

History

US 50S ran from Garden City through Dodge City, Hutchinson, and Newton 123 before arriving at Emporia and then to Ottawa, where it traveled north on US 59 to meet with US 50N at Baldwin Junction.

By 1932, US 50S was already hard-surfaced for a significant distance, with the only segments not hard surfaced being between northeast of Newton to Cottonwood Falls, and between the Lyon/Coffey County Line and Ottawa. Also, at the junction with US 75, 50S followed US 75 to just south of Lyndon, then headed east through Quenemo and Pomona to Ottawa.

By October, 1935, a new hard-surfaced alignment was built between Strong City and Elmdale, bypassing Cottonwood Falls.

By 1936, 50S was re-aligned on the hard-surfaced K-33 in Franklin and Coffey Counties, with the old 50S alignment re-designated K-68. 50S was also hard-surfaced between Florence and US 75.

In a resolution dated December, 1939, the south junction of US 50S and US 59 was re-aligned, eliminiating a railroad grade crossing on the south side of Ottawa.

US 50S was hard-surfaced in its entirety by 1941.

In a resolution dated June of 1946, US 50S was designated on a new alignment 1/2 mile to the north for 4 miles to the west. A December 1948 resolution did the same for 6 miles to the east of Emporia, and a September 1950 resolution extended the eastern realignment for another 4 miles to the Coffey County line. These relocations were completed by 1953.

The US 50 N/S split was eliminated with AASHO's June 1956 approval of US 56 and 156. As part of the approved new highway designation, US 50S was re-designated as US 50.

A bypass to the North of Emporia had been shown as proposed as far back as the June 1946 resolution. In October 1950, a resolution officially designated the proposed bypass as part of US 50S. The bypass would be eventually be completed and designated I-35.

History

In November, 1980, AASHTO passed a resolution redesignating what was US 50A as mainline US 50, with the existing US 50 designated as a US 50B. A resolution confirming the re-designation was issued by KDOT in April, 1981.

As part of getting a new US 400 bypass built on the southwest side of Dodge City, the city agreed to take full maintenance of Wyatt Earp Boulevard. This was approved via a highway resoulution in April, 2008, effective upon the completion of the new US 400. The new bypass was completed in October of 2009.

History

In 1957, the State Highway Commission passed a resolution adding the future I-35 to the state highway system. The interstate projects were let as an extension of US 50. By 1962, I-35 had been completed between Olathe and Ottawa and the US 50 designation was shifted to the new interstate. The existing US 50 was retained, with the segment between the end of the I-35 project and US 59 in Ottawa designated as a spur of US 50.

In October, 1979, AASHTO passed a resolution redesignating the spur as a Buisness loop. KDOT issued a resolution in 1981 confirming the redesignation, and extending the Buisnes loop to reconnect with I-35 via US 59 and K-68

In November, 2000, a state resolution was passed removing US 50B from the State Highway System upon the conclusion of a project to rebuild the I-35 roadbed in Franklin County. As part of the rebuilding, the bridge over I-35 on old US 50 was demolished and not replaced. The bridge taking old US 50 over southbound US 59 and a former Santa Fe railroad line was also demolished. The roadway leading up to these bridges was abandoned, with the remainder reverting to the city of Ottawa.

History

In late 1948, A new eastern bypass for US 50S and US 283 was laid out, cutting diagonally to the southwest from the existing alignment 4 miles east of Dodge City, then turning west to what was then known as Chestnut Street. By 1952, this new corridor was completed, but a new northern bypass, continuing the old US 50S west from where it originally turned south north of Dodge, then proceeding southwest to meet US 50 west of town, was designated. By 1955, the northern bypass was completed, and was assigned the designation US 50 Alternate

In November 1980, AASHTO passed a resolution redesignating the northern bypass as US 50, and the eastern bypass and city street alignment as US 50B. A resolution confirming the redesignation was issued in April of 1981.

History

In a resolution passed in December of 1952, the State Highway Commision established a new spur route of US 50S to connect with US 50N east of Garden City.

By 1970, the Garden City city limits had extended out to the US 50 spur, and plans were underway for a new bypass around Garden City to the east and north. A May, 1970 resolution designated this new bypass as a spur of US 83. The new route intersected US 50 and US 156 1/2 mile east of the existing spur route. While the resolution did not specifically remove the US 50 spur, it is probably safe to say that it was withdrawn as a state highway when the parallel segment of the Garden City bypass was opened to traffic.