Richie Kennedy | route56.com

Welcome to route56.com

Welcome to my anchor point on the web. For over 20 years, I have shared various subjects regarding highway, railways, local radio, and more.

I chose the name “route56” in honor of the green and white variant of the US Highway shield that the Kansas Department of Transportation and its predecessor agency used specifically to mark US 56 from the designation of US 56 in 1956 until KDOT elected to adopt the standard black-and-white design in the mid-1980s

Click on the links above to access the pages devoted to the history of local radio and Kansas Highways, along with other creative outlets.

You can also find me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter/X, and Flickr.

Latest Blog Posts

  • A new view of an old train-watching site

    A new view of an old train-watching site

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    Although “Outdoor recreational activity” was allowed here in Kansas under the state’s “Stay at Home” order, I didn’t really feel a reason to get out of the house until last Saturday, when I headed out to Pomona to check out an old spot that has changed quite a bit since the last time I was…

  • KDOT Lettings: June, 2020

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    Here’s what’s up for bids at the June monthly letting.

  • KDOT Lettings: May 2020

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    Here is the list of projects up for bids at the May 20 letting.

  • KDOT Lettings: April, 2020

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    The COVID-19 pandemic has not affected the ability of KDOT to put projects up for bids. However, KDOT did post the following note with the list of projects for the April letting: The Kansas Department of Transportation April 22, 2020 Letting WILL remain as scheduled with possible procedural changes to accommodate public building restrictions due…

  • KDOT lettings: March 2020

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    Technically, there were two KDOT lettings in the month of March. The first one, on March 10, was the delayed February lettings. The projects in this list were put up for bids on March 25.

  • KDOT Lettings: February, 2020

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    KDOT had a little issue with this letting… due to the US department of Labor changing the prevailing wage rates, the all of the bids for this letting had to be discarded and a special letting called for March 10th.

  • KDOT Lettings: January, 2020

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    These were the projects that were put up for bids on January 22.

  • Big Tea Kettle, Part 2

    Big Tea Kettle, Part 2

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    After chasing the Union Pacific steam train from Neodesha to Paola on Sunday, November 17, I followed that up by catching the train twice more on Tuesday, November 19, at Linwood and Newman.

  • Big Tea Kettle

    Big Tea Kettle

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    To celebrate the 150th Anniversary of the Golden Spike, the Union Pacific Railroad restored on of their biggest locomotives, “Big Boy” 4014. During 2019, they have been touring as much of the UP system as possible. On November 17, I followed 4014 from Neodesha to Paola.

  • KDOT Lettings, December 2019

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    For the December letting, we have a ‘biggie’ out of Johnson County. KDOT previously announced they had received funding to widen I-35 under the 75th Street interchange. For the December letting, that project will be up for bids.