K-4 (Kansas highway)

KSRoutebox
type=KS
article_route=4
yrcom=
length_mi=367
length_round=0
length_ref=
cities=
counties=Scott, Lane, Ness, Rush, Barton, Rice, Ellsworth, McPherson, Saline, Dickinson, Morris, Wabaunsee, Shawnee, Jefferson
direction_a=West
terminus_a=
junction=
direction_b=East
terminus_b=
previous_type=KS
previous_route=3
next_type=KS
next_route=5

K-4 is the longest designated state highway in Kansas traversing from north of Scott City at US-83 to US-59 near Nortonville in northeast Kansas. A segment of the highway in McPherson County overlaps Interstate 135, and a section in Topeka runs concurrent with Interstate 70.

Route description

Western Kansas

K-4 roughly parallels K-96 between its western terminus and the K-14 junction in Rice County. The route begins in rural Scott County at an intersection with U.S. Route 83. Sixteen milescite map|publisher=Kansas Department of Transportation|title=Official State Transportation Map|edition=2007-2008] (26 km) east of here, it passes through the town of Healy. Six miles (10 km) further east, it has a 2 mi (3 km) concurrency with K-23. K-4 next serves the towns of Shields, Utica, Arnold, and Ransom, before intersecting US-283. After passing through Brownell, K-4 serves as the southern terminus of K-147. K-4 then turns southward to bisect McCracken before turning to the east to cross US-183 in La Crosse, the county seat of Rush County.

From La Crosse, K-4 heads due east, running through Otis as it approaches the Barton County line. It then meets US-281 in a T-intersection and begins an overlap with it. This overlap carries the two routes through to Hoisington, where they split up. K-4 then runs through Redwing and Claflin. East of Claflin, K-4 has a full folded diamond interchange with K-156. K-4 bypasses Bushton (which can be accessed via K-171) and cuts through Frederick before having a junction with K-14. It then runs just north of Geneseo and along the Rice/Ellsworth County line. The highway then moves fully into Ellsworth County, where it meets the south end of K-141.

Central Kansas

K-4 then enters McPherson County. It runs just north of Marquette (which lies at the opposite end of K-175) before heading to downtown Lindsborg. In Lindsborg, K-4 encounters US-81 Business, which it concurs with heading north of town and into Saline County. US-81 BUS then ends at Interstate 135/US-81. K-4 merges onto the northbound Interstate at Exit 78. It splits off again at Exit 82. It then bypasses Assaria to the west before heading north to spawn a child route, K-104, after which it turns due east once again. K-4 next serves Gypsum and Carlton before intersecting K-15. It then continues east to Hope, serving as the southern terminus for K-43 in the latter.

K-4 then runs north of the town of Herington. Near Herington, K-4 junctions with two north-south highways that connect through town: K-218 and US-77. Also near Herington, K-4 gets within two miles of US-56, but never actually intersects it. It then zig-zags northeast through Latimer before turning north at the northern end of K-149. K-4 then runs through White City and Dwight, where K-4 serves as a terminus yet again, this time for K-57. K-4 then has a brief concurrency with K-177, and 14 miles (23 km) after that concurrency ends, it forms another one with K-99. The two routes split apart in Eskridge. K-4 then serves Dover before merging onto eastbound Interstate 70 at Exit 353.

I-70 and K-4 (which are also concurrent with US-40 at this point) then enter the state capital, Topeka. The next interchange, Exit 355, is for Interstate 470 and is also where US-75 joins, forming a four-way overlap. US-75 then splits off on its own freeway at Exit 358A. The freeway then snakes around downtown Topeka. At the East Topeka interchange, the Kansas Turnpike joins the mainline, and I-70 merges onto it. US-40 and K-4 split off to the north to their own freeway.

East of Topeka

US-40 splits off K-4 at the first interchange north of I-70. K-4 then downgrades to a Super-2 freeway. The next interchange (with Seward Avenue) serves Philip Billard Municipal Airport. K-4 then crosses the Kansas River and merges onto the US-24 expressway before splitting off again at the next interchange. K-4 then returns to its normal rural highway configuration.

K-4 then curves southeast of Meriden (K-245 exists to connect the town to K-4). It then passes the west end of K-92 near Rock Creek. It then has a brief overlap with K-16 in the Valley Falls area. K-4 then angles northeast to pass just south of Nortonville. Finally, K-4 comes to an end at US-59 just southeast of Nortonville.

Bannered highways

Alternate K-4 serves Nortonville. It goes north from K-4, passes through Nortonville, then turns east at an intersection with US-159. The two highways turn east together and both end at an intersection east of Nortonville at US-59.

History

Original alignment

Originally, K-4 began at then-K-1 (now U.S. Route 183) in La Crosse.cite web|url=http://www.broermapsonline.org/members/NorthAmerica/UnitedStates/NorthCentral/Kansas/unitedstates1926ra_048.html|title=Rand McNally Auto Road Atlas (western Kansas)|publisher=Rand McNally|year=1926|accessdate=2007-10-04] From La Crosse, K-4 followed its current alignment east to Herington.cite web|url=http://www.broermapsonline.org/members/NorthAmerica/UnitedStates/NorthCentral/Kansas/unitedstates1926ra_049.html|title=Rand McNally Auto Road Atlas (eastern Kansas)|publisher=Rand McNally|year=1926|accessdate=2007-10-04] Past Herington, K-4 continued east on modern U.S. Route 56 to Council Grove, where it then followed a series of now unnumbered roadways to rejoin its present alignment at Eskridge. From Eskridge to west of Topeka, K-4 was identical to its current routing; however, at the intersection of SW Auburn Road and SW 21st Street, where K-4 currently continues north to access Interstate 70, K-4 turned east, following SW 21st Street into Topeka. At Topeka Boulevard, K-4 turned north, following the street out of the city.

K-4 remained on Topeka Boulevard north to an intersection with NE 82nd Street south of the Shawnee–Jackson county line. K-4 headed east on 82nd to Meriden, where it rejoined its modern routing near the modern intersection of K-4 and Butler Road east of Meriden. From Meriden to Valley Falls, K-4 largely followed its current alignment.

Past Valley Falls, K-4 followed 162nd Street and modern K-16 east to Osage Road, where the route intersected K-16. At the time, K-4 and K-16 overlapped northward along Osage Road to Nortonville, then followed the modern alignments of U.S. Route 159 and K-116 to Cummings. Between Cummings and Atchison, K-4 and K-16 zig-zagged across several roadways surrounding the current alignment of U.S. Route 59 before joining the modern routing of US-59 just west of Atchison. In Atchison, K-16 split from K-4 and headed northward on modern K-7 while K-4 continued to the Missouri state line on current US-59.

From Scott City to La Crosse, modern K-4 was designated K-52. From Herington to Eskridge, as well as between Topeka and Meriden, the modern routing of K-4 was unnumbered. Past Meriden, most of K-4's current roadway was unbuilt.

Between 1968 and 1997, K-4 was aligned along US-75 between I-70/US-40 and US-24 and then US-24 in Topeka. In 1997, the Oakland Expressway, serving eastern Topeka, was opened and K-4 gained its current route through Topeka. [ [http://www.route56.com/highways/highways.cgi?hwy1=4&fulldesc=1 Kansas Highways Routelog] ]

Junction list

jctint
state=KS
county=Scott
location=none
mile=0.0
road=
notes=Western terminusjctint
state=KS
county=Lane
cspan=2
location=none
type=mplex
mile=21.7
road=jctint
state=KS
location=none
type=mplex
mile=23.7
road= K-23jctint
state=KS
county=Ness
cspan=2
location=Ransom
mile=54.9
road=jctint
state=KS
location=Brownell
mile=63.9
road=
notes=Southern terminus of K-147jctint
state=KS
county=Rush
location=La Crosse
mile=93.4
road=jctint
state=KS
county=Barton
cspan=3
location=none
type=mplex
mile=118.4
road=jctint
state=KS
location=Hoisington
type=mplex
mile=123.1
road= US-281jctint
state=KS
location=none
mile=137.8
road=
notes=Folded diamond interchangejctint
state=KS
county=Rice
cspan=2
location=Bushton
mile=143.7
road=
notes=Northern terminus of K-171jctint
state=KS
location=Geneseo
mile=154.4
road=jctint
state=KS
county=Ellsworth
location=none
mile=169.2
road=
notes=Southern terminus of K-141jctint
state=KS
county=McPherson
location=Marquette
cspan=2
mile=176.2
road=
notes=Northern terminus of K-175jctint
state=KS
location=Lindsborg
lspan=2
type=mplex
mile=185.3
road=jctint
state=KS
county=Saline
cspan=2
type=mplex
mile=190.2
road=
notes=I-135 exit 78; northern terminus of US-81 BUSjctint
state=KS
location=Assaria
type=mplex
mile=194.2
road= I-135/US-81
notes=I-135 exit 82jctint
state=KS
county=Dickinson
cspan=3
location=Elmo
mile=219.6
road=jctint
state=KS
location=Hope
mile=228.6
road=
notes=Southern terminus of K-43jctint
state=KS
location=Herington
lspan=2
mile=234.4
road=
notes=Northern terminus of K-218jctint
state=KS
county=Morris
cspan=5
mile=236.4
road=jctint
state=KS
location=none
mile=248.9
road=jctint
state=KS
location=Dwight
mile=263.7
road=
notes=Southern terminus of K-57jctint
state=KS
location=none
type=mplex
mile=268.7
road=jctint
state=KS
location=none
type=mplex
mile=269.7
road= K-177jctint
state=KS
county=Wabaunsee
cspan=3
location=Alta Vista
mile=270.3
road=
notes=Southern terminus of K-180jctint
state=KS
location=none
type=mplex
mile=283.5
road=jctint
state=KS
location=Eskridge
type=mplex
mile=293.6
road= K-99jctint
state=KS
county=Shawnee
cspan=7
location=none
type=mplex
mile=321.0
road=
notes=I-70 exit 353jctint
state=KS
location=Topeka
lspan=2
type=mplex
mile=333.6
road=
notes=US 40/K-4 split off onto independent freeway alignment; I-70 exit 366jctint
state=KS
type=mplex
mile=334.9
road= US-40 (SE 6th Ave.)
-!colspan=5|Freeway downgrades to Super-2jctint
state=KS
location_special=Philip Billard Municipal Airport
mile=336.0
road=NE Seward Ave.jctint
state=KS
location=none
type=mplex
mile=338.2
road=jctint
state=KS
location=none
type=mplex
mile=338.8
road= US-24
notes=K-4 returns to surface alignmentjctint
state=KS
county=Jefferson
cspan=5
location=Meriden
mile=345.5
road=
notes=Southern terminus of K-245jctint
state=KS
location=none
mile=350.0
road=
notes=Western terminus of K-92jctint
state=KS
location=Valley Falls
lspan=2
type=mplex
mile=359.4
road=jctint
state=KS
type=mplex
mile=360.2
road= K-16jctint
state=KS
location=Nortonville
mile=367
road=
notes=Eastern terminus:"Margin of error: 1.2 miles"

References

External links

* [http://www.route56.com/highways/highways.cgi?hwy1=4&fulldesc=1&hist=1&I=1&photos=1 K-4 at Route56.com]