K-61 (Kansas highway)

KSRoutebox
type=KS
article_route=61
yrcom=1932cite web|last=Kennedy|first=Richie|work=Kansas Highways 7.0|title=Kansas Highways Routelog|url=http://www.route56.com/highways/highways.cgi?hwy1=89&fulldesc=1&hist=1&I=1&photos=1]
yrdecom=
length_mi=80
length_round=1
length_ref=
counties=PR, RN, MP
direction_a=South
terminus_a=jct|state=KS|US|54|US|400 in Pratt
direction_b=North
terminus_b=jct|state=KS|I|135|US|81|US-Bus|81 south of McPherson
previous_type=KS
previous_route=60
next_type=KS
next_route=62|

K-61 is a Kansas state highway originating at US-54 and US-400 on the east side of Pratt. Signed as a north-south highway, K-61 is a diagonal highway running southwest and northeast. K-61 is convert|80|mi|km long.

Route description

K-61 runs through or beside the towns of Preston, Turon, Langdon (unincorporated) and Partridge before beginning a six-mile concurrency with US-50. It has a short concurrency with K-14 a mile south of Arlington into Arlington.

After breaking to the northeast from US-50, K-61 goes through the east side of Hutchinson (Where it is signed locally as the Ken Kennedy Freeway [ [http://maps.google.com/maps Google Maps ] ] ). It goes through Medora (unincorporated) and Inman before ending at Interstate 135 and US-81 south of McPherson.

Its last mile shares a concurrency with Business US-81.

Most of K-61 is two lanes. There are four-lane segments during its US-50 concurrency as well as short segments on the east side of Hutchinson and south of McPherson.

It has controlled access interchanges (with US-50) at North K-96, west of Hutchinson; South K-96, also signed To K-17 in South Hutchinson. After breaking away from US-50, K-61 has controlled access interchanges at Avenue A in Hutchinson, and Spur K-153, K-153 and Business US-81 all in McPherson.

History

K-61 was commissioned by 1932. It appears on the 1932 state highway map. [Cite map | publisher = Kansas Department of Transportation | title = Official State Transportation Map | url = http://www.ksdot.org/burtransplan/maps/HistoricStateMaps/1932Mapside.pdf| edition = 1932 | accessdate = 2008-05-05] K-61 originally ended in Hutchinson at US-50. Sometime between 1956 and 1962, K-61 was extended on a previous routing of K-17 between Hutchinson and McPherson. [Cite map | publisher = Kansas Department of Transportation | title = Official State Transportation Map | url = http://www.ksdot.org/burtransplan/maps/state-pdf/1962Mapside.pdf | edition = 1962 | section = F6-D8 | accessdate = 2008-05-05]

Future

The Kansas Department of Transportation is planning to turn K-61 into a four-lane expressway from northeast of Hutchinson to McPherson. Work is scheduled to be completed by 2009. [ [http://www.ksdot.org/bureaus/offTransInfo/News06/CTPProjects2007-09.pdf Comprehensive Transportation Program ] ]

References

External links

* [http://www.ksdot.org/burtransplan/maps/MapsState.asp KDOT State Map]