K-4 is the longest designated

state highway A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either ''numbered'' or ''maintained'' by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered by a ...

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

, at . It begins north of Scott City at

U.S. Route 83 U.S. Route 83 (US 83) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway that extends in the central United States. Only four other north–south routes are longer: US 1, US 41, US 59, and US 87, while US ...

(US-83) and travels eastward to US-59 near Nortonville in northeast Kansas. A segment of the highway in Saline County overlaps

Interstate 135 Interstate 135 (I-135) is an approximately auxiliary Interstate Highway in central and south-central Kansas, United States. I-135, which is signed as north–south, runs between I-35 and the Kansas Turnpike in Wichita north to I-70, ...

(I-135) and US-81, and a section in

Topeka Topeka ( ; Kansa: ; iow, Dópikˀe, script=Latn or ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the seat of Shawnee County. It is along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, in northeast Kansas, in the Central Uni ...

runs concurrent with

I-70 Interstate 70 (I-70) is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the United States that runs from I-15 near Cove Fort, Utah, to a park and ride lot just east of I-695 in Baltimore, Maryland, and is the fifth-longest Interstate in the c ...

. It also intersects several other major highways, including US-283 in

Ransom Ransom is the practice of holding a prisoner or item to extort money or property to secure their release, or the sum of money involved in such a practice. When ransom means "payment", the word comes via Old French ''rançon'' from Latin ''red ...

, US-183 in

La Crosse La Crosse is a city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of La Crosse County, Wisconsin, La Crosse County. Positioned alongside the Mississippi River, La Crosse is the largest city on Wisconsin's western border. La Crosse's populat ...

, US-281 in Hoisington,

US-77 U.S. Route 77 (US 77) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway which extends for in the central United States. As of 2005, Its southern terminus is in Brownsville, Texas, at Veteran's International Bridge on the Mexican border, wh ...

in Herington,

I-470 Interstate 470 may refer to: *Interstate 470 (Kansas), a loop around Topeka *Interstate 470 (Missouri), a connection at Kansas City * Interstate 470 (Ohio–West Virginia), a loop around Wheeling, West Virginia *Three highways which are part of what ...

and

US-75 U.S. Route 75 is a major north–south United States Numbered Highways, U.S. Highway that extends in the central United States. The highway's northern terminus is in Noyes, Minnesota, at the Canada–United States border, Canadian border, wh ...

in Topeka, and US-24 northeast of Topeka. K-4 was first designated by KDOT in 1927, and at that time ran from K-1 (now U.S. Route 183) in

eastward to the Missouri state line by Atchison. By 1932, the highway was extended westward along the former alignment of K-52 to its current western terminus. Then in December 1994, K-4 was truncated to US-59 in Nortonville.

Route description

Western Kansas

K-4 runs to the north of

K-96 K96 or K-96 may refer to: *K-96 (Kansas highway) K-96 is a state highway in central and southern Kansas. Its western terminus is at the Colorado state line east of Towner, Colorado, where it continues as Colorado State Highway 96; its east ...

between its western terminus and the K-14 junction in Rice County. The route begins in rural Scott County at an intersection with

. Sixteen miles (26 km) east of here, it passes through the town of Healy. About further east, it has a concurrency with K-23. From here, K-4 continues east as it serves the towns of

Shields A shield is a piece of personal armour held in the hand, which may or may not be strapped to the wrist or forearm. Shields are used to intercept specific attacks, whether from close-ranged weaponry or projectiles such as arrows, by means of a ...

, Utica, Arnold, before reaching

, where it intersects US-283. After passing through Brownell, K-4 serves as the southern terminus of K-147. K-4 then turns southward to bisect

McCracken McCracken may refer to: People *McCracken (surname), people with the surname McCracken Places *McCracken County, Kentucky, a county located in western Kentucky, USA *McCracken, Kansas, a city in Rush County, Kansas, USA *McCracken, Missouri, an un ...

before turning to the east to cross US-183 in

, 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 A three-way junction (or three-way intersection) is a type of road intersection with three arms. A Y junction (or Y intersection) generally has three arms of equal size coming at an acute or obtuse angle to each other; while a T junction (or T ...

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 The redwing (''Turdus iliacus'') is a bird in the thrush family, Turdidae, native to Europe and the Palearctic, slightly smaller than the related song thrush. Taxonomy and systematics This species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in h ...

and Claflin. East of Claflin, K-4 has a full

folded diamond interchange A partial cloverleaf interchange or parclo is a modification of a cloverleaf interchange. The design has been well received, and has since become one of the most popular freeway-to-arterial interchange designs in North America. It has also be ...

with K-156. K-4 bypasses Bushton (which can be accessed via K-171) and cuts through

Frederick Frederick may refer to: People * Frederick (given name), the name Nobility Anhalt-Harzgerode *Frederick, Prince of Anhalt-Harzgerode (1613–1670) Austria * Frederick I, Duke of Austria (Babenberg), Duke of Austria from 1195 to 1198 * 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 the former K-175, before heading towards downtown Lindsborg. In Lindsborg, K-4 encounters former US-81 Business, before heading north out of town and into Saline County. It then heads north in a concurrency with

I-135 Interstate 135 (I-135) is an approximately auxiliary Interstate Highway in central and south-central Kansas, United States. I-135, which is signed as north–south, runs between I-35 and the Kansas Turnpike in Wichita north to I-70, ...

and US-81. K-4 merges onto the northbound freeway at exit 78, then splits off again at exit 82. The highway 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 Gypsum is a soft sulfate mineral composed of calcium sulfate dihydrate, with the chemical formula . It is widely mined and is used as a fertilizer and as the main constituent in many forms of plaster, blackboard or sidewalk chalk, and drywall. ...

and

Carlton Carlton may refer to: People * Carlton (name), a list of those with the given name or surname * Carlton (singer), English soul singer Carlton McCarthy * Carlton, a pen name used by Joseph Caldwell (1773–1835), American educator, Presbyterian ...

before intersecting K-15. It then continues east to

Hope Hope is an optimistic state of mind that is based on an expectation of positive outcomes with respect to events and circumstances in one's life or the world at large. As a verb, its definitions include: "expect with confidence" and "to cherish ...

, serving as the southern terminus for K-43 in the latter. I-70 and K-4 west exit

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

. Also near Herington, K-4 gets within 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 K149 or K-149 may refer to: *K-149 (Kansas highway) K-149 is a north–south state highway in the U.S. state of Kansas. Entirely within rural Morris County, K-149's southern terminus is at U.S. Route 56 (US-56) east of Herington and the n ...

. The roadway then runs through

White City White City may refer to: Places Australia * White City, Perth, an amusement park on the Perth foreshore * White City railway station, a former railway station * White City Stadium (Sydney), a tennis centre in Sydney * White City FC, a football clu ...

and Dwight, where it intersects K-57. K-4 then has a brief concurrency with

K-177 K-177 is a south–north state highway in central Kansas. It runs from U.S. Route 54 (US-54) near El Dorado northward to US-24 in Manhattan, passing through the Flint Hills. It is part of the Flint Hills Scenic Byway and the Prairie Parkway ...

, and after that concurrency ends, it forms another one with K-99. The two routes split apart in Eskridge. It then serves

Dover Dover () is a town and major ferry port in Kent, South East England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies south-east of Canterbury and east of Maidstone ...

before merging onto eastbound

which is concurrent with US-40. The freeway then enter the state capital,

. The next interchange, is for

and is also where

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 The Kansas Turnpike is a , freeway-standard toll road that lies entirely within the US state of Kansas. It runs in a general southwest–northeast direction from the Oklahoma border to Kansas City. It passes through several major Kansas cities ...

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 A super two, super two-lane highway or wide two-lane is a two-lane surface road built to highway standards with wide lanes and other safety features normally present on a freeway with more lanes, typically including partial control of access, o ...

freeway. The next interchange (with Seward Avenue) serves

Philip Billard Municipal Airport Philip Billard Municipal Airport is a public airport northeast of downtown Topeka, the capital city of Kansas and the county seat of Shawnee County. It is owned by the Metropolitan Topeka Airport Authority. Commercial airline service for Tope ...

. K-4 then crosses the

Kansas River The Kansas River, also known as the Kaw, is a river in northeastern Kansas in the United States. It is the southwesternmost part of the Missouri River drainage, which is in turn the northwesternmost portion of the extensive Mississippi River dr ...

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 (the former state route K-245 existed to connect the town to K-4 until dissolved in 2014). 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.

History

Original alignment

K-4 was first designated by KDOT in 1927, and at that time began at K-1 (now US-183) in

. From La Crosse, K-4 followed its current alignment east to Herington. Past Herington, K-4 continued east on US-50N (now US-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

, 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

, 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 The Shawnee are an Algonquian-speaking indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands. In the 17th century they lived in Pennsylvania, and in the 18th century they were in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, with some bands in Kentucky a ...

–

Jackson Jackson may refer to: People and fictional characters * Jackson (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the surname or given name Places Australia * Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region * Jackson North, Qu ...

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 did not follow its current alignment. Instead of bypassing Rock Creek, K-4 continued into Rock Creek on (what is now) Rock Creek Rd. K-4 continued North and curved to the east on 114th. From there K-4 continued east until Decatur Rd. where it curved back to the North. From there it continued north until curving back to the east on 134th, continuing on to Edwards Road where it curved to the north. From there K-4 went north to 142nd before curving back to the east. From here, it continued on to Valley Falls. 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 US-159 and K-116 to Cummings. Between Cummings and

Atchison Atchison may refer to: Places In the United States: *Atchison, California, a former settlement *Atchison, Kansas, a city *Atchison County, Kansas *Atchison County, Missouri People with the surname * Bob Atchison (born 1941), Canadian drag race ...

, K-4 and K-16 zig-zagged across several roadways surrounding the current alignment of US-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 Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

state line on current US-59.

Extensions and realignments

By 1932, K-4 was extended westward from La Crosse, along the former K-52, to US-83 north of Scott City. Then in a May 5, 1940 resolution, it was extended farther west to meet a new alignment of US-83. 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. In a June 19, 1936 resolution, K-4 was realigned slightly within La Crosse, which eliminated a short overlap with K-1 (modern US-183). In an August 7, 1941 resolution, the highway was realigned to the south of Ransom, which eliminated two railroad crossings. In a separate August 7, 1941 resolution, K-4 was realigned from Shields northeastward to Pendennis to eliminate four sharp curves. In a June 5, 1945 resolution, K-4 was realigned Healy to east end of overlap with K-23. This realignment also eliminated a few railroad crossings. In a June 5, 1946 resolution, K-4 was realigned slightly north by Otis to eliminate two railroad crossings. In a June 24, 1953 resolution, K-4 was realigned slightly west, from Langley to northwest of Marquette. In a February 25, 1953 resolution, it was realigned from the former curve north of Bushton to K-14 east of frederick. This created an overlap with K-14 to meet its old alignment. Then in a July 14, 1954 resolution, K-4 was realigned slightly north, to the north side of Geneseo. This realignment also eliminated the overlap with K-14. Before 1956, K-4 originally followed US-50N (now US-56) from Herington to Council Grove, then northeast along now locally maintained highways to Eskridge. Then in a February 9, 1956 resolution, it was realigned to follow and replace K-10 to K-99, then continue east to meet its old alignment in Eskridge. In a October 6, 1958 resolution, K-4 and US-59 was realigned between Cummings and Atchison to eliminate several sharp curves. Then in a July 10, 1957 resolution, K-4 and US-59 was realigned further southwestward from Cummings to Nortonville. In a February 25, 1959 resolution, K-4 was realigned between Meriden and Valley Falls to remove some dangerous curves. In a March 22, 1960 resolution, K-4 Alternate was to be established from K-4 north to US-40 and I-70, west of Topeka. But then in a July 11, 1962 resolution, it was rescinded and K-4 had been extended north to US-40 and I-70 along the proposed K-4 Alternate. In an August 10, 1960 resolution, K-4 and US-59 was realigned to the east of Nortonville, and US-159 alternate was created. Then roughly 20 years later, K-4 Alternate was created and replaced US-159 Alternate. K-4 originally travelled west from Meriden to US-75, which it then followed south to US-24 in Topeka. Then in a December 4, 1963 resolution, it was realigned to continue south from Meriden to US-24, then followed US-24 west into Topeka. In an April 21, 1967 resolution, K-4 and K-16 was realigned in and around Valley Falls to make way for the new Perry Reservoir. Also at this time a short K-4 spur was created, and when extended was to become a new alignment of K-4 between Valley Falls and Nortonville. In a September 9, 1969 resolution, K-4 was realigned slightly within Lindsborg and onto US-81. In a January 4, 1982 resolution, US-81, along K-4 from Lindsborg to US-81 in Bridgeport, was redesignated as US-81 Business. In an October 10, 1991 resolution, K-4 was extended south from US-24 to US-40 west of Tecumseh. 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. On December 1, 1994, K-4's eastern terminus was truncated to US-59 in Nortonville.

Future

In May 2020, KDOT's Eisenhower Legacy Transportation Plan was announced. One project included in the statewide plan will reconstruct K-4 from west of Simpson Road to east of Niles Road.

Major intersections

Alternate route

K-4 Alternate is a alternate route of K-4 that serves Nortonville. It begins at K-4 and travels north to an intersection with US-159. At US-159, K-4 Alt. turns eastward and the two highways run east together and end at an intersection on the east Nortonville city line at US-59. K-4 Alt. was designated on April 1, 1981, and its alignment has not changed since.

References

External links