U.S. Route 169 (US-169) is a major north–south
U.S. Highway
The United States Numbered Highway System (often called U.S. Routes or U.S. Highways) is an integrated network of roads and highways numbered within a nationwide grid in the contiguous United States. As the designation and numbering of these h ...
that runs from
US-64 in
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with ...
, to
US-53 near
Virginia, Minnesota
Virginia is a city in St. Louis County, Minnesota, United States, on the Mesabi Iron Range. With an economy heavily reliant on large-scale iron ore mining, Virginia is considered the Mesabi Range's commercial center. The population was 8,423 ...
. In Kansas, the highway is a main north–south route that runs through the eastern end of the state from the
Oklahoma border to
Missouri
Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...
border. Along the way US-169 intersects several major highways including
US-400 by
Cherryvale,
US-54 by
Iola, overlaps
US-59 south of
Garnett, overlaps I-35 from
Olathe to
Merriam, and in
Kansas City begins an overlap with I-70,
US-24 and
US-40 which it follows into Missouri.
Route description
US-169 enters the state at Coffeyville as a four-lane road and is a four-lane highway for about until the edge of the Coffeyville Industrial Park. A segment between
Chanute and
Iola is a
freeway
A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway and expressway. Other similar terms ...
with fully controlled access with center concrete barrier, with two lanes in each direction. US-169
runs concurrently with
US-59 and
K-31 starting about south of
Garnett and diverges northeast again immediately south of
Garnett. At
Osawatomie the road becomes a full freeway and runs concurrently with
K-7. In southern
Johnson County US-169 becomes an
expressway
Expressway may refer to:
* Controlled-access highway, the highest-grade type of highway with access ramps, lane markings, etc., for high-speed traffic.
* Limited-access road, a lower grade of highway or arterial road.
*Expressway, the fictional s ...
until its junction with
Interstate 35
Interstate 35 (I-35) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route. It stretches from Laredo, Texas, near the Mexican border ...
(I-35) in Olathe.
From this point to the Missouri state line, US-169 alternates between freeways and surface streets. It follows I-35 to Shawnee Mission Parkway in Overland Park, then travels east to Rainbow Boulevard. US-169 then follows surface streets to its junction 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 ...
near downtown
Kansas City. US-169 and I-70 enter Missouri together just after crossing the Kansas River.
History
In a June 30, 1980 resolution, US-169 and K-57 were realigned to run directly north–south through
Iola. Also at this time, K-269 was first designated a state highway and ran from K-57 and US-169 north to US-54.
[ In a September 20, 1991, resolution, it was proposed to realign K-57 and US-169 over K-269.][
The intersection immediately south of Garnett used to be a braided intersection with stop and yield signs; it was identified as a high crash location in 2001, and was rebuilt as a roundabout that opened in April 2006.]
Major intersections
Garnett business route
U.S. 169 has one special route while in Kansas, Business Route 169. The business route northern terminus is the junction of U.S. 169 & 6th Avenue in Garnett. The main highway bypasses the town to the Southeast. The business route travels along 6th Avenue until reaching Maple Street where it intersects with U.S. 59 and K-31 until it ends at its intersection with U.S. 169 at a roundabout South of Garnett in Anderson County, 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 th ...
.
References
Kansas
U.S. Highways in Kansas
External links
{{Attached KML, display=title,inline
Kansas Department of Transportation State MapKDOT: Historic State Maps