K-66 is a east–west

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 ...

in the southeastern corner of the U.S. state of

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 ...

. Its western terminus is at U.S. Route 69 Alternate (US-69 Alt.) and US-400 in Riverton. Its eastern terminus is at 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 near

Galena Galena, also called lead glance, is the natural mineral form of lead(II) sulfide (PbS). It is the most important ore of lead and an important source of silver. Galena is one of the most abundant and widely distributed sulfide minerals. It cryst ...

(where it continues as

Missouri Route 66 Route 66 is a fourteen-mile (21 km) long road in southwest Missouri, USA, which had previously been U.S. Route 66 for its final six years. The highway begins at Interstate 44, passes through Duenweg, Duquesne, and Joplin, then crosses ...

). This road is noteworthy in the fact that it used to be part of the famed

US-66 U.S. Route 66 or U.S. Highway 66 (US 66 or Route 66) was one of the original highways in the United States Numbered Highway System. It was established on November 11, 1926, with road signs erected the following year. The h ...

. After 1961, the nearby

Interstate 44 Interstate 44 (I-44) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. Although it is nominally an east–west road as it is even-numbered, it follows a more southwest–northeast alignment. Its western terminus is in Wichita Fal ...

(I-44) offered a more direct route between Missouri and Oklahoma. In 1985, US-66 was decommissioned nationally. Kansas replaced the US-66 designation with K-66 on the portion of historic highway not numbered as US-69 Alt.

Route description

K-66 begins at a

roundabout A roundabout is a type of circular intersection or junction in which road traffic is permitted to flow in one direction around a central island, and priority is typically given to traffic already in the junction.''The New Shorter Oxford En ...

with US-69 Alt. and US-400 in Riverton. From here the highway travels eastward, and after intersects Southeast 70th Street and Military Street. Shortly past this intersection, K-66 becomes a four-lane

divided highway A dual carriageway ( BE) or divided highway ( AE) is a class of highway with carriageways for traffic travelling in opposite directions separated by a central reservation (BrE) or median (AmE). Roads with two or more carriageways which are ...

and then crosses the Spring River. It remains a divided highway for roughly then converts back to two-lane, and shortly later intersects the northern terminus of K-26 (South Main Street). Past K-26, the highway travels about then turns to the northeast and becomes a four-lane divided highway once again. It continues northeastward for a short distance before crossing into

and becoming

near

History

The easternmost section of K-66 was not US-66 until 1979. Prior to 1979, US-66 came in from Missouri as Front Street and turned south on Main Street before joining K-66. US-66 then followed K-66 to Riverton, where K-66 ends. Original US-66 through Kansas continues as a county road to the north and west of US-69 Alt. to Baxter Springs, and joins US-69 Alt. to the

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

state line. The of US-66 in Kansas retain much of the character of the Mother Road. Thus the final (1985) alignment of US-66 completely matches present US-69 Alt. and K-66. US-69 Alt. was formed in 1985 when US-66 was decommissioned.

Major intersections

References

External links

Route 66 in Kansas
* {{compact state detail browse, type=US, route=66, state=Kansas, statebefore=Oklahoma, stateafter=Missouri 066

Transportation in Cherokee County, Kansas U.S. Route 69