:K-55 (Kansas highway)
{{Short description|State highway in Kansas}}
{{Use American English|date=May 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{good article}}
{{Infobox road
|state=KS
|type=KS
|route=55
|map={{maplink|frame=yes|plain=yes|frame-align=center|frame-width=290|frame-height=240|type=line|raw={{Wikipedia:Map data/Wikipedia KML/K-55 (Kansas highway)}}}}
|map_custom=yes
|map_notes=K-55 highlighted in red
|length_mi=12.049
|direction_a=West
|terminus_a={{Jct|state=KS|US|81}} west of Belle Plaine
|direction_b=East
|terminus_b={{Jct|state=KS|K|15}} in Udall
|previous_type=US
|previous_route=54
|next_type=KS
|next_route=57
}}
K-55 is a {{convert|12.049|mi|km|adj=mid|-long}} west–east state highway in the U.S. state of Kansas. The highway's western terminus is at U.S. Route 81 (US-81) roughly {{convert|11|mi|km}} north of Wellington and the eastern terminus is at K-15 in Udall. It passes through the city of Belle Plaine.
The road's westbound terminus is a triangle-type intersection. Just before the western terminus, the road passes under the Kansas Turnpike, although there is no intersection. Turnpike access is available at K-53 to the north and US-160 to the south near Wellington.
Before state highways were numbered in Kansas there were auto trails. K-55's western terminus closely follows the Meridian Highway and the South West Trail. It was first designated a state highway by 1927, and at that time ran from US-81 in Belle Plaine southeast to K-12 in Oxford. A year later, it had been realigned to travel east from US-81 to K-15 west of Udall. By 1945, a new alignment of K-15 had been completed, at which time K-55 was extended east to the new alignment. The entire length of K-55 was paved by 1948.
Route description
K-55's western terminus is at US-81 north of Wellington. The highway travels east through flat rural farmland and after roughly {{convert|0.4|mi|km}} passes under I-35, also known as the Kansas Turnpike, with no connection. K-55 continues east to an at-grade crossing with a BNSF Railway track as it enters the city of Belle Plaine.{{cite map|author=Bureau of Transportation Planning|title=City of Belle Plaine|date=April 1995|url=https://www.ksdot.org/Assets/wwwksdotorg/bureaus/burTransPlan/maps/city-pdf/belleplaine.pdf|series=KDOT City Maps|scale=Scale not given|publisher=Kansas Department of Transportation|location=Topeka|format=PDF|access-date=September 4, 2020}} It continues through the city as 4th Avenue for about {{convert|1|mi|km|spell=in}} then exits the city. K-55 proceeds east to a crossing over Cowskin Creek, a tributary of the Arkansas River. It continues through flat farmland to a crossing over the Arkansas River, a tributary of the Mississippi River. K-55 continues east to a crossing over Antelope Creek before entering Cowley County.{{cite map |author = Bureau of Transportation Planning |date = May 2010 |url = http://www.ksdot.org/Assets/wwwksdotorg/bureaus/burTransPlan/maps/PastPublishedCounty/sumnerMay2010.pdf |title = Sumner County |scale = [c. 1: 211,200] |series = General Highway Map |location = Topeka |publisher = Kansas Department of Transportation |access-date = September 4, 2020 }} The roadway enters the city of Udall and has an at-grade crossing with a BNSF Railway track.{{cite map|author=Bureau of Transportation Planning|title=City of Udall|date=July 2005|url=https://www.ksdot.org/Assets/wwwksdotorg/bureaus/burTransPlan/maps/city-pdf/udall.PDF|series=KDOT City Maps|scale=Scale not given|publisher=Kansas Department of Transportation|location=Topeka|format=PDF|access-date=September 4, 2020}} K-55 reaches Clark Street where it turns north and reaches its eastern terminus at K-15.{{cite map |author = Bureau of Transportation Planning |date = June 2009 |url = http://www.ksdot.org/Assets/wwwksdotorg/bureaus/burTransPlan/maps/PastPublishedCounty/cowleyJun2009.pdf |title = Cowley County |scale = [c. 1: 211,200] |series = General Highway Map |location = Topeka |publisher = Kansas Department of Transportation |access-date = September 4, 2020 }}{{bing maps |title=Overview map of K-55|url=https://www.bing.com/maps?osid=852c7b78-fb29-4fa9-8bef-9f08b90dd1b5&cp=37.418268~-97.40491&lvl=10&v=2&sV=2&form=S00027 |accessdate=April 16, 2020}}
The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) tracks the traffic levels on its highways, and in 2018, they determined that on average the traffic varied from 805 vehicles per day near the eastern terminus to 2,050 vehicles per day just east of Belle Plaine.{{cite map |author = Bureau of Transportation Planning |year = 2019 |url = https://www.ksdot.org/Assets/wwwksdotorg/bureaus/burTransPlan/maps/CountMaps/Districts/countmap2018.pdf |title = Traffic Flow Map Kansas State Highway System |scale = [c. 1:1,584,000] |location = Topeka |publisher = Kansas Department of Transportation |access-date = April 17, 2020}}{{cite map |author = Bureau of Transportation Planning |year = 2018 |url = https://www.ksdot.org/Assets/wwwksdotorg/bureaus/burTransPlan/maps/CountMaps/Districts/insetmap2018.pdf |title = Traffic Flow Inset Map Kansas State Highway System |scale = [c. 1:1,584,000] |location = Topeka |publisher = Kansas Department of Transportation |access-date = April 17, 2020}} K-55 connects to the National Highway System at its junction with K-15.{{cite map |author = Federal Highway Administration |author-link = Federal Highway Administration |date = May 8, 2019 |url = https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/national_highway_system/nhs_maps/kansas/ks_kansas.pdf |title = National Highway System: Kansas |scale = Scale not given |location = Washington, DC |publisher = Federal Highway Administration |access-date = April 17, 2020 }}
History
Before state highways were numbered in Kansas there were auto trails, which were an informal network of marked routes that existed in the United States and Canada in the early part of the 20th century. K-55's western terminus, US-81, closely follows the Meridian Highway and the South West Trail.{{cite map |author = Rand McNally and Company |author-link = Rand McNally |year = 1924 |map = Kansas |title = AutoTrails Map, Southern Nebraska, Eastern Colorado, Kansas, Northeastern New Mexico, Northern Oklahoma |map-url = https://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~201708~3000668:AutoTrails-Map,-Southern-Nebraska,-?sort=pub_list_no_initialsort%2Cpub_date%2Cpub_list_no%2Cseries_no&qvq=q:Kansas%20roads;sort:pub_list_no_initialsort%2Cpub_date%2Cpub_list_no%2Cseries_no;lc:RUMSEY~8~1&mi=113&trs=175 |scale = 1:1,600,000 |location = Chicago |publisher = Rand McNally and Company |oclc = 2078375 |via = Rumsey Collection |access-date= September 4, 2020 }}
K-55 was first designated as a state highway by the State Highway Commission of Kansas, now known as KDOT, by 1927. At that time it ran from US-81 west of Belle Plaine southeast to K-12 in Oxford. By 1928, it was realigned to travel east from US-81 to K-15 west of Udall.{{cite news|accessdate=March 29, 2022|via=Newspapers.com|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98463866/news-in-kanas-k55/|page=16|work=The Wichita Eagle|title=News In Kansas|date=November 22, 1928|location=Wichita, Kansas}}{{cite map |author = The Clason Map Company |author-link = |year = 1928 |map = Kansas |title = Clason's Touring Atlas of the United States, with Road Maps of every State and Ontario and Quebec, Canada |scale = |location = Chicago |publisher = The Clason Map Company |pages = 37}}{{cite map |author = The News |author-link = |year = 1929 |map = Kansas |title = News Auto Atlas - United States and Canada |scale = |location = New York |publisher = The News |pages = 29}} In November 1930, it was announced that work would begin spring of 1931, to reconstruct the road from Belle Plaine east to the Cowley County line. This included a bridge over Cowskin Creek and Arkansas River.{{cite news|accessdate=March 27, 2022|via=Newspapers.com|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98463670/completing-plans-for-new-highway-k55/|page=7|work=The Wichita Eagle|title=Completing Plans For New Highway|date=November 18, 1930|location=Wichita, Kansas}} K-55 was extended east along K-15 to US-77 south of Rock by 1931. By 1932, K-55 was truncated back to its pre-1931 terminus.{{cite map |author = Rand McNally and Company |year = 1930 |map = Kansas |title = Rand McNally Auto Road Atlas of the United States, A Map of Every State in the United States and Every Province of Eastern Canada |scale = |location = Chicago |publisher = Rand McNally and Company |pages = 32–33}}{{cite map |author = Rand McNally and Company |author-link = Clason Map Company |year = 1931 |map = Kansas |title = Clason's Road Map of Kansas|map-url = https://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~314033~90082734:Clason-s-Road-Map-of-Kansas?sort=pub_list_no_initialsort%2Cpub_date%2Cpub_list_no%2Cseries_no&qvq=q:Kansas%20roads;sort:pub_list_no_initialsort%2Cpub_date%2Cpub_list_no%2Cseries_no;lc:RUMSEY~8~1&mi=102&trs=175 |scale = 1:2,000,000 |location = Denver |publisher = Clason Map Company|page=87 |oclc = |via = Rumsey Collection|access-date=March 26, 2022}}{{cite map |author = State Highway Commission of Kansas |year = 1932 |url = http://www.ksdot.org/Assets/wwwksdotorg/bureaus/burTransPlan/maps/HistoricStateMaps/1932Mapside.pdf |title = Kansas State Highway System |scale = Scale not given |location = Topeka |publisher = State Highway Commission of Kansas |oclc = 1007837202 |access-date = March 26, 2022}} In late-March 1932, a bid was approved for grading, culvert, and bridge projects on K-55 east of Belle Plaine.{{cite news|accessdate=March 29, 2022|via=Newspapers.com|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/84870538/k55-k15-1932/|page=1|work=The Monitor-Press|title=State Road Contracts Let Here Tuesday|date=March 24, 1932|location=Wellington, Kansas}} The bridge over the Arkansas River was finished in 1933.{{cite web |author = bridgereports.com |date = 2020 |url = https://bridgereports.com/1203297 |title = K-55 Hwy over Arkansas River |publisher = bridgereports.com |access-date = March 29, 2022 }}
In a resolution passed on January 1, 1941, it was approved to realign K-15 from southeast of Mulvane to Udall, and to extend K-55 east to the new alignment in Udall.{{cite web |author = State Highway Commission of Kansas |date = January 13, 1941 |url = http://dmsweb.ksdot.org/AppNetProd/docpop/pdfpop.aspx?KT142_0_0_0=003709071&clienttype=html&doctypeid=114 |title = Resolution for relocation and redesignation of road in Sumner and Cowley Counties |location = Topeka |publisher = State Highway Commission of Kansas |access-date = April 15, 2020 }}{{Dead link|date=February 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} By October 1941, SHC engineers and surveyors were planning the new alignment of K-15 from Wichita to Winfield.{{cite news|accessdate=March 27, 2022|via=Newspapers.com|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98487102/highway-k-15-to-winfield-will-be/|page=5|work=The Wichita Eagle|title=Highway K-15 To Winfield Will Be Streamlined Soon|date=October 12, 1941|location=Wichita, Kansas}} The new alignment of K-15 and extension of K-55 was completed by 1945.{{cite map |author = State Highway Commission of Kansas |year = 1941|url = https://www.ksdot.org/Assets/wwwksdotorg/bureaus/burTransPlan/maps/HistoricStateMaps/1941Mapside.pdf |title = Kansas State Highway System |scale = Scale not given |location = Topeka |publisher = State Highway Commission of Kansas |oclc = |access-date = March 27, 2022}}{{cite map |author = State Highway Commission of Kansas |year = 1945|url = https://www.ksdot.org/Assets/wwwksdotorg/bureaus/burTransPlan/maps/HistoricStateMaps/1945Mapside.pdf |title = Kansas State Highway System |scale = Scale not given |location = Topeka |publisher = State Highway Commission of Kansas |oclc = |access-date = March 27, 2022}} By 1948, the entire length of K-55 was paved.{{cite map |author = State Highway Commission of Kansas |year = 1948|url = https://www.ksdot.org/Assets/wwwksdotorg/bureaus/burTransPlan/maps/HistoricStateMaps/1948Mapside.pdf |title = Kansas State Highway System |scale = Scale not given |location = Topeka |publisher = State Highway Commission of Kansas |oclc = |access-date = March 27, 2022}}
In October 2022 a complete over-haul and reconstruction of the bridge began after numerous delays. The rebuild is expected to be completed in November 2023.
Major intersections
{{KSint
|county=Sumner
|township=Belle Plaine
|ctdab=Sumner
|mile=0.000
|road={{Jct|state=KS|US|81|city1=Wellington|city2=Wichita}}
|notes=Western terminus; highway continues south as US-81 (west as 90th Avenue North)
}}
{{KSint
|county=Cowley
|location=Udall
|mile=12.049
|road={{Jct|state=KS|K|15}}
|notes=Eastern terminus
}}
{{Jctbtm}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{Attached KML|display=title,inline}}
- [http://www.ksdot.org/burtransplan/maps/MapsState.asp KDOT State Map]