K-187 (Kansas highway)

K-187's southern terminus is at K-9, also known as John Riggins Avenue, in Centralia. The highway travels north along 2nd Street and soon exits the city as it becomes surrounded by rural farmlands.{{cite map|author=Bureau of Transportation Planning|title=City of Centralia|date=July 2004|url=https://www.ksdot.org/Assets/wwwksdotorg/bureaus/burTransPlan/maps/city-pdf/centralia.pdf|scale=|publisher=Kansas Department of Transportation|location=Topeka|format=PDF|access-date=August 18, 2020}}{{google maps |url=https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1hy-GDgdElgFnOl2ZFTHe7yu1CilG6M7J&usp=sharing|title=Overview map of K-187 |accessdate=February 11, 2022}} The roadway reaches a crossing over Weyer Creek, a tributary of North Fork Black Vermillion River, before intersecting Stringtown Road. The highway continues through rural farmlands to an at-grade crossing with a Union Pacific Railroad track. From here K-187 continues north a short distance to its northern terminus at US-36 west of Seneca.{{cite map |author = Bureau of Transportation Planning |date = January 2010 |url = http://www.ksdot.org/Assets/wwwksdotorg/bureaus/burTransPlan/maps/PastPublishedCounty/NemahaJan2010.pdf |title = Nemaha County |scale = [c. 1:211,200] |series = General Highway Map |location = Topeka |publisher = Kansas Department of Transportation |access-date = October 27, 2020 }}

The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) tracks the traffic levels on its highways, and in 2019, they determined that on average the traffic ranged from 915 vehicles per day north of Centralia to just over 1,000 vehicles per day in Centralia.{{cite map |author = Bureau of Transportation Planning |year = 2020 |url = https://www.ksdot.org/Assets/wwwksdotorg/bureaus/burTransPlan/maps/CountMaps/Districts/countmap2019.pdf |title = Traffic Flow Map Kansas State Highway System |scale = [c. 1:1,584,000] |location = Topeka |publisher = Kansas Department of Transportation |access-date = October 31, 2020}} The entire length is a paved two-lane highway. K-187 is not included in the National Highway System,{{cite map |author = Federal Highway Administration |author-link = Federal Highway Administration |date = April 14, 2015 |url = https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/national_highway_system/nhs_maps/kansas/ks_kansas.pdf |title = National Highway System: Kansas |publisher = Federal Highway Administration |access-date = July 29, 2019 |location = Washington, DC |archive-date = March 4, 2016 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160304035300/http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/national_highway_system/nhs_maps/kansas/ks_kansas.pdf |url-status = live }}{{efn|The National Highway System is a system of highways important to the nation's defense, economy, and mobility.{{cite web |first1 = Stefan |last1 = Natzke |first2 = Mike |last2 = Neathery |first3 = Kevin |last3 = Adderly |url = https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/national_highway_system/ |work = National Highway System |title = What is the National Highway System? |publisher = Federal Highway Administration |date = September 26, 2012 |access-date = January 10, 2022 |location = Washington, DC |archive-date = July 4, 2012 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120704194551/https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/national_highway_system/ |url-status = live }}}} but does connect to it at its northern terminus.

Prior to the formation of the Kansas state highway system, 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-187's southern terminus closely follows the former Kansas White Way, which travelled from Colorado Springs, Colorado, east to St. Joseph, Missouri.{{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= June 15, 2020 }} The northern terminus closely follows the former Pikes Peak Ocean to Ocean Highway, which was formed early in 1912, and travelled from New York City to Los Angeles.{{cite web |title = The Pikes Peak Ocean To Ocean Highway The Appian Way Of America |url = https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/infrastructure/pikes.cfm |publisher = Federal Highway Administration |date = June 27, 2017 |access-date = March 26, 2021 }}

K-187 was assigned by the State Highway Commission of Kansas, now known as KDOT, on March 9, 1955. That same day, a separate resolution was passed to realign K-187's southern terminus (K-9) to travel east from Centralia instead of south out of the city.{{cite web|author = State Highway Commission of Kansas|date = March 9, 1955|url = http://dmsweb.ksdot.org/AppNetProd/docpop/pdfpop.aspx?KT142_0_0_0=003710060&clienttype=html&doctypeid=114|title = Resolution for Relocation and Redesignation of Road in Nemaha County|publisher = State Highway Commission of Kansas|accessdate = September 17, 2019|location = Topeka|archive-date = April 19, 2021|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210419133013/https://dmsweb.ksdot.org/AppNetProd/docpop/pdfpop.aspx?KT142_0_0_0=003710060&clienttype=html&doctypeid=114|url-status = dead}} On August 1, 1955, a $18,295 (equivalent to ${{formatprice|{{inflation|US|18295|1955|r=0}}}} in {{CURRENTYEAR}}) bid was approved to pave the entire length of the highway.{{cite news|accessdate=February 8, 2022|via=Newspapers.com|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/94426689/k187-paving-1955/|page=8|work=The Salina Journal|title=Highway Group Approves Area Bids|date=August 1, 1955|location=Salina, Kansas}} In late May 1957, a $9,909 (equivalent to ${{formatprice|{{inflation|US|9909|1957|r=0}}}} in {{CURRENTYEAR}}) bid was approved to repave the entire length of K-187.{{cite news|accessdate=February 8, 2022|via=Newspapers.com|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/94428963/highway-commission-approves-bids-for/|page=6|work=Marshall County News|title=Highway Commission Approves Bids For Road Improvement|date=May 20, 1957|location=Marysville, Kansas}} From July 26 to 27, 1981, thunderstorms produced as much as {{convert|8|in|cm}} of rain over Kansas. The flood waters washed a bridge out on K-187.{{cite news|accessdate=February 9, 2022|via=Newspapers.com|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/94430640/heavy-rains-put-homes-roads-under/|page=3|work=The Wichita Eagle|title=Heavy Rains Put Homes, Roads Under|date=July 28, 1981|location=Wichita, Kansas}} The bridge was replaced and re-opened to traffic that same year.{{cite web |author = bridgereports.com |date = 2020 |url = https://bridgereports.com/1205867 |title = K187 Hwy over Nemaha River Drainage |publisher = bridgereports.com |access-date = February 9, 2022 |archive-date = February 9, 2022 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220209232522/https://bridgereports.com/1205867 |url-status = dead }} On January 1, 2022, KDOT announced that two separate bids were approved for work on K-187. One was a $942,370 bid to replace the bridge over Weyer Creek, and the other was a $1,460,270 bid to replace the bridge over the Fisher Creek Drainage.{{cite news|accessdate=February 9, 2022|via=Newspapers.com|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/94581636/kdot-k187/|page=A3|work=The Atchison Daily Globe|title=KDOT|date=January 1, 2022|location=Atchison, Kansas}}{{cite news|accessdate=February 9, 2022|via=Newspapers.com|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/94581793/kdot-announce-approved-december-bids/|page=A1|work=The Atchison Daily Globe|title=KDOT announces approved December bids|date=January 1, 2022|location=Atchison, Kansas}} The highway's alignment has not changed since it was established.{{cite map |author = Kansas Department of Transportation|year = 2021 |edition = 2021–2022 |url = https://www.ksdot.org/Assets/wwwksdotorg/bureaus/burTransPlan/maps/state-pdf/StateMap.pdf |title = Kansas State Highway System |scale = Scale not given |series = Highway & Transportation Map |location = Topeka |publisher = Kansas Department of Transportation |access-date = February 9, 2022}}

{{Jcttop|state=KS|county=Nemaha|length_ref=}}

{{KSint

|location=Centralia

|mile=0.000

|road={{jct|state=KS|KS|9|name1=John Riggins Avenue|city1=Corning|city2=Frankfort}}

|notes=Southern terminus

}}

{{KSint

|township1=Richmond

|township2=Marion

|ctdab=Nemaha

|mile=7.999

|road={{jct|state=KS|US|36|city1=Marysville|city2=Seneca}}

|notes=Northern terminus

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{{jctbtm}}

• {{portal-inline|Kansas}}
• {{portal-inline|U.S. roads}}

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{{Reflist}}

{{Attached KML}}

• [http://www.ksdot.org/burtransplan/maps/MapsState.asp Kansas Department of Transportation State Map]
• [http://www.ksdot.org/burtransplan/maps/HistoricStateMaps.asp KDOT: Historic State Maps]

187

Category:Transportation in Nemaha County, Kansas