K-26 (Kansas highway)

K-26 is a 3.601-mile-long (5.795 km) state highway located entirely within Cherokee County, Kansas. It runs from an intersection with U.S. Route 166 (US-166) and US-400 northwest of the Missouri/Kansas/Oklahoma tripoint north to K-66 in Galena. The highway is maintained by the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT).

K-26 marker

K-26

K-26 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by KDOT
Length3.601 mi[1] (5.795 km)
Existed1937[2]–present
Major junctions
South end US-166 / US-400 near Baxter Springs
North end K-66 in Galena
Location
CountryUnited States
StateKansas
CountiesCherokee
Highway system
  • Kansas State Highway System
← K-25→ K-27

The route was designated in 1937 on a roadway that ran from Crestline to the Missouri state line, but was moved to its current location via a series of route re-designations that took place over the following decades, assuming its current route in the mid-1980s.

Route description
Approaching the junction of K-26 on US 166 and US 400.

K-26 begins at an intersection with US-166 and US-400 east of Baxter Springs. The roadway heads north through a wooded area, passing several farms. The route then crosses Shoal Creek and enters the city of Galena as Main Street. In Galena, K-26 reaches its northern terminus at K-66, which is also known as 7th Street.[3][4] Main Street continues north of the intersection toward a BNSF Railway line.[5]

The route is maintained by KDOT, which is responsible for constructing and maintaining highways in the state. As part of this role, KDOT regularly surveys traffic on their highways. These surveys are most often presented in the form of annual average daily traffic, which is a measurement of the number of vehicles that use a highway during an average day of the year. In 2010, KDOT calculated that a total of 3230 vehicles used the road daily, including 225 trucks.[6] No part of the highway has been listed as part of the National Highway System,[7] a network of roads important to the nation's defense, mobility, and economy.[8]

History

K-26 was first designated in 1937 over the former eastern segment of K-34, a gravel road that ran from K-96 and US-69 in Crestline east to the Missouri state line.[2][9] In 1941, K-26 and the easternmost portion of K-96 switch designations. After this, K-26 ran from US-66 west of Galena north to K-96 and US-69. This roadway was paved when K-26 was designated along it.[10][11] Between 1948 and 1953, the highway was extended east along US-66 to Galena and south from there to its current southern terminus at US-166.[12][13] In the mid-1980s when US-66 was decommissioned, the portion of K-26 along it was re-signed as K-66 and the portion of the highway from US-66 to Crestline was designated as part of U.S. Route 69 Alternate (US-69 Alt).[14][15] The original K-26 was designated in 1927 from US-81 to the Oklahoma State Line. In 1932, it became part of US 177.

Major intersections

The entire route is in Cherokee County.

Locationmi[1]kmDestinationsNotes
Garden Township0.0000.000 US-166 / US-400 – Baxter SpringsSouthern terminus
Galena3.6015.795 K-66 (7th Street) / Historic US 66 (Main street north)Northern terminus; former US-66 west; road continues north as Main Street (former US-66 east)
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References
  1. Kansas Department of Transportation. "2012 Condition Survey Report for Cherokee County, Kansas". Retrieved August 9, 2013.
  2. Kansas State Highway System (PDF) (Map). State Highway Commission of Kansas. 1937. Retrieved August 9, 2013.
  3. General Highway Map: Cherokee County (PDF) (Map). Kansas Department of Transportation. May 2011. Retrieved August 9, 2013.
  4. Google (August 9, 2013). "K-26 (Kansas highway)" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved August 9, 2013.
  5. Kansas State Railroad Map (PDF) (Map). Cartography by Bureau of Transportation Planning. Kansas Department of Transportation. March 18, 2013. Retrieved August 9, 2013.
  6. Traffic Flow Map of the Kansas State Highway System (PDF) (Map). Cartography by Bureau of Transportation Planning. Kansas Department of Transportation. 2013. Baxter Springs inset.
  7. National Highway System: Kansas (PDF) (Map). Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved May 9, 2011.
  8. Natzke, Stefan; Neathery, Mike; Adderly, Kevin (September 26, 2012). "What is the National Highway System?". National Highway System. Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved August 9, 2013.
  9. Kansas State Highway System (PDF) (Map). State Highway Commission of Kansas. 1936. Retrieved August 9, 2013.
  10. Kansas State Highway System (PDF) (Map). State Highway Commission of Kansas. 1940. Retrieved August 9, 2013.
  11. Kansas State Highway System (PDF) (Map). State Highway Commission of Kansas. 1941. Retrieved August 9, 2013.
  12. Kansas State Highway System (PDF) (Map). State Highway Commission of Kansas. 1948. Retrieved August 9, 2013.
  13. Official 1953 Kansas Highway Map (PDF) (Map). State Highway Commission of Kansas. 1953. Retrieved August 9, 2013.
  14. Kansas Transportation Map (PDF) (Map). Kansas Department of Transportation. 1986. Retrieved August 9, 2013.
  15. Kansas Transportation Map (PDF) (Map). Kansas Department of Transportation. 1987. Retrieved August 9, 2013.
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