Northwest Passage now open

[route56]

The new super-two alignment of K-96/K-14 between Hutchinson and Sterling, nicknamed the "Northwest Passage," opened to traffic with a Ribbon Cutting on June 14.

Officials welcome new K-14 realignment in Reno, Rice counties
NICKERSON — Local officials and representatives of the Kansas Department of Transportation held a ribbon cutting today for the new K-14 realignment between Hutchinson and Sterling.

The new highway opened this afternoon, after the ribbon cutting.

The realigned K-14 provides a 15-mile asphalt freeway with 8-foot paved shoulders connecting Hutchinson to Nickerson to Sterling, through Reno and Rice counties. Right of
way has been secured to enable future expansion to four lanes.

The new alignment is more efficient for motorists because it avoids the stops, changing speed limits and sharper turns involved in the old alignment, which in places dated to
World War I.

Access to the new K-14 is limited to ramps at three new interchanges: at 56th Avenue near Hutchinson, at Nickerson Road near Nickerson and at Broadway Avenue near Sterling.

Ramp access is intended to reduce the risk of collisions.

Speaking at the ribbon cutting, at the new K-14 interchange at Nickerson, were KDOT Acting Secretary Calvin Reed, Nickerson Mayor Peggy Ruebke, Sterling Mayor Bob Boltz, Hutchinson Mayor Jon Richardson, Reno County Commission Chairman Daniel Friesen and Rice County Commission Chairman Clay Thomas.

Secretary Reed said: "Now we open the door to the convenience and opportunity this newly constructed highway represents. The new K-14 will make travel easier and more expedient. ... The convenience of the new K-14 will be an additional selling point in attracting — and keeping — new residents and new businesses to Rice and Reno counties."

Mayor Richardson said: "This is a big deal for everyone in Reno County and Rice County. ... It takes a lot of time off our travel."

The other speakers echoed those sentiments and said the new highway helps bring together the communities within the two counties.

This KDOT realignment project started in the spring of 2021. Bob Bergkamp Construction Co. Inc., of Wichita, is the primary contractor for the $82 million project.

In Reno County, the 7-mile project included five bridges and 24 reinforced concrete boxes. Earthwork involved more than 2 million cubic yards of fill and more than 100,000 tons of asphalt. The project in Rice County is about 8 miles long and required the construction of six bridges, 19 concrete boxes and a similar amount of fill and asphalt as in Reno County.

[minneha]

Minor quibble, but you misspelled Hutchinson.

I'm glad the road is completed. It will cut about 5-10 minutes off the drive from Hutchinson to points northwest, such as Lyons, Great Bend, Ellsworth, Russell, and Hays. The worst parts of the old highway were having to slow down and even stop while going through Nickerson and Sterling and the narrow shoulders and lower speed limits between Nickerson and Sterling.

[kphoger]

Minor quibble, but you misspelled Hutchinson.

OTOH, he did spell it the way 83% of Kansas residents pronounce it...

[splashflash]

Is the longer term plan to have a 🐝 beeline to Great Bend?

[froggie]

Is the longer term plan to have a 🐝 beeline to Great Bend?

Yes, some of the literature I found on the project suggests a long range plan eventually to Great Bend.

[rte66man]

Are there plans for upgrading the road south of Hutchinson from the half cloverleaf?

[SectorZ]

I opened this thinking this was a news story about sea ice clearing out of the Arctic.

[roadman65]

Minor quibble, but you misspelled Hutchinson.

OTOH, he did spell it the way 83% of Kansas residents pronounce it...

At least NE2 didn't have a coronary.😂

[froggie]

I opened this thinking this was a news story about sea ice clearing out of the Arctic.

It's happened before, but Arctic sea ice minimum usually occurs in September.

[Road Hog]

Theoretically the Arctic "Northwest Passage" will in the future be a viable trade route for months, but right now it's too much of a crapshoot to be regularly scheduled. It certainly is open for periods, though.

[route56]

Minor quibble, but you misspelled Hutchinson.

OTOH, he did spell it the way 83% of Kansas residents pronounce it...

Corrected. Now if I can just get OSM updated.

[Bobby5280]

This new upgrade-able Super-2 from Hutchinson to Sterling will be nice for that immediate area. But it's hardly a "Northwest Passage." Hopefully they'll be able to extend the Super-2 to Great Bend, as apparently planned. An extension farther to I-70 near Hays would be even better.

Ultimately more diagonal NW to SE highway corridors need to be built in the heartland. The population of Denver and other cities along the Front Range is growing. Other metros farther Northwest such as Salt Lake and Boise are also growing. That population and the commerce connected to it needs more efficient access to the Southeast US and Gulf Coast.

There are numerous SW to NE highway corridors in Kansas and other parts of the heartland. America's population has migrated significantly in the several decades since those corridors were established. I think an Interstate corridor from the Denver to OKC metro is needed. But that could start out as a modest 2-lane highway from Kit Carson, CO to Garden City, KS and then down to Woodward, OK.