I thought Google made error on their maps, but apparently US 40 now heads south and east on K-10 and north on US 59 in Lawrence. The reason I hear is for future growth.
Don't know how moving an alignment can promote that, but it's true.
I would imagine KDOT just wanted to download that section of West 6th St to local maintenance after building the K-10 bypass around the southwest side of Lawrence.
Along with the convoluted routing of US 69 north of Overland Park, it seems like KDOT is trying to outdo INDOT in US route routings now...
Quote from: roadman65 on October 25, 2021, 11:06:04 PM
I thought Google made error on their maps, but apparently US 40 now heads south and east on K-10 and north on US 59 in Lawrence. The reason I hear is for future growth.
Travel Mapping has had US 40 following this routing (https://travelmapping.net/hb/showroute.php?units=miles&u=oscar&r=ks.us040&lat=38.911152&lon=-95.268743&zoom=13) since April 2017. This seems not to be new news.
Yeah I know but it's still moved. I should have titled it differently, but this one I used is a grabber.
Old or new it's a bad alignment.
The 2021Rand McNally still eight years later don't show the realignment at all. The Lawrence segment detail map shows it still on Sixth Street.
This makes absolutley no sense. The old routing of US 40 along 6th street between K-10 and Iowa St was 4 miles.
The routing along K-10 and US 59 between the same two points is over 10 miles. Plus, the surface alignment along iowa Street is itself 3.5 miles long. You don't gain anything by taking the bypass to continue along US 40.
For the big picture, it seems that US 40's purpose is as a cheapskate routing around I-70 to avoid the Kansas Turnpike. US 40 is joined with I-70 for much of KS, leaves I-40 just before I-70 joins the turpike in Topeka, and resumes its co-alignment with I-70 atK-7 (where I-70 becomes free again). It would seem that following the US 24 corridor instead, between Lawrence and Topeka, would accomplish this with less inteference.
Quote from: mrsman on October 26, 2021, 01:55:38 PM
This makes absolutley no sense. The old routing of US 40 along 6th street between K-10 and Iowa St was 4 miles.
The routing along K-10 and US 59 between the same two points is over 10 miles. Plus, the surface alignment along iowa Street is itself 3.5 miles long. You don't gain anything by taking the bypass to continue along US 40.
For the big picture, it seems that US 40's purpose is as a cheapskate routing around I-70 to avoid the Kansas Turnpike. US 40 is joined with I-70 for much of KS, leaves I-40 just before I-70 joins the turpike in Topeka, and resumes its co-alignment with I-70 atK-7 (where I-70 becomes free again). It would seem that following the US 24 corridor instead, between Lawrence and Topeka, would accomplish this with less inteference.
I would tend to agree. At first I thought it was trying to get out of some traffic on 6th, since it can be sort of bad (or at least was when I was in school there). But putting on Iowa (probably the second busiest street in Lawrence) doesn't do much to help that.
Chris
Several states have a mileage cap on their road network; Indiana has a mileage cap of 12,000 miles. Does Kansas have a cap? That's the only reason that makes sense for this otherwise incongruous change.
Quote from: skluth on October 26, 2021, 02:42:16 PM
Several states have a mileage cap on their road network; Indiana has a mileage cap of 12,000 miles. Does Kansas have a cap? That's the only reason that makes sense for this otherwise incongruous change.
I seem to recall they do, and they also have restrictions on surface street state highways in urban areas (though I don't believe they apply in this particular case).
The reason given on their 2013 AASHTO application:
QuoteTo meet the transportation needs of the city and state for access management, commercial development, and planned growth including future transportation projects.
Pfft. Sounds like the reason why I-465 have a million US routes that were formerly on city streets concurrent with it.
Quote from: Scott5114 on October 26, 2021, 03:00:50 PM
Quote from: skluth on October 26, 2021, 02:42:16 PM
Several states have a mileage cap on their road network; Indiana has a mileage cap of 12,000 miles. Does Kansas have a cap? That's the only reason that makes sense for this otherwise incongruous change.
I seem to recall they do, and they also have restrictions on surface street state highways in urban areas (though I don't believe they apply in this particular case).
Yeah, I think that restriction was related to individual routes not being allowed to exist entirely within a municipality, and that was why US 69 took the routing it did through KC so that those surface segments could be maintained as part of a larger route.
And yes, by state statute (Chapter 68, Article 4, Section 6, subsection (a) to be specific) (http://www.kslegislature.org/li_2020/b2019_20/statute/068_000_0000_chapter/068_004_0000_article/068_004_0006_section/068_004_0006_k/) the Kansas state highway system is capped at 10,000 miles. Although I'm not sure that applies either. That mileage cap seems to not include "city connecting links" which are defined as:
Quote(b) In addition to highways of the state highway system, the secretary of transportation shall designate in those cities on such system certain streets as city connecting links. "City connecting link" means a routing inside the city limits of a city which: (1) Connects a state highway through a city; (2) connects a state highway to a city connecting link of another state highway; (3) is a state highway which terminates within such city; (4) connects a state highway with a road or highway under the jurisdiction of the Kansas turnpike authority; or (5) begins and ends within a city's limits and is designated as part of the national system of interstate and defense highways.
So if I'm reading this right, the segment of 6th St between K-10 and US 59 would have been a city connecting link and thus exempt from the mileage cap.
Four miles originally and now ten miles? Crazy.
My original question is how adding six more miles expand growth? Plus we have a government now that wants Green which means less travel with polluting autos. Yet adding more travel seems to contradict curbing air pollution.
Quote from: Mapmikey on October 26, 2021, 03:09:25 PM
The reason given on their 2013 AASHTO application:
QuoteTo meet the transportation needs of the city and state for access management, commercial development, and planned growth including future transportation projects.
This is bureaucratic speak for the city wanted control of 6th St in my opinion.
Quote from: Avalanchez71 on November 15, 2021, 02:42:39 PM
This is bureaucratic speak for the city wanted control of 6th St in my opinion.
Actually, it's the other way around; KDOT wanted to relinquish control of 6th Street and offered consideration to the city of Lawrence, which was accepted.
Quote from: route56 on November 25, 2021, 12:39:29 PM
Quote from: Avalanchez71 on November 15, 2021, 02:42:39 PM
This is bureaucratic speak for the city wanted control of 6th St in my opinion.
Actually, it's the other way around; KDOT wanted to relinquish control of 6th Street and offered consideration to the city of Lawrence, which was accepted.
Should be allowed to be posted as US 40 nonetheless. The route it takes now is impractical. But SOP prevails.
To quote/paraphrase Jake "do people really care who maintains the road?" As long as it goes through what does it matter?"