I may be going to Topeka in the next few months. How is this road? I've been on it as far north as Altoona. What are the speed limits like? Do you have to go through a bunch of little towns?
It's been a while, and I didn't drive the I-35 to Topeka stretch, but the Bartlesville stretch is annoying. The southern KS part is decent with the US400 area. I don't remember a lot of small towns on it, so either they were not worth noticing or weren't a hassle otherwise.
Quote from: bugo on March 31, 2013, 01:13:57 AMI may be going to Topeka in the next few months. How is this road? I've been on it as far north as Altoona. What are the speed limits like? Do you have to go through a bunch of little towns?
I have driven it once or twice, but not in the last fifteen years. It is significantly better in Kansas than Oklahoma, largely because it is less stoplight-infested. Google Maps gives a misleading impression of its standard of improvement immediately south of Topeka; it is a full freeway (70 MPH) all the way from the I-470/Turnpike interchange complex south to the US 56 interchange (Google Maps falsely implies that the length from I-470 to Forbes Field is not a freeway). South of there, it is generally 65 MPH two-lane with full asphalt shoulders. It runs straight through Lyndon (seat of Osage County and a small town, so not much of a holdup), and the K-31 intersection is grade-separated. Between I-35 and the Oklahoma state line, you do go through the built-up areas of Burlington, Yates Center, Neodesha, Independence, and Caney, but none of these are major holdups (they average about one stoplight each). Major state and US route intersections are often grade-separated.
South of the state line, it is a different story--Copan goes by fast, but Dewey and Bartlesville take forever (I wager there are more stoplights on US 75 from the Dewey north city limits to the Bartlesville south city limits than there are on US 75 in all of Kansas). After there, however, you are essentially home free.
The only town with any traffic signals north of Altoona is Burlington (and there are at least 2). Yates Center has a 4-way stop at US 54, and the speed limit in Lyndon is a low as 20 MPH.
As Johnathan noted, it is full freeway from US 56 to the I-470 merge in Topeka, with a 70 MPH speed limit. From I-35 to the south junction with K-31, it is a two-lane freeway.
I also recommend the BETO junction restaurant at the I-35/US 75 junction (in the TA truck stop on the SE corner of the interchange)
It'll actually take a while to get through Independence. If you're going south to north, you join U.S. 160 about two miles west of there. Then you will hit at least one traffic light (at Peter Pan Road and I think there is also one at Laurel St.) before you get to the one at 10th St. U.S. 75 turns north there and goes through one or two more lights before you make another right. Then its three blocks to the next light, where you turn north again. There's one more light on the way out but you're going to be doing about 40-45 for quite a while before you're in the clear.
On your return trip, turning left to get back south at 10th St. could take a while because it's a two-way stop and the road you need to turn onto has the right of way.
North of Indy, there will be a short concurrency with U.S. 400 before you exit at Neodesha. Getting through there will take a while but there's only one signal that I can recall. Once you get through Neodesha, the only stop for the next 57 miles will be at U.S. 54.
I've been on the portion south of Altoona so I know what to expect. My family went to family reunions in Independence when I was a child so I know that town like the back of my hand. I don't mind driving through it because it brings back good memories.
It's still sort of odd that one has to take such a long way to get through Independence. I presume its to keep heavy traffic out of downtown.
How does Coffeyville compare to Independence? Would it be better to take 169 and cut over to 75 somewhere?
Quote from: NE2 on April 01, 2013, 09:57:48 PMHow does Coffeyville compare to Independence? Would it be better to take 169 and cut over to 75 somewhere?
There is no net advantage. The routing via Independence is still 10 miles and 4 minutes shorter even using the shortest available cutoff between US 75 and US 169 (K-37 near Neodesha). Coffeyville has fewer turns and maybe fewer stoplights, but about the same amount of city street running as Independence.
There are fewer stoplights. If you're going through all the way on U.S. 169, you'd only see one going through town. If you come in via 166 first, you'd see about four or five more. But it would be just as long and since 169 veers sort of northeast once you're through Coffeyville, you'd be going out of your way.
Quote from: J N Winkler on April 01, 2013, 10:15:56 PM
Quote from: NE2 on April 01, 2013, 09:57:48 PMHow does Coffeyville compare to Independence? Would it be better to take 169 and cut over to 75 somewhere?
There is no net advantage. The routing via Independence is still 10 miles and 4 minutes shorter even using the shortest available cutoff between US 75 and US 169 (K-37 near Neodesha). Coffeyville has fewer turns and maybe fewer stoplights, but about the same amount of city street running as Independence.
Relating to another thread, I believe Independence might be the only place I got truly lost. We stopped for fast food at a highway junction there on our way from Wichita to I-44, then went the wrong way after leaving the restaurant. We were able to find a paved county road (probably 3900 Road, looking at the map now) to hook up with US-166 near Coffeyville, so it all worked out fine but, since that was my only time in Coffeyville, the town still makes me think of getting lost. The funny thing is, Coffeyville isn't the town we got lost in.
I would stick with Indy. Yeah, more lights, and a bit confusing (if you follow the signs.. I don't. I just go up Penn), but not as far out of the way as Coffeyville, the little town that oil slicks nearly killed.. and should have. Historical yes, but ugly as sin!
I, too, must agree about the stop at Beto Junction. They've just remodeled the place, but the food is still great and relatively affordable. If you'd like a side trip, try to find the original Beto Junction, along Old 50, where Old 75 whipped back north after a brief concurrency. The old buildings are still there, rotting away.
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