U.S. 169

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Running northeast from Coffeyville to Kansas City, U.S. 169 travels 172.46 miles within the Sunflower State. North from 180th Road in Neosho County to North Dakota Road in Allen County, U.S. 169 follows a two to four lane freeway bypassing Chanute, Humboldt and Iola.

Entering Anderson County ahead of the city of Colony, U.S. 169 turns northeast to Welda, Garnett and Greeley. Continuing into Miami County, U.S. 169 converges with K-7. U.S 169/K-7 overlap along a freeway past Osawatomie and Paola to the Johnson County line at Spring Hill. The two routes follow an at-grade expressway around the west side of Spring Hill northward en route to Olathe.

Heading north from W 167th Street into the Olathe city limits, U.S. 169/K-7 advance through an area of industrial parks to I-35/U.S. 50-56 at W 151st Street. U.S. 169 joins the freeway northeast to Kansas City while K-7 remains north within Olathe.

U.S. 169 overlaps with I-35/U.S. 56-69 north to W 63rd Street/Shawnee Mission Parkway at Mission. The three U.S. routes branch east along Shawnee Mission Parkway 1.37 miles to Metcalf Avenue in Overland Park, where U.S. 69 separates north to Kansas City. U.S. 56/169 proceed another 3.49 miles along Shawnee Mission Parkway northeast to Mission Woods. U.S. 169 turns north onto Rainbow Boulevard between Westwood and Wetwood Hills while U.S. 56 continues east into Kansas City, Missouri.

Through Kansas City, U.S. 169 runs along Rainbow Boulevard through the Rosedale neighborhood to Southwest Boulevard (former U.S. 169 ALT/K-10). Spanning the BNSF / UP Rosedale Yard on S 7th Street, U.S. 169 angles northwest to I-35 at Exit 234 and the Shawnee Heights community. U.S. 169 then crosses the Kansas River into Armourdale. The northern 2.17 miles of U.S. 169 in Kansas overlaps with I-70/U.S. 24-40 east to the Lewis and Clark Viaduct into Missouri.

A number of changes were made along U.S. 169 in 1979. The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) was constructing the bypass of Humbolt and Iola. Anticipated to open in 1982, KDOT successfully petitioned the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) for the relocation of U.S. 169 onto the ten mile freeway around Humboldt. KDOT also proposed the establishment of U.S. 169 Alternate along a five mile loop on the bypass under construction north and along U.S. 54 west to Downtown Iola. This proposal was rejected by AASHTO on October 13, 1979 with the instructions to resubmit it when the project is closer to the anticipated 1983 completion. The freeway north from Iola to Colony would not be completed until November 1999, with KDOT receiving preapproval by AASHTO to relocate U.S. 169 on October 2, 1999.

Further north at Garnett, KDOT also submitted an application to AASHTO for the establishment of U.S. 169 Alternate along a three mile route using U.S. 59/K-31 north and 6th Street east through Garnett. AASHTO recommend approval of the route as a Business Route subject to state concurrence.

Within the Kansas City area, KDOT realigned U.S. 169 eastward from an overlap with Interstate 35 north from 135th Street in Olathe to 63rd Street at Merriam and along U.S. 56 (63rd Street) east to Metcalf Avenue (U.S. 69). Approved by AASHTO on June 26, 1979, the relocated U.S. 169 extended south alongside U.S. 69 on Metcalf Avenue, Blue Valley Parkway and the freeway to 135th Street. U.S. 169 followed 135th Street / Martin City Road (K-150 at the time) west to I-35/U.S. 56.

The rerouting of US 69 and US 169 in the metropolitan Kansas City area is necessary because of an existing State Statute whereby the State cannot designate a highway (US 69 Alt.) beginning and ending within the corporate limits of a city.

U.S. 169 shifted west onto the freeway bypass of Chanute by September 1985. AASHTO concurred with the request to relocate U.S. 169 on June 27, 1985. The bypass around the west side of Spring Hill was completed by November 1, 1985 and preapproved as the new route of U.S. 169 by AASHTO on October 12, 1985.

This change was ultimately superfluous, as KDOT again rerouted U.S. 169 back onto I-35/U.S. 50-56 from 135th Street in Olathe northeast to Interstate 435 at Lenexam and east along I-435/U.S. 50 to Metcalf Avenue. This was partially due to the relinquishment of K-150 between K-7 in Olathe and the Missouri state line at Leawood. However the application approved by AASHTO on April 21, 1996 read:

This change routes US 169 over a much higher type facility and provides a more direct route which will facility the flow of traffic within the Kansas City Metro area.

U.S. 169 was upgraded five miles north from U.S. 166 onto a four lane expressway in Montgomery County by December 6, 2011. This included constructing a parclo interchange at the east split of U.S. 166/169. The realignment was approved by AASHTO on May 3, 2013.

U.S. 169 North
U.S. 169 separates from K-7 north along a connector to W 151st Street and Interstate 35 north. 11/03/16
U.S. 169 joins I-35/U.S. 50-56 northeast from Olathe to Lenexa and Overland Park. 11/03/16
151st Street crosses I-35 and U.S. 169/K-7 west to Olathe Medical Center and heads east to Johnson County Executive Airport (OJC). 11/03/16
Shawnee Road spans U.S. 169 (7th Street Trafficway) on a steel arch bridge built in 1933.1 11/05/03
Stine Avenue intersects U.S. 169 (7th Street Trafficway) opposite the ramp to Metropolitan Avenue along the Kansas River. 11/05/03
U.S. 169 (S 7th Street) crosses the UP Armstrong Yard on a viaduct north from Kansas Avenue to the parclo interchange with I-70. U.S. 69 overtakes 7th Street north while U.S. 169 joins I-70/U.S. 24-40 east. 11/05/03
U.S. 169 Kansas Highway 7 South
U.S. 169 combines with K-7 south at a three level interchange with W 151st Street and Woodland Street in Olathe. 11/03/16
U.S. 169/K-7 span I-35/U.S. 50-56 ahead of the access road linking Woodland Street with 151st Street and the northbound entrance ramp to Kansas City. 11/03/16
U.S. 169/K-7 continue south from Olathe to Spring Hill. 11/03/16

Sources:
  1. Shawnee Road Bridge. Bridgehunter.com.


Photo Credits:

    11/05/03 by Justin Cozart. 11/03/16 by AARoads.

Connect with:
Interstate 35
Interstate 70
Interstate 435
U.S. 69
Highway 7

Page Updated 10-27-2021.

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