Wikipedia / U.S. Route 169
Wikipedia / U.S. Route 169
U.S. Route 169 (US 169) is a north-south U.S highway that currently runs for 966 miles (1,555km) from the city of Virginia, Minnesota, to Tulsa, Oklahoma, at Memorial Drive.
Route description
Oklahoma
US169 is a major north–south highway spanning in Oklahoma. The southern terminus for US169 is Memorial Drive. The highway connects Tulsa, Oklahoma to the south with the Kansas state border to the north at South Coffeyville, Oklahoma. US169 travels through Tulsa, Rogers, and Nowata counties.
US169 has undergone several widening projects that have brought US169 to freeway and expressway standards. The highway is mostly two lanes between Talala, Oklahoma, and South Coffeyville, except for several four-lane segments except for a short four-lane portion north of Nowata, Oklahoma, which ends at State Highway 28.
An Alternate US169 passes through Nowata following the original path of US169. The alternate route begins at the intersection of Choctaw Avenue and reconnects with US169 south of Nowata at its intersection with Maple Street.
In January 2005, Oklahoma Department of Transportation began a $16.8 million widening project on a mile-long stretch of US169 (officially named 'Pearl Harbor Memorial Expressway', although this name is rarely used by Tulsans) from Interstate 244 (I-244) to I-44. The project widened the highway from four to six lanes, adding one lane in each direction. The project was completed in April 2006. This stretch of US169 is traveled by approximately 106,000 vehicles per day.
Kansas
US169 enters the state at Coffeyville as a four-lane road, and is a four-lane highway for about till the edge of the Coffeyville Industrial Park. A segment runs around Chanute is a freeway with fully controlled access with center concrete barrier, with two lanes in each direction. US169 runs concurrently with US 59 and K-31 starting about south of Garnett and diverges northeast again immediately south of Garnett. The intersection immediately south of Garnett used to be a "braided" intersection with Stop and Yield signs. It was identified as a high crash location in 2001, and was rebuilt as a roundabout that opened in April 2006. The Kansas Department of Transportation is rebuilding or planning to rebuild several other rural intersections as roundabouts for increased safety. In Garnett, 6th Avenue (from US169 to US59 is also known as Business US169. Going south, it veers off from US169 about a mile and a half north of the US169/US59/K-31 roundabout intersection and travels west and south on 6th Avenue from US169 to US59/K-31 (Maple St.) before turning south onto US59/K-31 and running concurrently with them, ending at the US169/US59/K-31 roundabout intersection. At Osawatomie the road becomes a full freeway; as well as, running concurrent with K-7. In southern Johnson County 169 becomes an expressway until its junction with I-35 in Olathe.
From this point to the Missouri state line, US169 alternates between freeways and surface streets. It follows I-35 to Shawnee Mission Parkway in Overland Park, then travels east to Rainbow Boulevard. US169 then follows surface streets to its junction with I-70 near downtown Kansas City. US169 and I-70 enter Missouri together just after crossing the Kansas River.
Missouri
US169 exits I-70 shortly after both roads enter Missouri via the Lewis and Clark Viaduct. It crosses the Missouri River by the Buck O'Neil Bridge and serves Kansas City Downtown Airport. Northbound, US169 becomes a freeway at 5th Street south of the Missouri River, however southbound it ceases being a freeway north of the airport. An at-grade private driveway exists just south of the intersection with Route 9 as well as for airport access. At the northern end of the city, an intersection was reconstructed at NE 108th Street in November 2013. US 169 is a freeway through I-435. This segment is also known as Arrowhead Trafficway, although this road neither passes nor approaches Arrowhead Stadium.
US169 is a four-lane rural expressway until it reaches Smithville, where it reverts to a two-lane rural highway. In St. Joseph, it forms most of the Belt Highway, a major commercial strip on the eastern edge of town, paralleling just inside I-29. US169 angles northeastward out of St. Joseph, passing through many rural communities before exiting Missouri north of Grant City.
US169 intersects I-29 three times in Missouri: once in Gladstone, and twice in St. Joseph.
Iowa
US169 enters Iowa just south of Redding. It intersects I-80 near De Soto. US169 becomes an expressway at US 20, south of Fort Dodge. At Iowa Highway 7 on the northwest side of Fort Dodge it reverts to a two-lane highway again. US169 passes through Humboldt and Algona before it leaves Iowa north of Lakota.
Minnesota
US169 is a major north–south highway in Minnesota. It enters the state at Elmore. Shortly after, it junctions with I-90 at Blue Earth. It passes Mankato, crossing the Minnesota River. Between Mankato and the Twin Cities, US169 is largely a rural highway. Before entering Le Sueur, US169 crosses the Minnesota River again. At Shakopee, US169 becomes a freeway, crossing the Minnesota River for a third time. The freeway ends in Champlin. US169 crosses the Mississippi River at Anoka and follows concurrently with US 10 to Elk River, where US169 splits off northbound through central Minnesota. The rest of the route in Minnesota is largely rural. The route passes the western side of Mille Lacs Lake. It terminates at US 53 in Virginia, in the Iron Range.
History
In Kansas, US169 used to run concurrent with US69 from I-35 through Downtown Kansas City, Kansas and the Fairfax District across the Platte Purchase Bridge to I-635 until splitting at I-29 in Missouri.
In Missouri, US169 replaced Route 1 from Kansas City to St. Joseph, Route 4 from St. Joseph to Stanberry, and all of Route 29 from Stanberry to Iowa. The part of Route1 north of Kansas City had been Route 33 south of, and Route 50 north of, Grayson from 1922 to 1926.
Prior to 2008, US169 traveled east on I-435 in Lenexa and Overland Park, Kansas, and then it traveled north on Metcalf Avenue.
Prior to 1981, US169 entered the Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Major intersections
Oklahoma
in Tulsa. The highways travel concurrently through Tulsa.
in Tulsa
in Tulsa
in Nowata
Kansas
in Coffeyville. The highways travel concurrently to east-northeast of Coffeyville.
south-southwest of Cherryvale. The highways travel concurrently for approximately .
north-northeast of Cherryvale
east of Iola
northeast of Welda. The highways travel concurrently to south of Garnett.
in Olathe. I-35/US169 travels concurrently to Merriam. US50/US169 travels concurrently to Lenexa. US56/US169 travels concurrently to the Westwood–Mission Woods city line.
in Lenexa
in Lenexa. The highways travel concurrently to Overland Park.
in Kansas City
in Kansas City. I-70/US24/US40/US169 travels concurrently to Kansas City, Missouri.
Missouri
in Kansas City. The highways travel concurrently through Kansas City.
southeast of Northmoor
in Gladstone
in Kansas City
in St. Joseph
in St. Joseph
in St. Joseph
in Stanberry. The highways travel concurrently to north-northwest of Darlington.
Iowa
in Afton. The highways travel concurrently to west of Thayer.
in Ogden. The highways travel concurrently to east-southeast of Beaver.
south of Fort Dodge
in Algona
Minnesota
in Blue Earth
on the North Mankato–Mankato city line
in Bloomington
on the Eden Prairie–Edina city line
on the St. Louis Park–Golden Valley city line
on the Maple Grove–Brooklyn Park city line
in Grand Rapids. The highways travel concurrently through Grand Rapids.
in Virginia
See also
References
External links