K-117 (Kansas highway) explained

State:KS
Type:KS
Route:117
Map Custom:yes
Map Notes:K-117 highlighted in red
Established:May 16, 1937
Length Mi:11.977
Length Ref:[1]
Direction A:South
Terminus A: in Midway
Direction B:North
Terminus B: at the Nebraska border
Counties:Rawlins
Previous Type:KS
Previous Route:116
Next Type:KS
Next Route:119

K-117 is an approximately 11.98adj=midNaNadj=mid state highway in the U.S. state of Kansas. K-117's southern terminus is at U.S. Route 36 (US-36) in Midway, which is between Atwood and Oberlin. The highway heads north and passes by Herndon before reaching the Nebraska border, where it continues as Nebraska Highway 17 (N-17). K-117 is a two-lane highway its entire length.

In January 1937, it was approved to add the highway to the State Highway System when the Nebraska Department of Transportation (NDOT) had finished their portion of the highway. K-117 was first designated as a state highway on May 26, 1937, to connect to the new highway that was completed by NDOT. K-117's alignment has not changed since it was designated. At times, sections of the highway have had to be closed due to flooding from Beaver Creek.

Route description

K-117 begins at an intersection with US-36 in the unincorporated community of Midway and begins traveling north. The highway continues through rural farmlands for about 2miles then crosses an unnamed creek. The roadway continues another 1.7miles then begins to proceed through rolling hills. The highway passes by an electrical substation and a large fuel pumping station, then approximately 1miles later crosses over Beaver Creek, as the landscape flattens out. The roadway continues through flat farmland for about 0.4miles then reaches an at-grade crossing with a BNSF Railway track. The highway continues north along the east side of the city of Herndon and after about 0.6miles intersects County Route 314 (CR-314), which connects to Herndon. K-117 advances north through rural farmland for about 6miles and reaches the Nebraska border where it continues as Nebraska Highway 17 (N-17).[2]

The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) tracks the traffic levels on its highways, and in 2017, they determined that on average the traffic varied from 215 vehicles per day slightly north of Herndon to 265 vehicles per day south of Herndon.[3] K-117 isn't included in or connected to the National Highway System.[4]

History

In the early 1930s, the Nebraska Department of Transportation (NDOT) began to build a new state highway from US-6 in Culbertson, Nebraska, southward to the Kansas border north of Herndon. In a meeting on January 6, 1937, the Kansas State Highway Commission approved that when Nebraska completes the highway to the state line, that Kansas would add their proposed highway from US-36 northward to the state border to connect to the new highway. By the meeting on March 20, 1937, the Kansas State Highway Commission received a letter from Nebraska, stating that they had completed their section of the highway. Then in a resolution passed on May 26, 1937, the Kansas State Highway Commission added the highway to the state highway system as K-117.[5] The section of K-117 between US-36 and Herndon was graveled by 1940, with the remaining section north of there being graveled by 1941.[6] [7] The entire road was paved by 1952.[8] K-117's alignment has not been changed since it was commissioned.[9]

In June 1951, a section of K-117 just south of Herndon was closed due to high water covering the highway.[10] In 1954, a 2.5miles section was closed south of Herndon, for the building of a new bridge and grading.[11] On June 28, 1989, roughly 9inches of rain fell over neighboring Sherman and Cheyenne counties. KDOT had to close a 0.5miles section of K-117 by Herndon due to high water from the Beaver River flooding.[12] In June 2002, a tornado knocked down powerlines along the highway between Ludell and Herndon, also 2inches sized hail fell on the highway around Herndon.[13]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Kansas Department of Transportation . Pavement Management Information System . Kansas Department of Transportation . 2016 . April 15, 2019 . Kansas Department of Transportation . March 13, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160313050055/http://ksdot.org/matreslab/pmis/query.asp . live . Type '117' for route number, type '3' for district number, type '77' for county number.
  2. Bureau of Transportation Planning . 2009 . Rawlins County . Kansas Department of Transportation . General Highway Map . Scale not given . Topeka . March 9, 2021 . May 5, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200505135134/https://www.ksdot.org/Assets/wwwksdotorg/bureaus/burTransPlan/maps/PastPublishedCounty/rawlinsJul2009.pdf . live .
  3. Bureau of Transportation Planning . 2018 . Traffic Flow Map Kansas State Highway System . [c. 1:1,584,000] . Topeka . Kansas Department of Transportation . July 29, 2019 . May 5, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200505094818/https://www.ksdot.org/Assets/wwwksdotorg/bureaus/burTransPlan/maps/CountMaps/Districts/countmap2017.pdf . live .
  4. Federal Highway Administration . Federal Highway Administration . May 8, 2019 . National Highway System: Kansas . [c. 1:3,900,000] . . July 29, 2019 . March 4, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160304035300/http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/national_highway_system/nhs_maps/kansas/ks_kansas.pdf . live .
  5. Web site: State Highway Commission of Kansas. Resolution establishing a road in Rawlins County as a part of the State Highway System. Topeka. May 26, 1937. State Highway Commission of Kansas. March 9, 2021. August 1, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210801022219/https://dmsweb.ksdot.org/AppNetProd/docpop/PdfPop.aspx. live.
  6. State Highway Commission of Kansas . 1940 . Kansas State Highway System . Scale not given . Highway & Transportation Map . Topeka . State Highway Commission of Kansas . March 10, 2021 . November 10, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20151110054538/https://www.ksdot.org/Assets/wwwksdotorg/bureaus/burTransPlan/maps/HistoricStateMaps/1940Mapside.pdf . live .
  7. State Highway Commission of Kansas . 1941 . Kansas State Highway System . Scale not given . Highway & Transportation Map . Topeka . State Highway Commission of Kansas . March 10, 2021 . March 10, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160310200340/http://www.ksdot.org/Assets/wwwksdotorg/bureaus/burTransPlan/maps/HistoricStateMaps/1941Mapside.pdf . live .
  8. State Highway Commission of Kansas . 1952 . Kansas State Highway System . Scale not given . Highway & Transportation Map . Topeka . State Highway Commission of Kansas . March 10, 2021 . May 5, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200505093335/https://www.ksdot.org/Assets/wwwksdotorg/bureaus/burTransPlan/maps/HistoricStateMaps/1952Mapside.pdf . live .
  9. Bureau of Transportation Planning . 2019–2020 . Kansas State Highway System . Scale not given . Topeka . Kansas Department of Transportation . March 9, 2021 . May 5, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200505060442/https://www.ksdot.org/Assets/wwwksdotorg/bureaus/burTransPlan/maps/state-pdf/2019_20_StateMap.pdf . live .
  10. News: 1. The Manhattan Mercury. March 9, 2021. Newspapers.com. Roads Closed. June 22, 1951. Manhattan, KS. August 1, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210801022127/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/72966547/k117-and-others-closed-for-flooding-1951/. live.
  11. News: 15. Great Bend Tribune. March 9, 2021. Newspapers.com. 11 Detours Are Listed in State At This Time. March 14, 1954. Great Bend, KS. August 1, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210801022231/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/72966475/k117-and-others-detours-1954/. live.
  12. News: 7. The Salina Journal. March 10, 2021. Newspapers.com. Flood destroys crops, roads near Herndon. June 28, 1989. Salina, KS. August 1, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210801022202/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/72961324/k117-us-36-flooding-1989/. live.
  13. News: 3. The Salina Journal. March 10, 2021. Newspapers.com. Tornado hits Rawlins County. June 20, 2002. Salina, KS. August 1, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210801022129/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/72961147/highway-117-tornado-2002/. live.

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