K-38 was a Kansas state highway that started at K-15 north of Dexter in rural Cowley County. It was 12.9-mile-long (20.8 km), ending in Chautauqua County at an intersection with a county road. There were no towns or state facilities served by the road. K-38 was never completely paved; the last couple of miles of the road were gravel.
 K-38 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 K-38 highlighted in red | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by KDOT | ||||
| Length | 12.990 mi[1] (20.905 km) | |||
| Existed | January 7, 1937–November 21, 1997 | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| West end |  K-15 north of Dexter | |||
| East end | Ranch Road and Road 2 southwest of Grenola | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | Kansas | |||
| Counties | Chautauqua, Cowley | |||
| Highway system | ||||
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K-38 was first designated a state highway on January 7, 1937. K-38 was decommissioned in November 1997. It is now a county road for both Cowley (CR-28) and Chautauqua (Ranch Road).
Route description
editK-38 began at a wye intersection with K-15, which headed west toward Winfield and south toward Dexter, in central Cowley County. The highway headed east as a low-grade bituminous surface road with crossings of Grouse Creek, a tributary of the Arkansas River, and Bullington Creek. K-38 veered away from the east–west section line around its crossing of Otter Creek and returned before the route reached the Cowley–Chautauqua county line.[2] The highway became a gravel road on entering Chautauqua County. K-38 continued east 2 miles (3.2 km) to its end at a junction of section line roads, east–west Ranch Road and north–south Road 2, near the Caney River in northwestern Chautauqua County; the nearest city to the highway's terminus is Grenola in southwestern Elk County, and the closest city in the county was Cedar Vale to the south.[3]
The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) tracks the traffic levels on its highways, and in 1997, they determined that on average the traffic varied from 90 vehicles near the eastern terminus to 500 vehicles near the western terminus.[4] K-38 was not included in the National Highway System,[5] a system of highways important to the nation's defense, economy, and mobility.[6]
History
editK-38 was first designated as a state highway by KDOT on January 7, 1937. At that time it extended from K-15 east to the county maintained road that ran between Cedarvale and Grenola.[7] K-38 was decommissioned on November 21, 1997.[8] It is now a county road for both Cowley County (CR-28) and Chautauqua County (Ranch Road).[2][3]
Major intersections
edit| County | Location | mi[1] | km | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cowley | | 0.000 | 0.000 | K-15 – Dexter, Winfield | Western terminus |
| Chautauqua | | 12.990 | 20.905 | Road 2 / Ranch Road east | Eastern terminus |
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi | |||||
References
edit- ^ a b Kansas State Highway Commission. "Resolution Revising the Description of the Alignment of K-38 in Cowley and Chautauqua Counties as Passed by the State Highway Commission of Kansas January 7, 1937". Kansas Department of Transportation. Retrieved May 4, 2017.
- ^ a b Bureau of Transportation Planning. General Highway Map: Cowley County (PDF) (Map) (1984 ed.). 1:125,000. Topeka, KS: Kansas Department of Transportation. Retrieved May 4, 2017.
- ^ a b Bureau of Transportation Planning. General Highway Map: Chautauqua County (PDF) (Map) (1984 ed.). 1:125,000. Topeka, KS: Kansas Department of Transportation. Retrieved May 4, 2017.
- ^ Bureau of Transportation Planning (1996). Traffic Flow Map Kansas State Highway System (PDF) (Map). [c. 1:1,584,000]. Topeka: Kansas Department of Transportation. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
- ^ Federal Highway Administration (May 8, 2019). National Highway System: Kansas (PDF) (Map). Scale not given. Washington, DC: Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
- ^ Natzke, Stefan; Neathery, Mike; Adderly, Kevin (September 26, 2012). "What is the National Highway System?". National Highway System. Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
- ^ State Highway Commission of Kansas (January 7, 1937). "Resolution revising the description of the alignment of K-38 in Cowley and Chautauqua Counties as passed by the State Highway Commission of Kansas January 7, 1937". Topeka: State Highway Commission of Kansas. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
- ^ "KDOT 1997 Highway and Route Changes" (PDF). Topeka, KS: Kansas Department of Transportation. October 7, 2005. Retrieved 2020-04-18.