18th Street Expressway
Encyclopedia
The 18th Street Expressway (often shortened to 18th Street in everyday speech) is a freeway in Kansas City, Kansas
that runs from Interstate 35 north to Interstate 70/U.S. Route 40. It carries the U.S. Route 69 designation its entire length.
with traffic light
s north of the Johnson County
line, just inside Kansas City. This diamond interchange serves as the northern terminus of Roe Boulevard from Roeland Park
, as well as the southern terminus of the 18th Street Expressway. US-69 northbound leaves I-35 northbound at this interchange, turning north to travel along the expressway. The expressway bridges the BNSF rail line as well as Merriam Lane, and has a partial diamond interchange with the latter (the ramps from Merriam to southbound 18th Street and from northbound 18th Street to Merriam are omitted due to the proximity of the I-35 interchange).
18th Street continues northward through Kansas City, with exits at Steele Road and Ruby Avenue, a residential street (this second interchange, a parclo interchange
, also serves Metropolitan Avenue, a more major arterial.) The freeway then crosses the Kansas River
and the east end of the BNSF rail yard on the 18th Street Expressway Bridge
. After coming off the bridge, the freeway meets the eastern terminus of K-32
, which runs along Kansas Avenue. K-32 is the only other numbered route that 18th Street Expressway intersects aside from those at its termini. The K-32/Kansas Avenue interchange is also of the parclo design.
North of the K-32 interchange, 18th Street passes over another rail yard, this one belonging to Union Pacific. On the northern edge of this rail yard lies I-70. 18th Street provides access to this highway via a traditional cloverleaf interchange
. This interchange, Exits 420A–B from I-70, also serves as the official eastern terminus of the Kansas Turnpike
, though the actual tolled section ends 10 miles (16.1 km) further west. The expressway ends at I-70, with northbound US-69 joining I-70 eastbound in a concurrency
. North of this interchange, the mainline drops the word "Expressway" from its title to become 18th Street. It continues north as a typical urban arterial.
to extend the turnpike by providing easy access to northeast Johnson County. It was the only one of the four studies to be followed upon, with completion of the 18th Street Expressway Bridge over the Kansas River
completed in 1959. It replaced the Argentine Boulevard bridge over the river behind the modern-day BNSF railroad yard.
Originally, the highway was part of the original K-58. Upon completion of the bridge, US-69 was rerouted onto the expressway from Southwest Boulevard (the section of which has since been renamed to Merriam Drive). In 1979, the K-58 designation was removed.
The section of 18th Street between I-70 and the south end of the Kansas River bridge was tolled at least as late as 1984.
Kansas City, Kansas
Kansas City is the third-largest city in the state of Kansas and is the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri, and is the third largest city in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. The city is part of a consolidated city-county government known as the "Unified...
that runs from Interstate 35 north to Interstate 70/U.S. Route 40. It carries the U.S. Route 69 designation its entire length.
Route description
Exit 232B from Interstate 35 is a diamond interchangeDiamond interchange
A diamond interchange is a common type of road junction, used where a freeway crosses a minor road. The freeway itself is grade-separated from the minor road, one crossing the other over a bridge...
with traffic light
Traffic light
Traffic lights, which may also be known as stoplights, traffic lamps, traffic signals, signal lights, robots or semaphore, are signalling devices positioned at road intersections, pedestrian crossings and other locations to control competing flows of traffic...
s north of the Johnson County
Johnson County, Kansas
Johnson County is a county located in northeast Kansas, in the central United States. The county is largely suburban, being part of the Kansas City metropolitan area, and containing many of its affluent southwestern suburbs. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 544,179. Its county...
line, just inside Kansas City. This diamond interchange serves as the northern terminus of Roe Boulevard from Roeland Park
Roeland Park, Kansas
Roeland Park is a city in Johnson County, Kansas, United States. The population was 6,817 at the 2000 census.-History:The City of Roeland Park was originally named after John Roe, an immigrant from Ireland who settled on in 1883, part of which Roeland Park now stands...
, as well as the southern terminus of the 18th Street Expressway. US-69 northbound leaves I-35 northbound at this interchange, turning north to travel along the expressway. The expressway bridges the BNSF rail line as well as Merriam Lane, and has a partial diamond interchange with the latter (the ramps from Merriam to southbound 18th Street and from northbound 18th Street to Merriam are omitted due to the proximity of the I-35 interchange).
18th Street continues northward through Kansas City, with exits at Steele Road and Ruby Avenue, a residential street (this second interchange, a parclo interchange
Parclo interchange
A partial cloverleaf interchange or parclo is a modification of a cloverleaf interchange. The parclo interchange was developed by the Ontario Ministry of Transportation as a replacement for the cloverleaf on 400-Series Highways, removing the dangerous weaving patterns and allowing for more...
, also serves Metropolitan Avenue, a more major arterial.) The freeway then crosses the Kansas River
Kansas River
The Kansas River is a river in northeastern Kansas in the United States. It is the southwestern-most part of the Missouri River drainage, which is in turn the northwestern-most portion of the extensive Mississippi River drainage. Its name come from the Kanza people who once inhabited the area...
and the east end of the BNSF rail yard on the 18th Street Expressway Bridge
18th Street Expressway Bridge
The 18th Street Expressway Bridge is a one level deck truss, four lane crossing of the Kansas River in Kansas City, Kansas.It was built in 1959, to replace the Argentine Bridge to the west.It also rises above the BNSF railroad tracks....
. After coming off the bridge, the freeway meets the eastern terminus of K-32
K-32 (Kansas highway)
K-32 is an approximately state highway that runs from Lawrence to Kansas City in the U.S. state of Kansas, generally paralleling the course of the Kansas River. Its western terminus is just outside of Lawrence at US-24/US-40...
, which runs along Kansas Avenue. K-32 is the only other numbered route that 18th Street Expressway intersects aside from those at its termini. The K-32/Kansas Avenue interchange is also of the parclo design.
North of the K-32 interchange, 18th Street passes over another rail yard, this one belonging to Union Pacific. On the northern edge of this rail yard lies I-70. 18th Street provides access to this highway via a traditional cloverleaf interchange
Cloverleaf interchange
A cloverleaf interchange is a two-level interchange in which left turns, reverse direction in left-driving regions, are handled by ramp roads...
. This interchange, Exits 420A–B from I-70, also serves as the official eastern terminus of the Kansas Turnpike
Kansas Turnpike
The Kansas Turnpike is a freeway-standard toll road that lies entirely within the U.S. state of Kansas. It runs in a general southwest-northeast direction from the Oklahoma border, and passes through several major Kansas cities, including Wichita, Topeka, Lawrence and Kansas City...
, though the actual tolled section ends 10 miles (16.1 km) further west. The expressway ends at I-70, with northbound US-69 joining I-70 eastbound in a concurrency
Concurrency (road)
A concurrency, overlap, or coincidence in a road network is an instance of one physical road bearing two or more different highway, motorway, or other route numbers...
. North of this interchange, the mainline drops the word "Expressway" from its title to become 18th Street. It continues north as a typical urban arterial.
History
The 18th Street Expressway was the result of one of four feasibility studies conducted by the Kansas Turnpike AuthorityKansas Turnpike Authority
The Kansas Turnpike Authority is the organization that owns and maintains the Kansas Turnpike.-Authority Board:KTA is headed by a board of five members, two of which are appointed by the governor of the state...
to extend the turnpike by providing easy access to northeast Johnson County. It was the only one of the four studies to be followed upon, with completion of the 18th Street Expressway Bridge over the Kansas River
Kansas River
The Kansas River is a river in northeastern Kansas in the United States. It is the southwestern-most part of the Missouri River drainage, which is in turn the northwestern-most portion of the extensive Mississippi River drainage. Its name come from the Kanza people who once inhabited the area...
completed in 1959. It replaced the Argentine Boulevard bridge over the river behind the modern-day BNSF railroad yard.
Originally, the highway was part of the original K-58. Upon completion of the bridge, US-69 was rerouted onto the expressway from Southwest Boulevard (the section of which has since been renamed to Merriam Drive). In 1979, the K-58 designation was removed.
The section of 18th Street between I-70 and the south end of the Kansas River bridge was tolled at least as late as 1984.
Exit list
The entire route is in Kansas City, Wyandotte County. All exits are unnumbered.| Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|
| – Des Moines, Wichita | Interchange |
| South end of freeway | |
| Merriam Lane | Southbound exit and northbound entrance |
| Steele Road | |
| Ruby Avenue, Metropolitan Avenue | |
| – St. Louis, Topeka | |