Kansas Roads - Old US 50 Emporia-Ottawa

Former US 50, Emporia to Ottawa



Not much to see except the setting sun and an old building in Williamsburg as I head west from Ottawa to Emporia, where US 50 comes back off of I-35 and rejoins its old alignment.


In Ottawa, however, it's a different story. Just before the EB end of old 50 at Eisenhower Ave., a concrete alignment heads left into the grass, ending at the berm for I-35. This is the original route of US 50, which went north on Eisenhower Ave., then curved east on 19th St. and took a couple more curves to reach what was then US 59 on Main St.


Back west down the dead end. The curbs are cast integrally with the road surface, something I'd only seen before on old alignments in Oklahoma.


There's another stub at Eisenhower Ave. as well, evidenced by the lines in the pavement that reflect concrete underneath. This more modern US 50 alignment headed diagonally up into former US 59 on what was then Main St., coming between the two directions of 59 just south of 17th St., where Main St. now begins.


WB on the original road, Eisenhower Ave. SB.


Looking northeast and southwest from 23rd St. at Elm St., the only remaining pieces of the Main St. diagonal north of I-35. To the south, it's cut off by I-35. To the north, it's just plain cut off, out of a lack of need for the flyover (and associated maintenance) at former US 59.

Onto modern US 50

Onto I-35
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