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| US‑24 (Kansas) | |
|---|---|
| State | KS |
| Type | US |
| Route | 24 |
| Length mi | 435.95 |
| Established | 1926 |
| Direction a | West |
| Terminus a | Colorado |
| Direction b | East |
| Terminus b | Missouri |
US‑24 (Kansas) is a U.S. Numbered Highway traversing Kansas from the Colorado state line near Goodland to the Missouri border near Atchison, connecting the High Plains with the Kansas City metropolitan area and intersecting routes such as I‑70, US‑183, US‑59 and US‑75. The highway links communities including Colby, Hays, Topeka, Pawnee County seats and Jefferson County towns while providing access to landmarks such as Fort Hays State University, Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site and the Kansas River valley. US‑24 serves freight routes tied to Union Pacific Railroad corridors and regional transit networks including connections to Interstate 135 and the Kansas Turnpike.
US‑24 enters Kansas from Colorado west of Sherman County, running southeast through Goodland and across the High Plains before meeting US‑83 and curving toward Colby and Thomas County. The corridor parallels rail lines owned by BNSF Railway and Union Pacific Railroad near Oakley and then turns east into the Smoky Hills region approaching Hays and Ellis County, providing access to Fort Hays State University and I‑70 interchanges. Continuing east, US‑24 traverses Russell County and aligns with US‑281 and US‑183 in alternating concurrencies through Plainville and Phillips County, then passes near Columbus and enters the Salina metropolitan area where it intersects I‑135 and US‑81. East of Salina the route follows the Kansas River floodplain through Topeka, crossing tributaries and linking to US‑75 and I‑70 before continuing northeast through Jefferson County and terminating at Missouri near Atchison.
Established in 1926 with the original U.S. Highway system, US‑24 replaced auto trails that connected Denver, Chicago, Kansas City and Topeka and worked in tandem with rail expansions by Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. Realignments in the 1930s and 1950s shifted segments to bypass downtowns including routings around Hays and Salina concurrent with improvements promoted by New Deal–era agencies and later Federal Highway Administration programs. The postwar era saw upgrades to pave gravel segments, add flood-control bridges after events tied to the Great Flood of 1951, and construct grade separations near Topeka and Junction City influenced by military logistics to Fort Riley. More recent history includes corridor studies by the Kansas Department of Transportation evaluating safety and capacity, cooperative projects with Federal Highway Administration funding, and local initiatives from county commissions in Ellis County and Jefferson County to modernize interchanges.
US‑24 intersects national and state routes including connections with I‑70 at multiple points, concurrency segments with US‑183, US‑281, US‑81 and US‑75, and junctions with K‑232 and K‑4 near regional centers such as Hays, Salina, Topeka and Atchison. At the Colorado–Kansas border it connects to US‑24 (Colorado), and at the Kansas–Missouri border it continues into US‑24 (Missouri), providing continuity for long‑distance routes serving Denver, Kansas City, and Chicago. Freight intersections include proximities to BNSF Railway yards and access roads serving Fort Riley and agricultural shipping terminals in Saline County.
Spur and business alignments include business loops through Hays Business Loop and Topeka Business Loop created to serve downtown commerce districts and institutions such as Fort Hays State University and the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site. Past routings were redesignated as state highways under the authority of the Kansas Department of Transportation, and connectors link US‑24 to K‑18 and K‑4 near Manhattan and Junction City, providing multimodal transfers to Manhattan Regional Airport and Forbes Field in Topeka.
Traffic levels vary from low‑volume rural segments across the High Plains near Sherman County to urbanized corridors in Salina and Topeka where counts reflect commuter flows to centers such as Fort Hays State University, Emporia State University, and employment nodes tied to Schlumberger, Spirit AeroSystems, and regional distribution centers affiliated with Walmart and Amazon. The route supports agricultural freight for commodities shipped from Saline County and Russell County to terminals connected to Union Pacific Railroad and BNSF Railway, and it is monitored under state programs coordinated with the Federal Highway Administration for pavement condition and safety performance measures.
Planned projects by the Kansas Department of Transportation include corridor safety enhancements, intersection modernizations funded through Federal Highway Administration discretionary grants, and bridge replacements responding to structural evaluations near Kansas River crossings and the Great Plains floodplain. Local governments in Ellis County, Saline County, and Jefferson County are pursuing access management, multimodal upgrades linking to Amtrak stations, and economic development initiatives to improve freight connectivity to I‑70 and rail terminals operated by BNSF Railway and Union Pacific Railroad.