End of historic US highway 154

Note: since I don't have access to a comprehensive collection of historical road atlases, much of the info below is based on the research of Robert Droz; click here to view his site. Photo credits: me

US 154 was an original 1926 route; it was decommissioned in 1982. After that its memory lived on, as its former route was designated KS hwy. 154 for the next 15 years or so. Unfortunately, I didn't make it to Kansas in time to get photos of K-154 shields: by November 2001, Kansas had decommissioned K-154, presumably because essentially the entire route is now part of US 400.

Originally the easternmost segment of US 154 followed what is now K-34, ending at US 54 in Bucklin KS. The photo below is looking south on K-34 at its junction with US 54:

me, Nov. 2001

That's the current signage at the original east end of US 154. You can also see the signs for eastbound US 54 traffic.

The shot below shows the original east beginning of US 154 (to the right) as seen from westbound US 54:

me, Nov. 2001

I don't know when the end of US 154 was shifted from Bucklin to Mullinville... but it's shown that way on my 1947 map, so certainly US 154's east terminus was in Mullinville for the majority of its existence.

The shot below is looking east on US 400 (I'm not sure why the sign is announcing a junction with US 400 when we're already on it). Mullinville is just behind the camera.

me, Nov. 2001

Today there's a split-level interchange with US 54 - that's why US 400 bends to the right ahead. But that grade separation wouldn't have been here when this was US 154. Anyway, that's the modern junction at what used to be the east end of US 154.

The photo below is looking east on US 54/US 400, where the two routes separate just outside Mullinville. This is the spot where US 154 (and later K-154) used to split off from US 54:

me, Nov. 2001

The west terminus of US 154 was in Dodge City. The highway came into town on the road that is designated US 400 today, called Trail Street locally. But where US 400 traffic is routed north off Trail via the US 56/US 283 bypass* and then west again on Wyatt Earp Boulevard, US 154 continued straight ahead on Trail all the way to 2nd Street. In 1926, there was no US 56 or US 283 (which were later routed on 2nd), so presumably the US 154 designation turned north on 2nd and ended at Front Street (which was likely used by US 50-S traffic in 1926). But in 1932, the US 283 designation was extended north to Dodge City. It would've met US 154 at 2nd and Trail, and the two would've been co-signed north for one block to a common terminus at Front. Today Front has been subsumed by Wyatt Earp Boulevard, and highway traffic (US 400/Business US 50) is actually diverted just south of Front in the historic downtown area. The shot below is looking north on 2nd at Wyatt Earp:

me, Nov. 2001

That's roughly the view at the west end of historic US 154 - and the historic north end of US 283. Front runs just behind the traffic signals, where the longhorn statue is. As you can see, traffic coming from this direction has direct access neither to Front nor to 2nd (straight ahead). Below is a closeup of the signs (along with a little wild west flavor):

me, Nov. 2001

The photo below is looking east on Wyatt Earp. Historic US 50-S ran right in front of the buildings visible at far left, and US 154 (and US 283) began by turning right at the light (2nd):

me, Nov. 2001

After making that turn, 2nd immediately crosses the railyards. US 154 turned east again after one block, onto Trail St, while US 283 continued straight ahead on 2nd. The photo below shows that view: we're looking south on 2nd (which would later also serve as US 56). I was standing on the railroad; Wyatt Earp is just behind me. Trail begins left at the light, and US 154 went that direction:

me, Nov. 2001

Incidentally, Trail Street is so named because it follows the route of the Santa Fe Trail. US 283 began here only for a few years in the early 1930's, but this was the west beginning of US 154 for over 50 years.

* This creates an amusing "which-way" multiplex for about a half-mile in Dodge City. To see a photo - as well as other incidental photos from my Kansas road trip (including one from Mullinville) - click here.