Interstate 35 in Kansas

Interstate 35 (I-35) is an Interstate Highway in the US that runs from the Mexican border near Laredo, Texas, to Duluth, Minnesota. In Kansas, the highway goes from the Oklahoma border to Kansas City at the Missouri border, with a length of 235 miles (378 km). Along the way, I-35 passes through Wichita, the state's largest city, linking it to Emporia, Ottawa, and Kansas City and its Johnson County suburbs. The section of the route from the Oklahoma border to I-335 is part of the Kansas Turnpike.

This article is about the section of Interstate 35 in Kansas. For the entire route, see Interstate 35.

Interstate 35
I-35 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by KTA and KDOT
Length	235.53 mi (379.05 km)
NHS	Entire route
Major junctions
South end	I-35 at the Oklahoma state line
Major intersections	I-135 in Wichita US-54 / US-400 in Wichita US-77 in El Dorado I-335 / Kansas Turnpike in Emporia US-50 in Emporia I-435 / US-50 in Lenexa I-635 in Kansas City US-69 in Kansas City
North end	I-35 at the Missouri state line
Location
Country	United States
State	Kansas
Counties	Sumner, Sedgwick, Butler, Chase, Lyon, Coffey, Osage, Franklin, Miami, Johnson, Wyandotte
Highway system
Interstate Highway System Main Auxiliary Suffixed Business Future Kansas State Highway System Interstate US State Spurs
← K-34 → US-36

Route description

Oklahoma border to Emporia

Main article: Kansas Turnpike

I-35 at exit for I-135, I-235, and US-81

I-35 enters Kansas from Oklahoma where the southern terminus of the Kansas Turnpike is located. After passing U.S. Highway 166 (US-166, East 160th Street South, exit 4) to the east of South Haven, the Interstate passes through a toll plaza, making I-35 into a toll road. The highway then passes US-160 (East 10th Avenue, exit 19) east of Wellington, then the Belle Plaine Service Area, the first of three on I-35, and the first of six on the turnpike. After the service area, the turnpike continues due north to Wichita and intersects I-135 (exit 42). After the I-135 interchange, the turnpike turns northeast and goes around Downtown Wichita. I-35 passes through Wichita's suburbs and, in the process, intersects US-54/US-400 (East Kellogg Avenue, exit 53A). The Towanda Service Area lies 10 miles (16 km) north of the Wichita area. Thereafter, the route intersects US-77 (North Main Street, exit 76) and various state highways near El Dorado. After El Dorado, the highway enters the Flint Hills region of Kansas. After passing the Cassoday interchange (K-177, exit 92), the turnpike begins its 35-mile-long (56 km) stretch with no exits. The only stop along the way is the Matfield Green Service Area. Located five miles (8.0 km) north of Cassoday, it is also the last service area on I-35. After the remaining 30 miles (48 km) with no exits or services, I-35 leaves the turnpike in Emporia. Here, the Interstate meets I-335 (exit 127), which the Turnpike carries toward Topeka.

Emporia to Kansas City

I-35 passes through a toll plaza to continue on its own alignment running eastward through east-central Kansas. At Ottawa, it turns to a more northeasterly direction. After passing through the Kansas suburbs of the Kansas City Metro Area, it then crosses the state line into Missouri and into Downtown Kansas City.

History

The original plan for I-35 was to follow US-50 from Newton, as well as US-81 and US-177 to the Oklahoma state line. But when the Kansas Turnpike was created, a part of I-35 was created south of Emporia. The Newton segment was declined, and there was another routing for US-50 that traveled north (which is known today). The segments from Olathe to Shawnee were created by 1962. The relocations of US-75 and K-31 were finished by 1975. I-35 in Kansas (as known today) had its final modification in 1976.^[1]

The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) worked with the Burns & McDonnell engineering company to design a new interchange at Homestead Lane (exit 205) in Johnson County as a diverging diamond.^[2] The first interchange of its kind in the state, it opened September 28, 2013.^[3]

Exit list

County	Location	mi[4]	km	Exit	Destinations	Notes
Sumner	Guelph Township	0.00	0.00		I-35 south – Oklahoma City Kansas Turnpike begins	Continuation into Oklahoma; southern terminus of Kansas Turnpike
		4.06	6.53	4	US-166 to US-81 – Arkansas City, South Haven	Last free exit northbound
	Avon Township	19.20	30.90	19	US-160 – Winfield, Wellington
	Harmon Township	25.83	41.57	Belle Plaine service area
Sumner–Sedgwick county line	Belle Plaine–Salem township line	33.42	53.78	33	K-53 to US-81 – Mulvane
Sedgwick	Salem Township	39.14	62.99	39	To US-81 – Haysville, Derby
	Wichita	42.10	67.75	42	I-135 to I-235 / US-81 – South Wichita, Salina
		44.54	71.68	45	K-15 – Wichita
		49.66	79.92	50	Webb Road
		52	84	53A	US-54 / US-400 west (Kellogg Avenue)	No northbound exit
		52.67	84.76	53B	K-96 to US-54 / US-400 east	Signed as exit 53 northbound
Butler	Bruno Township	57.07	91.85	57	Andover
	Towanda Township	64.90	104.45	Towanda service area
	El Dorado	70.63	113.67	71	K-254 to K-196 – El Dorado
		75.69	121.81	76	US-77 / Nick Badwey Plaza – El Dorado North
	Cassoday	92.73	149.23	92	K-177 – Cassoday
Chase	Matfield Township	97.00	156.11	Matfield Green service area
Lyon	Emporia	126.92	204.26	127A	I-335 north / Kansas Turnpike north – Topeka, Kansas City	Northern end of Kansas Turnpike concurrency; southern terminus of I-335; signed as exit 127 northbound
		127.36	204.97	127B	US-50 – Emporia, Newton	Last free exit southbound
		128.18	206.29	128	Industrial Road
		130.26	209.63	130	K-99 (Merchant Street)
		131.57	211.74	131	Burlingame Road
		132.86	213.82	133	US-50 west (6th Avenue)	Southern end of US-50 concurrency
	Jackson Township	135.21	217.60	135	County Road R1
		138.08	222.22	138	County Road U
		141.09	227.06	141	K-130 – Neosho Rapids, Hartford
Coffey	Lebo	148.31	238.68	148	K-131 – Lebo
	Key West Township	155.34	250.00	155	US-75 – Lyndon, Burlington
Osage	Melvern	160.49	258.28	160	K-31 north – Melvern	Western end of K-31 concurrency
		162.53	261.57	162	K-31 south – Waverly	Eastern end of K-31 concurrency
Franklin	Williamsburg	170.07	273.70	170	Williamsburg, Pomona	Formerly designated as K-273
	Homewood Township	176.22	283.60	176	Homewood
	Ottawa	181.89	292.72	182	Eisenhower Road
		182.94	294.41	183	US-59 south – Garnett	Southern end of US-59 concurrency
	Harrison Township	185.27	298.16	185	15th Street
	Ottawa	187.28	301.40	187	K-68 – Ottawa, Louisburg
		188.52	303.39	188	US-59 north – Lawrence	Northern end of US-59 concurrency
	Franklin Township	192.79	310.27	193	Tennessee Road
	Wellsville	197.77	318.28	198	K-33 – Wellsville
Miami	No major junctions
Johnson	Edgerton	202.77	326.33	202	Sunflower Road – Edgerton
	Gardner Township	204.96	329.85	205	Homestead Lane	Diverging diamond interchange
	Gardner	207.47	333.89	207	Gardner Road
		210.60	338.93	210	US-56 west – Gardner	Southern end of US-56 concurrency
	Olathe	213.83	344.13	214	Lone Elm Road / 159th Street
		215.35	346.57	215	US-169 south / K-7 – Paola	Southern end of US-169 concurrency
		216.61	348.60	217	Old Highway 56	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
		217.81	350.53	218	Santa Fe Street
		220.14	354.28	220	119th Street
	Lenexa	222.34	357.82	222A	I-435 east / US-50 east	Northern end of US-50 concurrency; I-435 exit 83; access to Johnson County Community College
				222B	I-435 west to K-10 – Lawrence	I-435 exit 83
		223.80	360.17	224	95th Street	Diverging diamond interchange;[5] access to Pittsburg State University and Brown Mackie College
	Lenexa–Overland Park line	225.05	362.18	225A	87th Street Parkway	Access to Legler Barn Museum
	Overland Park–Lenexa line			225C	75th Street	Northbound exit only; access to AdventHealth Shawnee Mission
	Lenexa	225.54	362.97	225B	US-69 south (Overland Parkway)	Southern end of US-69 concurrency; southbound exit and northbound entrance
	Overland Park–Merriam line	226.93	365.21	227	75th Street	No northbound exit; access to AdventHealth Shawnee Mission
	Merriam	227.97	366.88	228A	67th Street
		228.49	367.72	228B	US-56 east / US-69 / US-169 north (Shawnee Mission Parkway)	Northern end of US-56 / US-69 / US-169 concurrency
		228.99	368.52	229	Johnson Drive
	Merriam–Overland Park line	229.90	369.99	230	Antioch Road
	Overland Park	230.74	371.34	231	I-635 north	Northbound exit and southbound entrance; I-635 exit 1A; southern terminus of I-635
				231A-B	I-635 north US-69 south (Metcalf Avenue)	Signed as exits 231A (I-635) and 231B (US-69); southern end of US-69 concurrency; southbound exit and northbound entrance; I-635 exit 1A; southern terminus of I-635; access to KCI Airport
	Mission	231.70	372.89	232A	Lamar Avenue
Wyandotte	Kansas City	232.27	373.80	232B	US-69 (18th Street Expressway) / Roe Avenue	Northern end of US-69 concurrency
		233.46– 233.86	375.72– 376.36	233	Southwest Boulevard / Mission Road	Southbound exit has additional ramp to 37th Ave
		234.56	377.49	234	US-169 (7th Street Trafficway / Rainbow Boulevard)
Kansas–Missouri line		235.25	378.60	235	Cambridge Circle
		235.30	378.68		I-35 north	Continuation into Missouri
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus       Incomplete access        Tolled

Auxiliary routes

There are five auxiliary routes branching directly or indirectly from I-35 in Kansas:

• I-135: a spur route from Wichita to Salina; originally signed as I-35W until September 1976
  • I-235: a loop around the westside of Wichita; branches off of I-135
• I-335 / Kansas Turnpike: a segment of the Kansas Turnpike connecting I-35 in Emporia to the state capital, Topeka
• I-435: the Kansas City beltway
• I-635: a bypass of downtown Kansas City providing access to I-29 in Missouri and Kansas City International Airport