K-143 is a 4.658-mile-long (7.496 km) north–south state highway in Saline County, Kansas. The route runs through lands mostly used for agriculture from an interchange at Interstate 70 (I-70) and U.S. Route 40 (US-40) in northern Salina, Kansas generally northward to a junction with US-81 north of Salina. The southern part of the route is a four-lane divided highway while the rest is a two-lane highway. It has an annual average daily traffic (AADT) between 1,580 and 4,133 vehicles. The route is paved with three different pavement types, and is not a part of the National Highway System. It was first designated as US-81 Alternate in the early 1970s with the designation being changed to K-143 in the early 1980s.
Route description
K-143's southern terminus is at a diamond interchange with I-70 in the northernmost parts of Salina, Kansas.[1] For the first 0.9 miles (1.4 km) of the route, the highway travels due north through commercial and agricultural land within the Salina city limits.[1][2][3] A short distance after this, K-143 transitions from a divided four-lane highway into a two-lane highway.[1] It then crosses the Saline River and continues north through primarily agricultural land north of Salina.[2][3] At 2.7 miles (4.3 km), K-143 turns northwest and follows a gently curving path in that direction for the remainder of the route. The highway then reaches its northern terminus at US-81.[2][3]
K-143 has an AADT of 4,133 vehicles in the southernmost 0.9 miles (1.4 km) of the route, with an AADT of 1,580–1,595 vehicles in the remainder of the route.[1] The route is paved with a combination of full-design bituminous pavement, composite pavement, and partial-design bituminous pavement.[1] K-143 is not a part of the National Highway System.[4]
History
K-143's route was established between 1970 and 1971 as US-81 Alternate.[5][6] The numbering was changed to K-143 between 1981 and 1983.[7][8]
^National Highway System(PDF) (Map). Kansas Department of Transportation. 2008. Retrieved November 3, 2011.
^Kansas Official Highway Map(PDF) (Map) (1970 ed.). State Highway Commission of Kansas. 1969. § C8. Archived from the original(PDF) on April 18, 2012. Retrieved November 3, 2011.
^Kansas Official Highway Map(PDF) (Map) (1971 ed.). State Highway Commission of Kansas. 1970. § C8. Archived from the original(PDF) on April 18, 2012. Retrieved November 3, 2011.
^Kansas Official Highway Map(PDF) (Map) (1981–1982 ed.). Kansas Department of Transportation. 1980. § C8. Archived from the original(PDF) on April 18, 2012. Retrieved November 3, 2011.
^General Highway Map Saline County, Kansas(PDF) (Map) (1983 ed.). Kansas Department of Transportation Bureau of Transportation Planning. 1983. Archived from the original(PDF) on April 18, 2012. Retrieved November 3, 2011.