U.S. Route 66 in Kansas new Interstate highway crossed directly from Oklahoma to Missouri, bypassing Kansas entirely. US-69 Alternate was formed in 1985 when US-66 was decommissioned; the remainder of US-66 in Kansas became K-66. The final (1985) alignment of US-66 therefore perfectly matches present US-69 Alternate and K-66. Coming from the west, US 66 entered Kansas from Oklahoma, concurrent with US-69 Alternate, also called Military Avenue. From the state line, the highway ran north through Baxter Springs. At the intersection of US-66 with West 30th Street, the highway originally traveled east onto West 30th Street and then north onto Roberts Road to get back
U.S. Route 66 in Kansas of US-66 in Kansas retains much of the character of the Mother Road. It passes through Baxter Springs, Riverton and Galena in Cherokee County. In 1929 the US-66 in Kansas was paved, Kansas being the first state to do that. In Galena, US-66 originally turned north on Main Street, then east on Front Street before leaving the state as Route 66 to Central City, Missouri. This portion was changed in 1979 to remain on 7th Avenue, seven blocks south of the original routing, eastward to the Missouri state line. When US-66 was bypassed by Interstate 44 (I-44) in 1961, the