K-15 is a Kansas

Kansas

Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...

 state highway

State highway

State highway, state road or state route can refer to one of three related concepts, two of them related to a state or provincial government in a country that is divided into states or provinces :#A...

 originating at the Oklahoma

Oklahoma

Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...

 state line

Border

Borders define geographic boundaries of political entities or legal jurisdictions, such as governments, sovereign states, federated states and other subnational entities. Some borders—such as a state's internal administrative borders, or inter-state borders within the Schengen Area—are open and...

 and continuing to the Nebraska

Nebraska

Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....

 state line where it is then signed as Nebraska Highway 15

Nebraska Highway 15

Nebraska Highway 15 is a highway in Nebraska. It has a southern terminus at the Kansas border south of Fairbury and a northern terminus northeast of Maskell at the South Dakota border.-Route description:...

. It is signed as State Highway 18

State Highway 18 (Oklahoma)

State Highway 18, abbreviated as SH-18 or OK-18, is a highway maintained by the U.S. state of Oklahoma. It was once one of the longest state highways in the Oklahoma road system, but now has a total length of .-Route description:...

 once the highway enters Oklahoma. It is 206 miles (332 km) long. Throughout Kansas, it is signed as the Eisenhower

Dwight D. Eisenhower

Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...

 Memorial Highway due to its route through Abilene, where the Eisenhower Memorial Museum and Library

Eisenhower Presidential Center

The Eisenhower Presidential Center, officially known as the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum or Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, includes the Eisenhower presidential library, President Dwight David Eisenhower's boyhood home, Museum, and gravesite...

 is located.

Route description

From the Oklahoma state line, K-15 runs north for 8 miles (12.9 km) before turning west for 4 miles (6.4 km) and overlapping US-166. It then returns to a due north course for 9 miles (14.5 km) to Dexter

Dexter, Kansas

Dexter is a city in Cowley County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 278.-History:Early in the 20th century Dexter became the focus of research that would confirm the existence of an abundance of naturally occurring and readily available helium. In May 1903, a...

. Then, it heads west for 3 miles (4.8 km) where it again overlaps, this time with US-160.

At Winfield

Winfield, Kansas

Winfield is a city situated along the Walnut River in the west-central part of Cowley County, located in South Central Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 12,301...

, K-15 follows US-77 west to Udall

Udall, Kansas

Udall is a city in Cowley County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 746.-History:Founded in 1881 by J.M. Napier and P.W. Smith. Udall was named after English author Cornelius Udall....

 and then turns north then cuts through Mulvane

Mulvane, Kansas

Mulvane is a city in Sedgwick and Sumner counties in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 6,111.-History:...

. It then continues traveling north through Derby

Derby, Kansas

Derby is a city in Sedgwick County, Kansas, United States. Formerly known as El Paso, it is a suburb of Wichita. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 22,158. As of 2008 the population was estimated at 22,517, making it the 17th largest city in the state of Kansas...

, finally joining I-135 and US-81 in Wichita

Wichita, Kansas

Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...

. K-15 is a multilane divided highway beginning immediately southeast of Mulvane at its intersection with K-53. K-15 follows this four-lane alignment through both Mulvane and Derby until merging with I-135 in south Wichita.

K-15 follows the I-135 alignment to US-50, where it exits after less than a mile onto Kansas Avenue (old US-81) in Newton. It goes through Newton

Newton, Kansas

Newton is a city in and the county seat of Harvey County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 19,132. Newton is located north of Wichita and is included in the Wichita metropolitan statistical area...

 and North Newton

North Newton, Kansas

North Newton is a city in Harvey County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 1,759. The city of Newton is located next to the city, but it not part of North Newton. North Newton is home of Bethel College, which has approximately 500 students.-Geography:North...

 then continues north to US-56 in Marion County

Marion County, Kansas

Marion County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 12,660. The county seat is Marion...

. It meets K-215

K-215 (Kansas highway)

K-215 is a short east–west Kansas state highway located in southern Marion County that starts at parent route K-15 and goes west for about 1/2 mile, ending at the Goessel city limit. The road continues west through the city as Main Street, and then as a Marion County route. The Mennonite...

 near Goessel

Goessel, Kansas

Goessel is a city in Marion County, Kansas, United States. It was named after Captain Kurt von Goessel who went down with his ship, the Elbe, in the English Channel after it was rammed. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 539....

. It overlaps US-56 east for 6 miles (9.7 km) then continues north through Durham

Durham, Kansas

Durham is a city in Marion County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 112. Home of Donahue Corporation.-19th century:...

 before crossing K-4

K-4 (Kansas highway)

K-4 is the longest designated state highway in Kansas traversing from north of Scott City at US-83 to US-59 near Nortonville in northeast Kansas. A segment of the highway in McPherson County overlaps Interstate 135, and a section in Topeka runs concurrent with Interstate 70.-Western Kansas:K-4...

. It keeps heading towards Abilene

Abilene, Kansas

Abilene is a city in and the county seat of Dickinson County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 6,844.-History:...

, where it crosses I-70, and continues north to K-18

K-18 (Kansas highway)

K-18 is a primarily east–west state highway running between US-24 and I-70 in north central Kansas.-Route description:K-18 begins near the town of Bogue in Graham County as it branches off to the south from US-24...

.

K-15 overlaps K-18 another 4 miles (6.4 km) before returning north and crossing US-24 at Clay Center

Clay Center, Kansas

Clay Center is a city in and the county seat of Clay County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 4,334.-Geography:Clay Center is located at...

. K-9

K-9 (Kansas highway)

K-9 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Kansas. The highway goes east–west through Kansas. It has its western terminus south of Dresden at an intersection with K-123 and an eastern terminus at its junction with U.S. Route 73 near Lancaster....

 joins K-15 for 12 miles (19.3 km), then departs. K-15 overlaps US-36 for 6 miles (9.7 km) before returning north to end the Nebraska border, becoming N-15

Nebraska Highway 15

Nebraska Highway 15 is a highway in Nebraska. It has a southern terminus at the Kansas border south of Fairbury and a northern terminus northeast of Maskell at the South Dakota border.-Route description:...

.

History

K-15 once split into two routes near Washington

Washington, Kansas

Washington is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 1,131.-Geography:Washington is...

. The K-15W fork is the present-day routing of K-15, while K-15E was redesignated as part of K-148

K-148 (Kansas highway)

- Route description :The route begins at K-28 north of Randall and east of Jewell and heads east through the unincorporated towns of Kackley and Norway. After crossing US-81, K-148 goes through the unincorporated town of Wayne and the incorporated town of Agenda. At the intersection of K-15 and...

. K-15 was the only state route in Kansas to fork in this manner.