K-156 is a west–east state highway in the U.S. state of Kansas. K-156's western terminus is at U.S. Route 50 Business (US-50 Bus.) and US-83 Bus. in Garden City and the eastern terminus is at Interstate 70 (I-70) and U.S. Route 40 (US-40) northeast of Ellsworth. Along the way, it intersects several major highways including US-50, US-83 and US-400 in Garden City; US-283 in Jetmore; and US-183 near Rozel, and it overlaps its implied parent, US-56, from Larned to east of Great Bend.
Before state highways were numbered in Kansas, there were auto trails; the section of K-156 from Larned to Great Bend followed the National Old Trails Road and Old Santa Fe Trail. By 1927, the section of K-156 from Garden City to Great Bend was established as US-50N. K-156 was originally US-156, an intrastate U.S. Highway that was formed in 1957, and ran from Garden City to Great Bend. Between 1966 and 1967, US-156 was extended northeast, along K-45, to I-70 northeast of Ellsworth. On April 1, 1981, US-156 was redesignated K-156.
Route description
K-156 begins at US-50 Bus. and US-83 Bus. in Garden City and runs in a generally northeast direction to I-70 and US-40 northeast of Ellsworth. K-156 is signed as east–west its entire length. According to 2018 traffic counts conducted by the Kansas Department of Transportation, on average, traffic varied from 1,080 vehicles per day slightly east of the Finney–Hodgeman county line to 14,500 vehicles per day in Great Bend, slightly west of US-281. The second highest volume of traffic was 11,500 vehicles per day, at the western terminus. The section of K-156 from the western end of the overlap with US-56 to its eastern terminus is included in the National Highway System. K-156 also connects to the National Highway System at its junction with US-50, US-83 and US-400 in Garden City.
All but of K-156's alignment is maintained by KDOT. The first from the western terminus eastward is maintained by Garden City. The entire section of K-156 in Larned and the entire section of K-156 through Great Bend are maintained by the cities.
Finney and Hodgeman counties
The route begins in Garden City, on Kansas Avenue at the junction with US-50 Business and US-83 Business (Main Street). The highway continues over Kansas Avenue then turns northeast at a junction with Campus Drive. K-156 then intersects US-50, US-83 and US-400 via a diamond interchange and then continues to follows Kansas Avenue in a northeast direction out of the city. It then curves east at East 6 Mile Road, then intersects Mennonite Road later. From here, the highway continues east for about through rural farmlands before intersecting K-23, passing by Concannon State Fishing Lake and crossing Pawnee River along the way. Here K-156 begins a overlap with K-23. At the end of the overlap K-23 turns south toward Cimarron, as K-156 continues east. K-156 then passes through Kalvesta, then curves to the northeast as it crosses into Hodgeman County. About into the county, K-156 curves back to the east, then crosses Sand Creek later. Roughly further east the highway curves northeast for about then curves back east. The highway continues another then enters Jetmore. In Jetmore it intersects US-283, also known as Main Street. As it exits the city it travels a short distance then curves to the northeast at Bosse. The roadway then curves more to the northeast and passes to the north of Hanston. As it passes by Hanston, K-156 curves east briefly then back northeast as it begins to parallel a Kansas and Oklahoma Railroad track. About later, the highway passes through Gray. It continues past Gray for another then enters into Pawnee County.