By Lillian Zier Martell
The Wichita Eagle
May 30, 2001
Some call it Kellogg.
Others call it U.S. 54.
But you rarely hear it called U.S. 400 — at least not in Wichita.
The Kansas Department of Transportation, however, suggests the highway lose the U.S. 54 title and remain U.S. 400 from east of Augusta through Wichita to west of Goddard. Currently, the road has both names.
Motorists won’t see the road signs change until after a bypass is built around the northwest side of Wichita some 10 years from now, said Terry Heidner, director of planning and development for KDOT.
But the state wants to get the changes on record soon, while it is drawing up plans for the bypass.
“We would like to get it settled now so, for the record, the correct route number is on the plans we work up and we don’t have to change them later,” Heidner said.
Under the state’s plan, the bypass would be named U.S. 54. The highway would swing around the northwest side of Wichita and connect with K-254, a four-lane road that leads to El Dorado. K-254 would be renamed U.S. 54.
In some ways, it just sounds like a big name swap. But it could have implications for Wichita businesses that have identified themselves with U.S. 54, said Jamsheed Mehta, chief transportation planner for the Metropolitan Area Planning Department.
Beyond that, the plan would divert the bigger name highway — U.S. 54 — around Wichita through suburban areas, he said.
U.S. 54 has been around for decades and runs from Illinois to El Paso, Texas.
In contrast, U.S. 400 was named in the 1990s and runs from near Joplin, Mo., across Kansas and barely reaches into Colorado, Mehta said.
“It’s essentially a Kansas highway and doesn’t have any name recognition outside the cities and towns that it goes through,” he said.
Tim Witsman, president of the Wichita Area Chamber of Commerce, said he doesn’t oppose the idea, but he wants to know why it’s needed.
“People know where something is,” he said. “Why are we going to change that? Is there some principle involved? How is it a betterment?”
Witsman said he wants to hear from those who run area attractions and other organizations to see whether they think the change is significant.
Heidner said the state’s plan creates a more direct route for U.S. 54 that would be less confusing for travelers from other areas.
And state officials want to eliminate 52 miles of duplicated signs where U.S. 54 and U.S. 400 overlap. The signs cost $30 to $35 each, Heidner said.
The state wants to know whether the change would pose problems and is asking for public comment, he said. If there is opposition, state officials want to make their case for why the changes are needed.
Dave Pirtle’s 54 Auto and RV Sales has been in business along U.S. 54 west of Augusta for 30 years.
Pirtle said he hasn’t thought about changing the name of his business, but he doesn’t think dropping the U.S. 54 designation for the highway would cause problems.
He already tells out-of-state people that his business is on U.S. 400, he said. When he talks with local people, he uses U.S. 54.
“I don’t feel like the local people will have a problem getting adjusted to calling it 400 highway,” he said.
Community leaders in Andover and Augusta didn’t object to the state’s proposal.
Augusta Mayor Ross Rountree said he thinks the U.S. 400 designation is easier to follow for travelers to the Joplin area. The owner of a Dairy Queen along the highway, he has often given directions to people heading that way.
Wichita Mayor Bob Knight said he doesn’t know how the change would affect Wichita, but city staff is studying the proposal.
“I wasn’t aware it was called U.S. 400,” Knight said. “I always thought it was 54.”
