Welcome to route56.com

Welcome to my anchor point on the web. For over 20 years, I have shared various subjects regarding highway, railways, local radio, and more.

I chose the name “route56” in honor of the green and white variant of the US Highway shield that the Kansas Department of Transportation and its predecessor agency used specifically to mark US 56 from the designation of US 56 in 1956 until KDOT elected to adopt the standard black-and-white design in the mid-1980s

Click on the links above to access the pages devoted to the history of local radio and Kansas Highways, along with other creative outlets.

You can also find me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter/X, and Flickr.

Latest Blog Posts

  • Civil Servant’s Disclaimer

    There are a couple of political issues that are currently on my radar. Before I can comment on them, I am obligated to make a disclaimer related to my day job. I am presently employed by the State of Kansas in the Office of Information Technology Services. The opinions articulated on this website are solely…


  • KDOT Lettings: April 2025

    There are 21 projects up for bids on April 16. Federal-Aid KDOT April 2025 70-99 KA 7607-01: Bridge repair on the westbound I-70 bridge over Pretty Creek west of McFarland.  70-27 KA-7551-01/70-53 KA-7552-01: Concrete patching on I-70 in Ellsworth and Lincoln Counties. 70-31 KA-6483-01: Replace the J Hill Road bridge over I-70  61-59 KA-7612-01: Bridge…


  • KDOT Lettings: March 2025

    Federal-Aid: 46 TE 0512-01: New shared-use path along the east side of Sunflower Road from 103rd north to 91st Street in Desoto. 75-70 KA 6756-01: Rehabilitate the bridges over K-276/BNSF Emporia Subdivision Main 1 and the Marais Des Cynges River near Olivet. US 75 to be closed at K-276, detour via K-31 and I-35. Marais…


  • KDOT Lettings: February 2025

    Awarded bids announced on March 4 are highlighted in red. Federal-Aid: 24-23 KA 6793-01: Replace the traffic signal at Teepee Junction in North Lawrence (between US 24, US 40, and US 59). J Warren Company Inc., Topeka, $559,133.77. 52 N 0772-01: Full reconstruction of 158th Street from Garden Parkway to Parallel, and on Parallel from…


  • KDOT Lettings: January 2025

    Awarded bids announced on February 3 are highlighted in red. Awarded bids announced on March 4 are highlighted in blue. Federal-Aid 59-3 KA 5769-01: Replace two culverts on US 59 in Atchison County. One of the culverts takes US 59 over 262nd Road. Ebert Construction Co. Inc. & Subsidiary, Wamego, $6,961,699.49. 43 C 5292-01: Repace…


  • KDOT Lettings: December 2024

    The December lettings focus on various maintenance projects, including road overlays, sidewalk improvements, and bridge repairs. Notable projects include PCCP patching on I-35, asphalt overlays on multiple routes, and specific improvements in Emporia and Junction City.


  • KDOT Lettings: November 2024

    In the November KDOT lettings, we have the replacement of the 18th Street Expressway bridge in KCK.


  • KDOT Lettings: October 2024

    The list of projects scheduled to be bid at the October 2024 lettings of the Kansas Department of Transportation include the highly anticipated reconstruction of the Polk-Qunicy Viaduct and a pair of new roundabouts north of Manhattan.


  • KDOT Lettings: September 2024

    Here is a list of projects scheduled to be bid at the September 2024 lettings of the Kansas Department of Transportation.


  • KDOT Lettings: August 2024

    Here are the projects up for letting in Auguust from the Kansas Department of Transportation.


  • Primary Endorsements

    Primary Endorsements

    Before I begin, I need to re-iterate my Civil Servant’s Disclaimer: The views expressed on this blog are my own, not those of my employer. Those who know me well will find it unusual, but for this election cycle, I have ‘crossed the floor’ and registered for the Democrat primary. The GOP has no competitive…