September 21, 2026

The Kansas Department of Transportation will begin the $60 million four-lane expressway project on K-68 on Tuesday, Sept. 22.

The existing two-lane highway will be expanded to four lanes separated by a median to improve safety and traffic flow to accommodate growth in Louisburg and area communities. The 6.6-mile project begins at U.S. 169 and ends near the Spring Valley Road west of Louisburg.

Work initially will address widening the roadway.

Between Tuesday, Sept. 22, and Wednesday, Sept. 30, traffic will be reduced to one lane in stages from New Lancaster Road to Block Road, conditions permitting. The first work zone is from New Lancaster Road to Somerset Road, and the second is from Somerset Road to Block Road.

Flaggers and a pilot vehicle will guide motorists through one-lane traffic in the work zones. Motorists can expect delays of up to 15 minutes.

In addition to expanding this K-68 section to four lanes, other project improvements include:

• Adding twin bridges over North Wea Creek about 3 miles east of U.S. 169. This would replace a two-lane bridge built in 1968.
• Adding turn lanes.
• Adding access roads off of Woodland, Block, Oak Grove, Somerset, Beaver Creek and New Lancaster roads.
• Adding crossroad culverts along the route.

Clarkson Construction Co., of Kansas City, Missouri, has the primary contract for the K-68 expressway. A previous project expanded K-68 to four lanes from near Spring Valley Road into Louisburg.

Construction is expected to take up to two years, and the project is part of KDOT’s 10-year, $10 billion Eisenhower Legacy Transportation Program (IKE).

For more information and project maps, visit the official website here.

KDOT urges motorists to stay alert, follow posted signs and refrain from hand-held mobile device use in all active work zones. For current road conditions, visit kandrive.gov or call 511. For updates on construction projects in southeast Kansas, visit ksdot.gov/projects/southeast-kansas-projects.