K-10 originally extended west of Lawrence to
Herington, via
Alta Vista,
Alma, and
Topeka. In 1956 the portion between Topeka and
K-99 near Alma was designated as
US-40 in preparation for upgrading this stretch to Interstate standards (for I-70). The segment between Alta Vista and Herington was redesignated as
K-4 and K-10 was truncated eastward to Lawrence. The process of upgrading K-10 to a freeway was begun in 1974. The first section completed was the section from De Soto to the junction with
K-7, opening on November 8, 1976. The freeway was finally completed on December 18, 1984, when the stretch from K-7 to I-435 was completed. The old two-lane roadbed of K-10 was turned over to the counties to use as a secondary route. In Douglas County it became CR 442, although many of the locals, especially in
Eudora, commonly refer to it as Old K-10. The portion of K-10 between the Edgerton Road exit and the
De Soto interchange at former
K-285 (now Lexington Avenue) was used in the movie
The Day After and, for the purposes of the film, was temporarily redesignated
Interstate 70.
South Lawrence Trafficway In the early 1970s traffic studies of K-10 determined a bypass around the west and south sides of Lawrence was necessary, and the Kansas Department of Transportation commenced
due diligence on the bypass project. The bypass on the west side of Lawrence was completed in November 1996. Prior to the opening of the trafficway, K-10 had ended at the junction of US-40 and
US-59 in Lawrence. Completion of the eastern leg of the trafficway was delayed for nearly three decades by lawsuits from environmentalist groups and
Haskell University, as the planned route took the highway through the
Haskell-Baker Wetlands. In October 2012, the deadline for the plaintiffs of the lawsuits to seek a Supreme Court review of the case passed, and a mitigation plan for the wetlands was added to the trafficway plans. Construction began on November 12, 2013, and was anticipated to be completed by Fall 2016 before Thanksgiving. The
ribbon cutting ceremony for the trafficway was held on November 4, 2016, and in attendance were many local and state leaders including Governor
Sam Brownback and Senator
Pat Roberts. The trafficway officially opened to all traffic on November 9, 2016. ==Future==