Montgomery County U.S. 169 Survey Begins: What Independence Readers Should Know

The Kansas Department of Transportation has begun surveying a 15-mile section of U.S. 169 in Montgomery County, placing a potential highway-improvement study on a route connected to Independence-area travel.

KDOT announced the survey on July 23, 2026, and field work began July 27. The work is expected to continue through early November as crews collect information that could be used to evaluate possible passing lanes and intersection improvements.

Where the study is taking place

The study corridor does not run through Independence itself. KDOT says it begins about 6.5 miles north of the U.S. 169/U.S. 166 interchange near Coffeyville and extends 15.1 miles north to the U.S. 169/U.S. 400 interchange.

The corridor is elsewhere in Montgomery County, but the route connects with the county highway network serving Independence and other communities. The City of Independence identifies itself as being in Montgomery County, and KDOT’s county transportation map shows Independence, Coffeyville, U.S. 169, U.S. 166 and U.S. 400 within the same county transportation system.

What the survey could inform

The current work is intended to gather survey and design information. That information could help KDOT evaluate future options for passing lanes and intersection improvements along the corridor.

For people who travel through the county, possible improvements could eventually relate to roadway safety, travel reliability or commercial traffic movement. Those outcomes are not guaranteed, however. The survey is an information-gathering step, not a completed road project.

What has not been approved

KDOT’s announcement does not establish that construction has been approved or that funding has been secured. It also does not provide a final design, construction start date or completion schedule for possible passing lanes or intersection work.

That distinction matters for Independence residents watching for transportation changes. Survey crews may be visible along the study corridor through early November, but the field work does not mean that a specific improvement will be built or that construction is scheduled to begin.

What to watch next

The next meaningful steps would be completion of the survey, development or review of possible improvements, and any later KDOT decisions about design, funding and construction. Future public notices or project approvals would provide more concrete information about whether the study leads to actual work on U.S. 169.

Sources

• Kansas Department of Transportation survey announcement
• City of Independence official community description