Highway 169 is an unassuming stretch of road that runs between Tulsa and Kansas City. In its rural state, it’s a pleasant drive - mostly two-lane, bordered by wildflowers and stretches of farmland and untouched prairie. Fields of Missouri primrose, coneflower, Black-Eyed Susan and yarrow flank the road; Scissor-Tailed flycatchers ride the currents and Meadowlarks sing from the telephone wires. The sky is big along 169 - storms threaten and fade faster than a man driven mad by war changes loyalties. This is the way it is.

Now and then, however, Highway 169 shows glimpses of being something more - it widens to four lanes, for no apparent reason; it offers up well-groomed rest stops and small towns poised for growth. One wonders what greatness this insignificant alternate route might acheive if, instead of 169, it were I-69. But something far more insidious than an obscure name prevents Highway 169 from reaching its full potential. (more…)