another residential neighborhood. After passing Pittsburg High School, K-126 exits Pittsburg and crosses East Cow Creek. East of the city, K-126 travels through a hilly, lightly wooded area for about before it bends to the southeast and terminates at the Missouri state line. The road continues eastward into Missouri as Missouri Route 126 toward Golden City. The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) tracks the traffic levels on its highways, and in 2017, they determined that on average the traffic varied from 645 vehicles per day slightly south of McCune to 5360 vehicles per day slightly east of the US-69 Business junction. The second highest was 5190 vehicles per day slightly west of the US-69/US-160 junction. K-126 is not included in the National Highway System. The National Highway System is a system of highways important to the nation's defense, economy, and mobility. K-126 does connect to the National Highway System at its junction with US-69 and US-160. All but of K-126's alignment is maintained by KDOT. The entire section within Pittsburg is maintained by the city. History Early roads Before state highways were numbered in Kansas there were Auto trails, which were an informal network of marked routes that existed in the United States and Canada in the early part of the 20th century. The former Jefferson Highway and Kansas City–Fort Scott–Miami–Tulsa Short Line cross K-148 near the location of the K-7 intersection. The highway crosses the former Ozark Trails in Pittsburg. Establishment and realignments In an October 11, 1940 resolution, the section from Pittsburg east to the Missouri state line was designated as K-104. In a September 17, 1942 meeting, it was approved to realign US-160 from south of McCune directly east to US-69 and then north through Pittsburg along US-69 and to extend K-104 west from Pittsburg along the old US-160. But then in a September 30, 1943 resolution, that plan was cancelled due to restrictions imposed on the State Highway Commission caused by World War II. Also in that resolution US-160 was reinstated north through McCune then east to Pittsburg, K-103 was reinstated from McCune east to K-7 then south along K-7 then east through Weir to US-69, K-104 was established from K-7 along the Cherokee-Crawford county line to US-69 and K-104 from US-69 in Pittsburg east to the Missouri line was designated as K-126. In a December 15, 1953 resolution, K-126 was realigned near the Missouri state