U.S. Route 159

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U.S. Route 159

US 159 highlighted in red
Route information
Auxiliary route of US 59
Maintained by KDOT, NDOT, MoDOT and the city of Horton
Length83.584 mi[a] (134.515 km)
Existed1935–present
Major junctions
South end
US-59 / K-4 Alt. in Nortonville, KS
Major intersections
North end US 59 in New Point, MO
Location
CountryUnited States
StatesKansas, Nebraska, Missouri
CountiesKS: Jefferson, Atchison, Brown
NE: Richardson
MO: Holt
Highway system

U.S. Highway 159 (US 159) is a 83.6-mile-long (134.5 km) auxiliary route of US 59. It travels from Nortonville, Kansas at US 59 to New Point, Missouri, also at US 59. The highway permits through traffic on US 59 to bypass the cities of Atchison, Kansas and Saint Joseph, Missouri, traveling instead through Falls City, Nebraska and Hiawatha, Kansas (assuming the bridge over the Missouri River is open).

Route description

Lengths
  mi km
KS 52.3 84.2
NE 13.86 22.31
MO 17.424 28.041
Total 83.584 134.515

Kansas

The southwestern end of U.S. Route 159 is in Nortonville, Kansas. It joins with U.S. Route 73 in Horton, Kansas. The two highways overlap and passing through Hiawatha, Kansas and Reserve, Kansas, stretching to the Nebraska border. The highway provides an important connection between Falls City, Nebraska and Hiawatha, Kansas, providing Nebraska residents with an alternative connection to St. Joseph, Missouri when there is a problem with the Rulo bridge.

The former Rulo Bridge (US 159) from the Missouri side with the Burlington Northern bridge to the right (north)

Nebraska

U.S. Route 159 enters Nebraska through its southern border in Richardson County. It enters south of Falls City, Nebraska concurrently with U.S. Route 73. After coming up through the south end of Falls City, the U.S. Route 159 turns east (with Route 73 continuing north). After the eastbound turn, U.S. Route leaves the state at the Missouri River bridge in Rulo, Nebraska.

Missouri

U.S. Route 159 enters the state of Missouri crossing the Missouri River near the Rulo bridge south of Big Lake, Missouri. It crosses Interstate 29 near Fortescue, Missouri before ending at US-59 near New Point. Its total length in Missouri is approximately 16 miles (26 km).

History

When the route was commissioned in 1934, U.S. Route 159 only went between Nortonville, Kansas and Horton, Kansas. In 1945, it was extended north to Craig, Missouri via Falls City, Nebraska. After 1975, the route in Missouri was altered to go east from the Fortescue area to what is now its current terminus near New Point, Missouri. The old route which went to Craig is now Route 111.[1]

In 2013, a new bridge over the Missouri River, located about 650 feet south of the old Rulo Bridge, opened to traffic.[2] In April 2019, a large portion of this route was closed for several months because of flooding of the Missouri River.[3] The bridge and the road between Rulo, Nebraska and Missouri Route 111 was reopened in September 2019,[3][4] and the remainder of the route to Interstate 29 was reopened in late October.[5]

Major intersections

StateCountyLocationmi
[6][7][8]
kmDestinationsNotes
KansasJeffersonNortonville0.00.0

K-4 Alt. begins / US-59 – Atchison, Topeka
South end of K-4 Alt. overlap
0.50.80

K-4 Alt. west (Osage Street)
North end of K-4 Alt. overlap
AtchisonCenter Township3.65.8
K-116 east – Atchison
South end of K-116 overlap
CenterBenton
township line
4.36.9
K-116 west – Holton
North end of K-116 overlap
8.714.0
K-9 east
South end of K-9 overlap
Grasshopper Township22.736.5
K-9 west
North end of K-9 overlap
BrownHorton28.345.5

US-73 south / K-20 east (15th Street)
South end of US-73/K-20 overlap
28.445.7
K-20 west (15th Street)
North end of K-20 overlap
Hiawatha40.364.9 US-36 – Seneca, TroyInterchange
 52.3
0.00
84.2
0.00
Kansas–Nebraska state line
NebraskaRichardsonFalls City4.116.61
US 73 north (Harlan Street)
North end of US 73 overlap
Missouri River13.86
17.424
22.31
28.041
Nebraska–Missouri state line
MissouriHoltBig Lake13.24821.321
Route 111 north (Lake Shore Drive)
South end of Route 111 overlap
Minton Township7.77112.506
Route 111 south
North end of Route 111 overlap
Benton Township3.242–
3.223
5.217–
5.187
I-29 – St. Joseph, Council BluffsExit 79 along I-29
Hickory Township0.0000.000 US 59 – Mound City, Oregon
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Total mileage is the sum of each state's length

References

  1. ^ Sanderson, Dale End of US highway 159.
  2. ^ Laukaitis, Algis J. (January 19, 2014). "Span of historic Rulo bridge destroyed". Lincoln Journal Star. Lee Enterprises. Retrieved October 1, 2016.
  3. ^ a b McKim, Nikki (2019-09-11). "Rulo Bridge now open, but 159 in MO still closed". Falls City Journal. Retrieved 2022-02-21.
  4. ^ "NOW OPEN: U.S. Route 159 access to Rulo, Nebraska restored | Missouri Department of Transportation". www.modot.org. September 6, 2019. Retrieved 2022-02-22.
  5. ^ "NOW OPEN: U.S. Route 159 access to Rulo, Nebraska restored again | Missouri Department of Transportation". www.modot.org. October 31, 2019. Retrieved 2022-02-22.
  6. ^ "County Maps". Kansas Department of Transportation. Retrieved July 13, 2012.
  7. ^ "Nebraska Highway Reference Log Book" (PDF). Nebraska Department of Roads. 2015. p. 281. Retrieved January 8, 2017.
  8. ^ Missouri Department of Transportation (July 13, 2012). MoDOT HPMAPS (Map). Missouri Department of Transportation. Retrieved July 13, 2012.

External links

Browse numbered routes
K-158KS US-160
US 138NE I-180
Route 158MO US 160