U.S. Route 159

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U.S. Route 159

Length:

85 mi (137 km)

Formed:

1935^[1]

South end:

US-59/ALT K-4 in Nortonville, KS

Major
junctions:

US 73 from Horton, KS to Falls City, NE

US 36 in Hiawatha, KS

I-29 in Fortescue, MO

North end:

US 59 in New Point, MO

United States Numbered Highways
Spur of US 59
List - Bannered - Divided - Replaced

U.S. Highway 159 is a "child" route of U.S. Highway 59. It currently runs for 85 miles (137 km) from Nortonville, Kansas at U.S. Highway 59 to New Point, Missouri at U.S. Highway 59. The highway permits through traffic on U.S. 59 to bypass the cities of Atchison, Kansas and Saint Joseph, Missouri.

1 Route description
2 History
3 Miscellanea
4 See also
5 References

[edit] Route description

[edit] Kansas

US-159 begins at US-59 in Nortonville. It joins with U.S. Route 73 in Horton. The two highways overlap to the Nebraska border, passing through Hiawatha before leaving the state north of Reserve.

U.S. 159 clips the far southeastern corner of Nebraska. It enters south of Falls City concurrently with U.S. Route 73. In Falls City U.S. 159 turns east. It leaves the state via the Rulo Bridge at the Missouri River in Rulo.

[edit] Missouri

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

US 159 enters northwestern Missouri near Big Lake. It crosses Interstate 29 near Fortescue before ending at US 59 near New Point. Its total length in Missouri is approximately 16 miles.

[edit] 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. ^[2]