U.S. Route 159
{{short description|Highway in the United States}}
{{Use American English|date=April 2025}}
{{Infobox road
|country=USA
|type=US
|route=159
|map={{maplink-road|from=U.S. Route 159.map}}
|map_custom=yes
|map_notes=US 159 highlighted in red
|maint=KDOT, NDOT, MoDOT and the city of Horton
|length_mi=83.584
|length_ref=Total mileage is the sum of each state's length
|established=1935{{citation needed|date=February 2018}}
|direction_a=South
|direction_b=North
|terminus_a={{Jct|state=KS|US|59|KS-Alt|4}} in Nortonville, KS
|junction={{plainlist|
- {{Jct|state=KS|US|73}} in Horton, KS
- {{Jct|state=KS|US|36}} in Hiawatha, KS
- {{Jct|state=NE|US|73}} in Falls City, NE
- {{Jct|state=MO|I|29}} near Fortescue, MO
}}
|terminus_b={{Jct|state=MO|US|59}} in New Point, MO
|states=Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri
|counties=KS: Jefferson, Atchison, Brown
NE: Richardson
MO: Holt
|spur_type=US
|spur_of=59
}}
U.S. Highway 159 (US 159) is a {{convert|83.6|mi|km|adj=mid|-long}} 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
=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.
Image:Rulo-bridge.jpg (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 {{convert|16|mi|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.Sanderson, Dale [http://usends.com/50-59/159/159.html End of US highway 159].
In 2013, a new bridge over the Missouri River, located about 650 feet south of the old Rulo Bridge, opened to traffic.{{cite news|last1=Laukaitis|first1=Algis J.|title=Span of historic Rulo bridge destroyed|url=http://journalstar.com/news/state-and-regional/nebraska/span-of-historic-rulo-bridge-destroyed/article_edf0319a-d34a-56b7-a627-cd7918c24821.html|access-date=October 1, 2016|work=Lincoln Journal Star|date=January 19, 2014|publisher=Lee Enterprises}} In April 2019, a large portion of this route was closed for several months because of flooding of the Missouri River.{{Cite web|last=McKim|first=Nikki|date=2019-09-11|title=Rulo Bridge now open, but 159 in MO still closed|url=https://fcjournal.net/2019/09/11/rulo-bridge-now-open-but-159-in-mo-still-closed/|access-date=2022-02-21|website=Falls City Journal|language=en-US}} The bridge and the road between Rulo, Nebraska and Missouri Route 111 was reopened in September 2019,{{Cite web|date=September 6, 2019|title=NOW OPEN: U.S. Route 159 access to Rulo, Nebraska restored {{!}} Missouri Department of Transportation|url=https://www.modot.org/node/16649|access-date=2022-02-22|website=www.modot.org}} and the remainder of the route to Interstate 29 was reopened in late October.{{Cite web|date=October 31, 2019|title=NOW OPEN: U.S. Route 159 access to Rulo, Nebraska restored again {{!}} Missouri Department of Transportation|url=https://www.modot.org/node/17167|access-date=2022-02-22|website=www.modot.org}}
Major intersections
{{Jcttop|state_col=state|length_ref=
{{cite web|url=http://www.ksdot.org/burtransplan/maps/Mapscounties.asp|title=County Maps|publisher=Kansas Department of Transportation|access-date=July 13, 2012}}{{cite web|title=Nebraska Highway Reference Log Book|url=http://www.roads.nebraska.gov/media/6920/logbook.pdf|publisher=Nebraska Department of Roads|access-date=January 8, 2017|page=281|date=2015|archive-date=January 2, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170102171736/http://www.roads.nebraska.gov/media/6920/logbook.pdf|url-status=dead}}{{MoDOT Flex|access-date=July 13, 2012}}}}
{{KSint
|sspan=9
|county=Jefferson
|cspan=2
|location=Nortonville
|lspan=2
|type=concur
|mile=0.0
|road={{Jct|state=KS|KS-Alt|4|US|59|dir1=begins|city1=Atchison|city2=Topeka}}
|notes=South end of K-4 Alt. overlap
}}
{{KSint
|type=concur
|mile=0.5
|road={{Jct|state=KS|KS-Alt|4|dir1=west|name1=Osage Street}}
|notes=North end of K-4 Alt. overlap
}}
{{KSint
|county=Atchison
|cspan=4
|township=Center
|ctdab=Atchison
|type=concur
|mile=3.6
|road={{Jct|state=KS|K|116|dir1=east|city1=Atchison}}
|notes=South end of K-116 overlap
}}
{{KSint
|township1=Center
|township2=Benton
|ctdab=Atchison
|lspan=2
|type=concur
|mile=4.3
|road={{Jct|state=KS|K|116|dir1=west|city1=Holton}}
|notes=North end of K-116 overlap
}}
{{KSint
|type=concur
|mile=8.7
|road={{Jct|state=KS|K|9|dir1=east}}
|notes=South end of K-9 overlap
}}
{{KSint
|township=Grasshopper
|ctdab=Atchison
|type=concur
|mile=22.7
|road={{Jct|state=KS|K|9|dir1=west}}
|notes=North end of K-9 overlap
}}
{{KSint
|county=Brown
|cspan=3
|location=Horton
|lspan=2
|type=concur
|mile=28.3
|road={{Jct|state=KS|US|73|dir1=south|K|20|dir2=east|name2=15th Street}}
|notes=South end of US-73/K-20 overlap
}}
{{KSint
|type=concur
|mile=28.4
|road={{Jct|state=KS|K|20|dir1=west|name1=15th Street}}
|notes=North end of K-20 overlap
}}
{{KSint
|location=Hiawatha
|mile=40.3
|road={{Jct|state=KS|US|36|city1=Seneca|city2=Troy}}
|notes=Interchange}}
{{Jctplace
|river=
|river_wide=yes
|mile=52.3
|mile2=0.00
|line=yes
|place=Kansas–Nebraska state line
}}
{{NEint
|sspan=1
|county=Richardson
|location=Falls City
|type=concur
|mile=4.11
|road={{Jct|state=NE|US|73|dir1=north|name1=Harlan Street}}
|notes=North end of US 73 overlap
}}
{{Jctplace
|river=Missouri River
|river_wide=yes
|mile=13.86
|mile2=17.424
|line=yes
|place=Nebraska–Missouri state line
}}
{{MOint
|sspan=4
|county=Holt
|cspan=4
|location=Big Lake
|type=concur
|mile=13.248
|road={{Jct|state=MO|MO|111|dir1=north|name1=Lake Shore Drive}}
|notes=South end of Route 111 overlap
}}
{{MOint
|location=Minton Township
|ctdab=Holt
|type=concur
|mile=7.771
|road={{Jct|state=MO|MO|111|dir1=south}}
|notes=North end of Route 111 overlap
}}
{{MOint
|location=Benton Township
|ctdab=Holt
|mile=3.242
|mile2=3.223
|road={{Jct|state=MO|I|29|city1=St. Joseph|location2=Council Bluffs}}
|notes=Exit 79 along I-29
}}
{{MOint
|location=Hickory Township
|ctdab=Holt
|mile=0.000
|road={{Jct|state=MO|US|59|city1=Mound City|city2=Oregon}}
}}
{{Jctbtm|exit|keys=concur}}
See also
Notes
{{reflist|group=lower-alpha}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{AttachedKML|display=title,inline}}
- [http://usends.com/159.html Endpoints of U.S. Highway 159]
{{start srbox}}
{{ks browse|previous_type=KS|previous_route=158|route=KS|next_type=US|next_route=160}}
{{ne browse|previous_type=US|previous_route=138|route=NE|next_type=I|next_route=180}}
{{mo browse|previous_type=MO|previous_route=158|route=MO|next_type=US|next_route=160}}
{{s-end}}
{{US 59}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:59-1}}
Category:United States Numbered Highway System
Category:U.S. Highways in Kansas
Category:U.S. Highways in Nebraska