U.S. Route 159

U.S. Route 159
U.S. Route 159
Route information
	Auxiliary route of US 59
Length	83.6 mi (134.5 km) Kansas: 52.3 mi (84.2 km); Nebraska: 13.87 mi (22.32 km); Missouri: 17.424 mi (28.041 km);
Existed	1935–present
Major junctions
South end	; US-59 / K-4 Alt. in Nortonville, KS
	US-73 in Horton, KS; US-36 in Hiawatha, KS; US 73 in Falls City, NE; I-29 near Fortescue, MO;
North end	US 59 in New Point, MO
Location
Country	United States
States	Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri
Highway system
	United States Numbered Highway System; List; Special; Divided;

U.S. Highway 159 is an auxiliary 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 US 59. The highway permits through traffic on US 59 to bypass the cities of Atchison, Kansas and Saint Joseph, Missouri.

Route description

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.

Nebraska

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

Missouri

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 (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.^[2]

In 2013, a new bridge over the Missouri River, located about 650 feet south of the old Rulo Bridge, opened to traffic.^[3]

Major intersections

State	County	Location	mi ^[4]^[5]^[6]	km	Destinations	Notes
Kansas	Jefferson	Nortonville	0.0	0.0	K-4 Alt. begins / US-59 – Atchison, Topeka	South end of K-4 Alt. overlap
	Jefferson	Nortonville	0.5	0.80	K-4 Alt. west (Osage Street)	North end of K-4 Alt. overlap
	Atchison	Center Township	3.6	5.8	K-116 east	South end of K-116 overlap
		Center–Benton township line	4.3	6.9	K-116 west	North end of K-116 overlap
		Center–Benton township line	8.7	14.0	K-9 east	South end of K-9 overlap
		Grasshopper Township	22.7	36.5	K-9 west	North end of K-9 overlap
	Brown	Horton	28.3	45.5	US-73 south / K-20 east (15th Street)	South end of US-73/K-20 overlap
		Horton	28.4	45.7	K-20 west (15th Street)	North end of K-20 overlap
		Hiawatha	40.3	64.9	US-36 – Seneca, Troy	Interchange
			52.3 0.00	84.2 0.00	Kansas–Nebraska state line
Nebraska	Richardson	Falls City	4.11	6.61	US 73 north (Harlan Street)	North end of US 73 overlap
Missouri River			13.87 17.424	22.32 28.041	Nebraska–Missouri state line
Missouri	Holt	Big Lake	13.248	21.321	Route 111 north (Lake Shore Drive)	South end of Route 111 overlap
		Minton Township	7.771	12.506	Route 111 south	North end of Route 111 overlap
		Benton Township	3.242– 3.223	5.217– 5.187	I-29 – St. Joseph, Council Bluffs	Exit 79 along I-29
		Hickory Township	0.000	0.000	US 59 – Mound City, Oregon
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi Concurrency terminus