U.S. Route 159

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.

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
Length	83.584 mi[a] (134.515 km)
Existed	1935[citation needed]–present
Major junctions
South end	US-59 / K-4 Alt. in Nortonville, KS
Major intersections	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
Counties	KS: Jefferson, Atchison, Brown NE: Richardson MO: Holt
Highway system
United States Numbered Highway System List Special Divided

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

State	County	Location	mi [6][7][8]	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
			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 – Atchison	South end of K-116 overlap
		Center–Benton township line	4.3	6.9	K-116 west – Holton	North end of K-116 overlap
			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
			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			13.86 17.424	22.31 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

See also

• U.S. Route 59
• U.S. Route 259

Notes

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