End of US highway 159

Note: since I don't have access to a comprehensive collection of historical road atlases, much of the info on this page is based on the research of Robert Droz; click here to view his site. More research: Jeff Morrison. Photo credits: Richie Kennedy; Ben Prusia; me

US 159 was first commissioned in 1934. At the time its northern terminus was at US 73 in Horton KS. The photo below is looking west on 15th Street (northbound US 73 and westbound KS hwy. 20):

me, Oct. 2002

Originally the north beginning of US 159 was to the left on 1st Avenue East. The assembly visible behind the K-20 sign is shown below:

me, Oct. 2002

That's the modern perspective of a traveller at the historic north end of US 159 (incidentally, that intersection also marked the north end of a now-decommissioned split in US 73; you can read more about it on that page). In 1945, the US 159 designation was extended north with US 73, which as you can see is still the situation today.

Then (as now) US 159 was co-signed with US 73 for about 32 miles: north through Hiawatha KS to Falls City NE. There the route heads east, crosses the Missouri River, and enters the state of the same name. But just shy of Fortescue, US 159 originally went north on what is now MO hwy. 111. Its terminus was at US 59 in Craig. Below we're looking north at the historic north end of US 159:

me, Oct. 2002

The green sign in the middleground is at US 59 (it runs east-west at this point; northbound is to the left). I-29 is in the distance, at the foot of the bluffs in the background. Mainline MO 111 splits off to the left about a half-mile behind the camera; the segment that continues due north from there is designated "Spur 111".

The photo below is on southbound US 59:

me, Oct. 2002

To the right was an historic north beginning of US 159.

In about 1975 the north end of US 159 was changed to its present configuration: now it continues eastward past Fortescue, meets I-29 at interchange 79, and ends at US 59 about 3 miles east of there. In other words, US 159 ends about 9 miles southeast of Mound City MO. When I was there in October 2002, the 159 shield was missing from its post, but by a couple months later it had been replaced:

Prusia, Jan. 2003

That's looking east at the north end of US 159; US 59 runs across the photo. Down at the intersection itself, one sees the sign below:

Kennedy, 1999

That's across the road from the stop sign at US 59. Heading south on US 59 between Oregon and Mound City, the photo below shows the signage one sees at the north beginning of US 159:

me, Oct. 2002

The interchange with I-29 is about 3 miles to the west (right). If you turn that way, you'll see the first sign for southbound US 159, shown below:

me, Oct. 2002

The south end of US 159 has always been at its junction with US 59 in Nortonville KS. From Lawrence, US 59 heads north through Oskaloosa to Nortonville. Originally, traffic was directed straight into town on Osage Street, and then east on Walnut Street toward Atchison (in other words, it followed the route of today's "Alternate K-4", which is basically a business loop off the bypass). US 159 began at that intersection, continuing north on Osage, toward Horton. The photo below shows that spot:

me, Oct. 2002

That's looking north on Osage. Northbound US 59 used to turn right here, and the south beginning of US 159 was straight ahead. The driver of the red car would see the signage shown below:

me, Oct. 2002

That's looking west on Walnut. Southbound US 59 went left on Osage (that sign should say ALT K-4), and US 159 began to the right.

Later however, US 59 was shifted a mile to the east of Osage, and at Nortonville it was routed onto a new highway that skirts the east edge of town. So now, the US 159 designation has been extended about a half-mile further east: along Walnut to its intersection with the new US 59. The photo below shows the place:

me, Oct. 2002

That's looking east at the spot where Walnut ends at US 59. The town of Nortonville is about a half-mile behind the camera. The perspective below is northbound on US 59, at the south beginning of US 159.

me, Oct. 2002