End of US highway 283

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. Photo credits: Tom Grier; Stephen Taylor; me

US 283 was commissioned in 1931 - originally it began at the Kansas/Oklahoma line and went south to Brownwood TX. There, the original road heading north towards Cisco is CR 381. But traffic had been rerouted onto today's US 183 no later than 1940, so I'm not sure whether US 283 was ever routed along CR 381. The shot below is looking northeast on US 67/183:

Taylor, Nov. 2007

That's where US 183 splits off today, but to the left was probably the original south beginning of US 283.

One year after US 283 was commissioned, Kansas extended the route up to its junction with US 50 in Dodge City (this was the same junction where US 154 ended, so you can view photos from there on my US 154 page). KDoT added signage as they improved the route northward: by the mid-1930s, US 283 went up to Kansas hwy. 96 at Ness City:

Grier, May 2007

That's looking north on US 283, approaching its junction with K-96. Visible in the background is the Ness County Courthouse (there's also a pickup, and perhaps not surprisingly, you'll see one in each of the photos below as well). Of course US 283 continues ahead today, but for a brief time during the 1930s it ended here. Below we're looking west on K-96:

Grier, May 2007

US 283 once began to the left. The photo below is looking the opposite direction (east on K-96):

Grier, May 2007

To the right was once the north beginning of US 283. Below we're looking southbound at the junction:

Grier, May 2007

For a time, straight ahead was where US 283 began. The group of signs in the distance is shown close-up below:

Grier, May 2007

Something about that "Kansas US 283" shield doesn't look quite right to me - I wonder if it's "imitation vintage". Anyway, I think those other old signs are cool, too.

US 283 was extended to US 36 at Norton towards the end of that decade. At the time, US 83 also ran through Norton - it was signed along what is now KS hwy. 383 southwest out of town, joining the current US 83 near Selden. So US 283 connected to its parent route at Norton. The following photo is looking south on modern US 283 (State Avenue) at US 36 (Holme Street):

me, Nov. 2001

The north beginning of US 283 was straight ahead. (Incidentally, US 36 also carries K-383 through Norton; presumably it's that shield that used to be posted in the blank spot). Actually, I should point out that this junction is more likely the modern equivalent of the actual 1930 highway junction. I have no proof, but I suspect that US 36 was originally routed along Lincoln Street east of State Av, and Washington Street west of State.

The south end of US 283 was was extended to Junction TX in 1939; you can view photos from there on this page.

Although US 283 was commissioned in 1931, Jesse Whidden informs me that historic state highway maps from Nebraska indicate that the route wasn't actually signposted in that state until around 1941. The route into town used to be directed along Washington Street. The photo below is looking north on Washington:

me, Aug. 2005

There's an old railroad crossing behind the "Road Closed" barrier. Just on the other side of the tracks is US 30 (also known as Pacific Avenue in town); that intersection marked the original north end of US 283. Below is a view from the same direction, but on the north side of the tracks:

me, Aug. 2005

US 30 runs across the foreground of that photo. US 283 ended here; downtown Lexington is straight ahead. Washington crossed the railyards at-grade (just behind the camera), so I'm sure US 283 traffic used to have to stop for trains a lot. I imagine this was the reason a new viaduct was built in Lexington: to carry US 283 traffic over the railyards. The upgraded highway is now known as "Plum Creek Parkway", although just about all of it (except the viaduct itself) is the same old southern extension of Washington Street. Since US 30 runs right alongside the railroad, the viaduct flies over not only the railyards, but also over US 30. On its north side, the viaduct comes into downtown Lexington aligned with Jackson Street:

NDoR

Northbound US 283 traffic is routed east onto 5th Street and then south on Jefferson Street, looping around to a junction with US 30 on its north side. But - perhaps since much traffic is headed further north into Lexington, rather than back south to US 30 - the route is literally plastered with "End" signs. More details - and many more photos from Lexington - are available on this page.

In the early 1950's there were some big route swaps and changes in Texas. As part of this reorganization, US 283 was rerouted to its current alignment, where it ends at its junction with US 87 about 4 miles northwest of Brady. The photo below was taken approaching from Brady, on northbound US 87:

Taylor, Dec. 2000

The south beginning of US 283 is to the right. The sign in the gore is enlarged below...

Taylor, Dec. 2000

...but that assembly appears to have been removed by the time of Stephen's photos from 2005. Heading that direction, the photo below shows the first northbound sign on US 283:

Taylor, Dec. 2005

The shot below shows the south beginning as seen from southbound US 87:

Taylor, Dec. 2000

Brady is about four miles ahead. This last photo shows the perspective from the end of southbound US 283:

Taylor, Dec. 2005

Here the road curves to the southwest, so that it junctions US 87 at a perpendicular angle. The green sign in the distance points left to Brady, and right to San Angelo (about 75 miles away, via northbound US 87). The road at far left is for northbound US 87 traffic turning north onto US 283.