U.S. Route 59 in Kansas
Route information | ||||
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Maintained by KDOT and the cities of Parsons, Lawrence and Atchison | ||||
Length | 210.440 mi[1] (338.670 km) | |||
Major junctions | ||||
South end | US 59 / SH-2 near Chetopa | |||
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North end | US 59 at Atchison | |||
Location | ||||
Country | United States | |||
State | Kansas | |||
Counties | Labette, Neosho, Allen, Anderson, Franklin, Douglas, Jefferson, Atchison | |||
Highway system | ||||
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U.S. Route 59 (US-59) is a part of the
Route description
US-59 is a 210-mile-long (340 km) highway which runs from south to north in eastern Kansas. It enters the state from
Almost the entire length of US-59 in Kansas is maintained by the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT). The 4.469 miles (7.192 km) section within Parsons is maintained by the city.[4] The section within Lawrence is maintained by the city.[5] The 2.613 miles (4.205 km) section of US-59 within Atchison is maintained by the city.[6] KDOT surveys the roads under its control on a regular basis to measure the amount of traffic using the state's highways. These traffic counts are expressed in terms of annual average daily traffic (AADT), a calculation of the average daily number of vehicles on a segment of roadway. For the 2012 survey, the stretch of road with the highest AADT was 8,249 vehicles per day south of the Lawrence city limits. The lowest was 380 vehicles per day at the Neosho–Allen county line. The statistic was not measured within large cities.[1]
Southeastern Kansas
US-59 enters Kansas south of Chetopa along a two-lane highway. As it enters the town, it becomes known as 3rd Street. It intersects
Eastern Kansas
After its intersection with US-54, US-59 continues north toward Mildred. In and around Mildred, the highway curves to once again parallel the UP railroad.[7] The route enters Anderson County just north of Mildred and curves to the north. North of here, the route turns west and begins a concurrency with K-31. The highways continue west then bend to the north to bypass the city of Lone Elm. After trekking north, the routes warp to the west and intersect US-169. The three routes run concurrent until just south of Garnett, where US-169 splits off to the northeast at a roundabout. US-169 has a business route that begins at this roundabout and follows US-59 and K-31 north until 6th Street. Here, Bus. US-169 splits off to the east, while US-59 and K-31 continue north. The concurrency with K-31 ends in northern Garnett, as K-31 forks to the west at Park Street and US-59 continues north and leaves the city.[8]
North of Garnett, US-59 bypasses a few small lakes by curving slightly to the west, then continues north and enters
Northeastern Kansas
Ottawa to Lawrence
After leaving I-35/US-50, US-59 heads north as a controlled-access freeway. Previously, US-59 had run through Ottawa to Lawrence as a two-lane road. Due to high accident rates, this stretch of US-59 was converted into a divided highway, with the project reaching completion in 2012. The old road was turned over to Franklin and Douglas counties, with the Douglas County portion being re-designated as
The US-59 freeway passes through rural Franklin County and crosses into Douglas County. Three miles north of the county line, it has an interchange with
In Lawrence, US-59 runs along Iowa Street, home to many retail shopping centers and fast-food restaurants. North of 23rd Street/Clinton Parkway, US-59 runs along the western edge of the
US-40/US-59 runs east along 6th Street until approaching Downtown Lawrence. At this point, the highway turns north and crosses the Kansas River into the district of North Lawrence, where the road forms parts of North 2nd Street and North 3rd Street. US-40/US-59 has an interchange with the Kansas Turnpike, signed as Interstate 70, at the Turnpike's East Lawrence plaza. After this, US-40/US-59 exits the Lawrence city limits.
Lawrence to Atchison
After leaving Lawrence, US-40/US-59 meets US-24 at an intersection known locally as "Teepee Junction". US-40 joins with US-24 EB en route to Tonganoxie, while US-59 joins with US-24 WB en route to Oskaloosa and Topeka. US-24/US-59 runs northwest parallel to the Union Pacific Railroad as it crosses the Douglas/Jefferson county line. Then the road turns sharply north and then due west, passing a local cemetery, before approaching the unincorporated community of Williamstown. At this point, the two highways split off, with US-24 continuing west toward Perry and Topeka, while US-59 heads north toward Oskaloosa. Previously, this intersection also included K-76, a very short route which ran into Williamstown itself. K-76 was decommissioned in 2013, and all signage and reference to it has been removed.
From Williamstown, US-59 continues north as a two lane highway. This stretch of US-59 is part of "The Iron Men Of Metz Highway", a designation running from Topeka to Leavenworth and including the segment of US-59 between Williamstown and its junction with
Major intersections
All exits are unnumbered.
County | Location | mi[1] | km | Destinations | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labette | Richland Township | 0.000 | 0.000 | US 59 south – Vinita | Continuation into Oklahoma |
US-166 east (Maple Street) | Southern end of US-166 concurrency | ||||
4.073 | 6.555 | US-166 west | Northern end of US-166 concurrency | ||
Oswego | 12.193 | 19.623 | US-160 east (6th Street) | Southern end of US-160 concurrency | |
Mount Pleasant township line | 22.051 | 35.488 | US-160 west | Northern end of US-160 concurrency | |
Diamond interchange | |||||
Neosho | Centerville Township | 44.658 | 71.870 | K-47 east | Southern end of K-47 concurrency |
45.580 | 73.354 | K-47 west | Northern end of K-47 concurrency | ||
Erie Township | 50.842 | 81.822 | K-146 east | Western terminus of K-146 | |
Big Creek Township | 56.351 | 90.688 | K-39 west | Southern end of K-39 concurrency | |
K-201 east | Western terminus of K-201 | ||||
63.536 | 102.251 | K-39 east | Northern end of K-39 concurrency | ||
Allen | Moran | 77.678 | 125.011 | US-54 | |
Anderson | Rich Township | 88.778 | 142.874 | K-31 east | Southern end of K-31 concurrency |
Welda–Washington township line | 100.915 | 162.407 | US-169 south | Southern end of US-169 concurrency | |
Washington Township | 105.133 | 169.195 | US-169 north / US 169 Bus. begins | Roundabout; northern end of US-169 concurrency; southern end of US-169 Bus. concurrency | |
US 169 Bus. (6th Avenue) | Northern end of US-169 Bus. concurrency | ||||
107.205 | 172.530 | K-31 west | Northern end of K-31 concurrency | ||
Franklin | Ottawa | 127.449 | 205.109 | I-35 south / US-50 west | Southern end of I-35 / US-50 concurrency; south end of freeway; diamond interchange; I-35 exit 183 |
Harrison Township | 15th Street | Diamond interchange; I-35 exit 185 | |||
Ottawa | K-68 – Ottawa, Louisburg | Diamond interchange; I-35 exit 187 | |||
Ottawa Township | 133.025 | 214.083 | I-35 north / US-50 east | Northern end of I-35 / US-50 concurrency; I-35 exit 188; trumpet interchange | |
Montana Road | |||||
Hayes Township | Eisenhower Terrace (Old US 59) | Northbound entrance and southbound exit only | |||
Stafford Road | |||||
US-56 – Olathe, Council Grove | Supplemental signage indicates that US-56 also serves Baldwin City and Burlingame; diamond interchange | ||||
147.369 | 237.167 | CR 460 (N. 650 Road) | |||
Wakarusa Township | 151.033 | 243.064 | CR 458 east (N. 1000 Road) | Southern end of CR-458 concurrency; north end of freeway | |
152.702 | 245.750 | CR 458 west (N. 1200 Road) | Northern end of CR-458 concurrency | ||
K-10 (South Lawrence Trafficway) – Lecompton, Olathe | Formerly to westbound K-10 only; eastern portion of S. Lawrence Trafficway opened November 8, 2016 | ||||
Lawrence | 157.130 | 252.876 | US-40 west (W. 6th Street) – Topeka To I-70 / Kansas Turnpike / McDonald Drive north | Interchange with McDonald Dr., at-grade intersection with US-40; southern end of US-40 concurrency | |
158.449 | 254.999 | U.S. 40 and 59 Bridges over the Kansas River | |||
159.738 | 257.073 | I-70 / Kansas Turnpike | I-70 exit 204 | ||
Grant Township | 160.368 | 258.087 | US-24 east / US-40 east (N. 1800 Road) | Northern end of US-40 concurrency; southern end of US-24 concurrency | |
Jefferson | Williamstown | 168.719 | 271.527 | US-24 | Northern end of US-24 concurrency |
Oskaloosa Township | 178.850 | 287.831 | K-16 east / K-92 east | Southern end of K-16 / K-92 concurrency | |
Oskaloosa | 179.810 | 289.376 | K-92 west (Jefferson Street) | Northern end of K-92 concurrency | |
Jefferson Township | 187.916 | 302.421 | K-16 west / K-192 east | Northern end of K-16 concurrency | |
Nortonville | 193.589 | 311.551 | K-4 west | Eastern terminus of K-4 | |
193.888 | 312.032 | K-4 Alt. west – Nortonville, Hiawatha | Southern terminus of US-159; eastern terminus of K-4 Alt. | ||
Atchison | Center Township | 198.928 | 320.144 | K-116 west – Holton | Eastern terminus of K-116 |
Southern end of US-73 concurrency; to K-7 north only signed northbound | |||||
Northern end of US-73 concurrency | |||||
Amelia Earhart Bridge ; Kansas–Missouri state line | |||||
US 59 north – St. Joseph | Continuation into Missouri | ||||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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References
- ^ a b c "Pavement Management Information System". Kansas Department of Transportation. Retrieved January 5, 2013.
- ^ GeoKansas (May 2, 2005). "Osage Cuestas". University of Kansas. Retrieved January 8, 2013.
- ^ GeoKansas (April 29, 2005). "Glaciated Region". University of Kansas. Retrieved January 8, 2013.
- ^ Kansas Department of Transportation (May 8, 2009). "Resolution Designating City Connecting Links in State Highway System". Topeka: Kansas Department of Transportation. Retrieved September 12, 2020.
- ^ Kansas Department of Transportation (February 2, 2007). "Resolution Designating City Connecting Links in State Highway System". Topeka: Kansas Department of Transportation. Retrieved September 12, 2020.
- ^ Kansas Department of Transportation (December 11, 2009). "Resolution Designating City Connecting Links in State Highway System". Topeka: Kansas Department of Transportation. Retrieved September 12, 2020.
- ^ a b Kansas Department of Transportation (December 28, 2010). Kansas Railroad Map 2011 (PDF) (Map). Topeka: Kansas Department of Transportation. Retrieved January 8, 2013.
- ^ a b c Google (January 8, 2013). "U.S. Route 59 in Kansas" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved January 8, 2013.