U.S. Route 54 (US 54) is an east–west United States Highway that runs northeast–southwest for from El Paso, Texas, to Griggsville, Illinois. The Union Pacific Railroad's Tucumcari Line (former

Southern Pacific The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials- SP) was an American Class I railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was operated by various companies under the ...

and

Rock Island Lines The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad (CRI&P RW, sometimes called ''Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway'') was an American Class I railroad. It was also known as the Rock Island Line, or, in its final years, The Rock. At the end ...

"Golden State Route") runs parallel to US 54 from El Paso to Pratt, Kansas, which comprises about two-thirds of the route. The highway's western (and southern) terminus is in the city of El Paso, near the Mexican border and the eastern terminus is at Interstate 72 (I-72) in Griggsville.

Route description

, - , (El Paso) , , - , , , - , (Panhandle) , , - , , , - , , , - , , , - , , , - , Total ,

Texas (El Paso)

US 54 begins in El Paso at

Loop 375 Loop 375 is a beltway that partially encircles the city of El Paso, Texas. The beltway is mostly a freeway, except for its northern section, which includes at-grade intersections. The highway passes through various areas of El Paso, funneling tr ...

downtown. (US 54/Patriot Freeway) The highway serves as a major freeway for the Metro area's network, running north–south along the city's eastern slope of the Franklin Mountains range. The highway runs through the city for approximately before reaching the New Mexico state line. Within the network, it is a military connector for Fort Bliss and Holloman Air Force Base.

New Mexico

US 54 enters New Mexico in

Chaparral Chaparral ( ) is a shrubland plant community and geographical feature found primarily in the U.S. state of California, in southern Oregon, and in the northern portion of the Baja California Peninsula in Mexico. It is shaped by a Mediterranean c ...

as part of the El Paso, Texas Metro area network. It also serves as a military highway to connect Fort Bliss in El Paso to Holloman Air Force Base in

Alamogordo, New Mexico Alamogordo () is the seat of Otero County, New Mexico, United States. A city in the Tularosa Basin of the Chihuahuan Desert, it is bordered on the east by the Sacramento Mountains and to the west by Holloman Air Force Base. The population was ...

(via

U.S. Route 70 U.S. Route 70 or U.S. Highway 70 (US 70) is an east–west United States highway that runs for from eastern North Carolina to east-central Arizona. It is a major east–west highway of the Southeastern United States, Southeastern, Southern Unite ...

). The speed limit is 75 mph on the divided highway section upon entering the state to approximately south of Alamogordo, with a 35 mph zone in Orogrande. Upon entering Alamogordo, US 54 becomes concurrent with

. US 54/US 70 then intersects the beginning of

U.S. Route 82 U.S. Route 82 (US 82) is an east–west United States highway in the Southern United States. Created on July 1, 1931 across central Mississippi and southern Arkansas, US 82 eventually became a 1,625-mile (2,615 km) route extending from ...

at the north end of Alamogordo (near La Luz). The limit is 60 mph from Alamogordo to

Tularosa Tularosa is a villageFor census purposes it is called a village, but in New Mexico it is historically called a town. See, for example, Otero, Miguel A. (1903) ''Report of the Governor of New Mexico to the Secretary of the Interior - 1903'' Governme ...

and 55 mph north of Tularosa, where the concurrency with US 70 ends, and the highway reverts to being two lanes wide and not divided. The highway runs north through the central portion of the state, passing through

Carrizozo Carrizozo is a town in Lincoln County, New Mexico, United States. It is the county seat, with a population of 996 at the 2010 census. Founded in 1899, the town provided the main railroad access for Lincoln County, and the town experienced signif ...

and intersecting U.S. Route 380. The route then turns northeast before passing through Vaughn. Upon entering Vaughn, the route is briefly concurrent with

U.S. Route 60 U.S. Route 60 is a major east–west United States highway, traveling from southwestern Arizona to the Atlantic Ocean coast in Virginia. The highway's eastern terminus is in Virginia Beach, Virginia, where it is known as Pacific Avenue, in the ...

and

U.S. Route 285 U.S. Route 285 is a north–south United States highway, running 846 miles (1,362 km) through the states of Texas, New Mexico and Colorado. The highway's southern terminus is in Sanderson, Texas at an intersection with U.S. Route 90. US ...

. In Vaughn, US 285 splits off to the south. Exiting Vaughn, US 60 splits off to the southeast, and the route continues northeast to

Santa Rosa Santa Rosa is the Italian, Portuguese and Spanish name for Saint Rose. Santa Rosa may also refer to: Places Argentina *Santa Rosa, Mendoza, a city * Santa Rosa, Tinogasta, Catamarca * Santa Rosa, Valle Viejo, Catamarca *Santa Rosa, La Pampa * Sa ...

where it becomes concurrent with Interstate 40. The I-40 concurrency lasts for to

Tucumcari Tucumcari (; ) is a city in and the county seat of Quay County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 5,278 at the 2020 census. Tucumcari was founded in 1901, two years before Quay County was established. History In 1901, the Chicago, ...

. The highway then exits the state back into Texas at Nara Visa. The highway runs for in New Mexico, and is signed as a north–south route through the state.

Texas (Panhandle)

The highway re-enters the Texas Panhandle just beyond Nara Visa, New Mexico, and continues northeast for to the Oklahoma border. Major Texas cities along US 54 in the panhandle are

Dalhart Dalhart is a city in Dallam and Hartley counties in the U.S. state of Texas, and the county seat of Dallam County. The population was 7,930 at the 2010 census. History Founded in 1901, Dalhart is named for its location on the border of Dalla ...

and Stratford.

Oklahoma

US-54 runs through the

Oklahoma Panhandle The Oklahoma Panhandle (formerly called No Man's Land, the Public Land Strip, the Neutral Strip, or Cimarron Territory) is a salient in the extreme northwestern region of the U.S. state of Oklahoma, consisting of Cimarron County, Texas Count ...

from southwest to northeast. It enters at Texhoma, then continues northeast through Goodwell before entering

Guymon Guymon ( ) is a city and county seat of Texas County, in the panhandle of Oklahoma, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 12,965, an increase of 13.3% from 11,442 in 2010, and represents more than half of the population ...

. In Guymon, it intersects US-412 and begins a concurrency with US-64. It goes northeast through

Optima Optima is a humanist sans-serif typeface designed by Hermann Zapf and released by the D. Stempel AG foundry, Frankfurt, West Germany in 1958. Though classified as a sans-serif, Optima has a subtle swelling at the terminals suggesting a glyphic ...

and

Hooker Hooker may refer to: People * Hooker (surname) Places Antarctica * Mount Hooker (Antarctica) * Cape Hooker (Antarctica) * Cape Hooker (South Shetland Islands) New Zealand * Hooker River * Mount Hooker (New Zealand) in the Southern Alps * Hoo ...

, where US-64 turns east. After going northeast through Tyrone, it enters Kansas just before entering Liberal, Kansas.

Kansas

US 54 enters the state from Oklahoma in Seward County, and travels through the cities of Liberal and Plains, where it runs concurrently with US 160 in Meade County. Just east of the city of Meade, US 54 splits from US 160 and continues in a northeasterly direction through Meade and Ford counties before beginning a long concurrency with US 400 in Mullinville in Kiowa County. The highway then travels through the town of Greensburg and continues as a two-lane road through

Pratt Pratt is an English surname. Notable people with the surname include: A–F * Abner Pratt (1801–1863), American diplomat, jurist, politician, lawyer * Al Pratt (baseball) (1847–1937), American baseball player * Andy Pratt (baseball) (bor ...

Cunningham Cunningham is a surname of Scottish origin, see Clan Cunningham. Notable people sharing this surname A–C *Aaron Cunningham (born 1986), American baseball player *Abe Cunningham, American drummer * Adrian Cunningham (born 1960), Australian ...

, and Kingman. At Pratt, the Union Pacific railroad tracks which paralleled the highway for over from El Paso turn to the northeast (towards Topeka) and leave US 54. The road becomes a divided highway in eastern

Kingman County Kingman County (standard abbreviation: KM) is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the county population was 7,470. The largest city and county seat is Kingman, Kansas, Kingman. History ...

. From Kingman to Garden Plain in Sedgwick County it is a freeway but becomes an at-grade expressway as it passes through Goddard and approaches Wichita. The freeway resumes as the road crosses the city limits of Wichita near

Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport is a commercial airport west of downtown Wichita, Kansas, United States. It is the largest and busiest airport in the state of Kansas. Located south of US-54 in southwest Wichita, it covers 3,24 ...

. In Wichita, US 54/US 400 is known as Kellogg Avenue, and has junctions with I-235, I-135 and

I-35 Interstate 35 (I-35) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route. It stretches from Laredo, Texas, near the Mexican border ...

, the Kansas Turnpike, before a junction with K-96. The Kellogg Avenue freeway has six lanes and extends from 111th Street on the west side of Wichita to Zelta just after the I-35/Kansas Turnpike interchange on the east side. Upgrading of Kellogg Avenue from a surface arterial to a freeway has been underway since the mid-1980s, with the latest interchange project opening in late 2019. The road gets its name from Milo Bailey Kellogg, a shopkeeper and Civil War veteran who was the city's first civilian postmaster in 1870. The concurrency of US 54 and US 400 continues through Augusta in Butler County before US 400 heads east toward the Missouri state line, while US 54 forms a brief concurrency with US 77 through

El Dorado El Dorado (, ; Spanish for "the golden"), originally ''El Hombre Dorado'' ("The Golden Man") or ''El Rey Dorado'' ("The Golden King"), was the term used by the Spanish in the 16th century to describe a mythical tribal chief (''zipa'') or king o ...

. At El Dorado, US 54 continues its easterly course through rural areas in

Greenwood Green wood is unseasoned wood. Greenwood or Green wood may also refer to: People * Greenwood (surname) Settlements Australia * Greenwood, Queensland, a locality in the Toowoomba Region * Greenwood, Western Australia, a suburb of Perth C ...

and

Woodson Woodson may refer to: * Woodson (name) * Wilbert Tucker Woodson High School, Fairfax County, Virginia, US * Woodson Research Center, Houston, Texas, US * ''Woodson'', an EP by The Get Up Kids Places in the United States * Woodson, Arkansas * Wo ...

counties before passing through the cities of Iola and Fort Scott; US 77 heads north to Junction City. US 54 exits Kansas in Bourbon County before reaching

Nevada, Missouri Nevada ( ''nə--də'') is a city in and the county seat of Vernon County, on the western border of Missouri, United States. The population was 8,386 at the 2010 census, and 8,254 in the 2018 estimate. The local government has a council-manager ...

Missouri

In Missouri, US 54 runs from the southwest portion of the state to the northeast. It is a major conduit through the Ozarks and is the primary access road to

Pomme de Terre Lake Pomme de Terre Lake is located in southwest Missouri at the confluence of Lindley Creek and the Pomme de Terre River (for which it is named). The lake is located in southern Hickory and northern Polk counties, about north of Springfield. Its ...

and Lake of the Ozarks. After entering the state it passes through Nevada, El Dorado Springs, Hermitage, crossing Lake of the Ozarks the first time just north of Ha Ha Tonka State Park. It passes through

Camdenton Camdenton is a city in and the county seat of Camden County, Missouri, United States. Its population was 3,718 at the 2010 census. The city is enveloped by the Lower Niangua arm of the Lake of the Ozarks and serves as a popular trade point for ...

and crosses the lake a second time on the

Grand Glaize Bridge The Grand Glaize Bridge is the name of two girder bridges that carry U.S. Route 54 over the Grand Glaize Arm of the Lake of the Ozarks in the city of Osage Beach, Missouri. The bridge on official maps is called the "Grandglaize" (one word) as i ...

at Osage Beach before bypassing Eldon and going through Jefferson City, where it crosses the Missouri River via the

Jefferson City Bridge The Jefferson City Bridge is the name for two continuous through arch truss bridges over the Missouri River at Jefferson City, Missouri, over which U.S. Routes 54 (US 54) and 63 travel between Cole and Callaway Counties. Southbound bri ...

and briefly overlaps

U.S. Route 63 U.S. Route 63 (US 63) is a , north–south United States Highway primarily in the Midwestern and Southern United States. The southern terminus of the route is at Interstate 20 (I-20) in Ruston, Louisiana; the northern terminus is at US ...

. Just north of the bridge, it splits passing through Fulton, crossing Interstate 70 at

Kingdom City Kingdom commonly refers to: * A monarchy ruled by a king or queen * Kingdom (biology), a category in biological taxonomy Kingdom may also refer to: Arts and media Television * ''Kingdom'' (British TV series), a 2007 British television drama s ...

, bypassing Mexico, sharing a concurrency with

Highway 19 Route 19, or Highway 19, may refer to: For roads named "A19", see list of A19 roads. International * Asian Highway 19 * European route E19 * European route E019 Canada * Alberta Highway 19 * British Columbia Highway 19 * Manitoba Highway 19 * ...

through Laddonia, passing just north of Vandalia, and ultimately crossing the Mississippi River via the Champ Clark Bridge into Illinois at Louisiana.

Illinois

In the state of Illinois, U.S. 54 runs from the Champ Clark Bridge over the Mississippi River to its terminus at Interstate 72 northeast near Griggsville. Before the eastern terminus was cut back to I-72, U.S. 54 continued northeast via several existing roads, including the current Illinois Route 54, Illinois Route 50, and Governors' Highway, into downtown Chicago, where it ended at Michigan Avenue and Lake Shore Drive. It is a rural, two-lane surface street for its entire length in Illinois. In the state of Illinois, U.S. 54 is long.

History

Illinois

Initially, US 54 ended at the junction of present-day IL 106 (former portion of US 36). In 1935, it replaced a portion of IL 107 between Louisiana, Missouri and New Hartford, Illinois. From 1942 to 1971, US 54 reached downtown Chicago. It then got truncated back to its previous northern terminus. This was in favor of portions of US 36, Illinois Route 54, US 45, Illinois Route 50, Governors Highway, Wood Street, 127th Street, Halsted Street, Vincennes Avenue, State Street, and Michigan Avenue. The four-lane section of U.S. 36 northeast of Pittsfield now also carries Interstate 72 east to Springfield. As of 1992, US 54 was extended northeast to US 36 and present-day I-72 (exit 35). That same year, the section of road that once carried Illinois Route 54 through Springfield is no longer designated as a numbered highway. Now Illinois Route 54 starts at the Interstate 55 exit and goes northeast to Onarga, where it ends at U.S. Route 45. US 54 once joined with US 45 to Kankakee, but that highway is now designated as US 45 alone to Gilman, then US 45 and US 24 through Gilman, then US 45 alone again until a four-way intersection with U.S. Route 52 and Illinois Route 49, and US 45 and US 52 through Kankakee. Between Kankakee and Monee, the section that once carried US 54 is now marked as Illinois Route 50.

Major intersections

Texas

: in El Paso : in El Paso : in El Paso : in El Paso

New Mexico

: in

Alamogordo Alamogordo () is the seat of Otero County, New Mexico, United States. A city in the Tularosa Basin of the Chihuahuan Desert, it is bordered on the east by the Sacramento Mountains and to the west by Holloman Air Force Base. The population was ...

. The highways travel concurrently to

. : in Alamogordo : in

: southwest of Vaughn. The highways travel concurrently to southeast of Vaughn. : in

. The highways travel concurrently through the city. : in Santa Rosa. I-40/US 54 travels concurrently to

. : in Santa Rosa

Texas

: in

: in Stratford

Oklahoma

: in

. The highways travel concurrently through the city. : in Guymon. The highways travel concurrently to

Kansas

: in Liberal : east of Plains. The highways travel concurrently to east of Meade. : in Minneola : east of Mullinville. The highways travel concurrently to Pickrell Corner. : west of Greensburg : in

: in Wichita : in Wichita : in Wichita : in Augusta. The highways travel concurrently to

. : in Yates Center : east of Iola : in

Moran Moran may refer to: Places Antarctica * Moran Bluff, Marie Byrd Land * Moran Buttress, Marie Byrd Land * Moran Glacier, Alexander Island Asia * Moran Town, Assam, India * Moran, Israel, a kibbutz * Moran Hill, North Korea * Moran Station, a s ...

: north of Fort Scott. The highways travel concurrently to Fort Scott.

Missouri

: in Nevada : in

Preston Preston is a place name, surname and given name that may refer to: Places England *Preston, Lancashire, an urban settlement **The City of Preston, Lancashire, a borough and non-metropolitan district which contains the settlement **County Boro ...

: in Jefferson City. US 54/US 63 travels concurrently through the city. : in

: north of Bowling Green

Illinois

: in Griggsville Township

Related route

U.S. Highway 154 U.S. Route 400 (US 400) is a mostly east–west U.S. Highway, commissioned in 1994. The highway's western terminus is in Granada, Colorado, at an intersection with US 385. The highway's eastern terminus is southwest of Joplin, Missouri, ...

References

External links

Endpoints of U.S. Highway 54
* Kansas Highway Maps
CurrentHistoric
KDOT {{DEFAULTSORT:54 United States Numbered Highway System U.S. Highways in Kansas U.S. Highways in Illinois U.S. Highways in Oklahoma U.S. Highways in New Mexico

Route description

Texas (El Paso)

New Mexico

Texas (Panhandle)

Oklahoma

Kansas

Missouri

Illinois

History

Illinois

Major intersections

Texas

New Mexico

Texas

Oklahoma

Kansas

Missouri

Illinois

Related route

See also

References

External links