U.S. Route 59 (US 59) is a north–south United States highway (though it was signed east–west in parts of Texas). A latecomer to the U.S. numbered route system, US 59 is now a border-to-border route, part of the NAFTA Corridor Highway System. It parallels

U.S. Route 75 U.S. Route 75 is a major north–south United States Numbered Highways, U.S. Highway that extends in the central United States. The highway's northern terminus is in Noyes, Minnesota, at the Canada–United States border, Canadian border, wh ...

for nearly its entire route, never much more than away, until it veers southwest in

Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

. Its number is out of place since US 59 is either concurrent with or entirely west of U.S. Route 71. The highway's northern terminus is north of

Lancaster, Minnesota Lancaster is a city in Kittson County, Minnesota, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 364. History Lancaster was incorporated in 1904 along a Soo Line Railroad line running from Glenwood to the Canada–US border. T ...

, at the Lancaster–Tolstoi Border Crossing on the Canada–US border, where it continues as Manitoba Highway 59. Its southern terminus is at the Mexico–US border in Laredo, Texas, where it continues as Mexican Federal Highway 85D.

Route description

Texas

U.S. Highway 59 (US 59) in the U.S. state of Texas is named the Lloyd Bentsen Highway, after

Lloyd Bentsen Lloyd Millard Bentsen Jr. (February 11, 1921 – May 23, 2006) was an American politician who was a four-term United States Senator (1971–1993) from Texas and the Democratic Party nominee for vice president in 1988 on the Michael Dukakis ti ...

, former

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

from Texas. In northern Houston, US 59, co-signed with

Interstate 69 Interstate 69 (I-69) is an Interstate Highway in the United States currently consisting of 10 unconnected segments with an original continuous segment from Indianapolis, Indiana, northeast to the Canadian border in Port Huron, Michigan, at ...

(I-69), is the Eastex Freeway (from downtown Houston to the Liberty County/ Montgomery County line). To the south, which is also co-signed with I-69, it is the Southwest Freeway (from Rosenberg to downtown Houston), which is one of the busiest sections of freeway in the United States with a vehicle count, as of 2006, over 330,000 vehicles per day just outside the Loop. US 59 ( overlapped by US 71) actually straddles the border between Texas and Arkansas north of I-30 near Texarkana, with the east side of the highway on the Arkansas side and the west side of the highway on the Texas side. In the past, both highways remained on the border past I-30 as

State Line Avenue State Line Avenue is a north–south arterial road in Texarkana, United States. It follows approximately of the Texas-Arkansas state line, and divides the cities. The street's centerline does not follow the state boundary precisely, but the ...

to downtown Texarkana; today, only US 71 does so. Nearly 90% of this route is designated to become part of I-69 in the future. Currently, speed limits are allowed on US 59 in Duval County and portions of northern Polk County. From the southwestern suburbs of Houston to downtown Houston, U.S. 59 is commonly referred to as the "Southwest Freeway", sometimes derisively as the "Southwest's Best Freeway." Supporting 371,000 vehicles per day, it is one of the busiest freeways in the United States. U.S. 59 is known as the "Eastex Freeway" in the north/northeast part of the Houston region. At the Mexico–US border, it ends at the World Trade International Bridge in Laredo, Texas. In Laredo, U.S. 59 is co-signed with both

Interstate 69W Interstate 69W (I-69W) is a relatively short north–south Interstate Highway running through South Texas in the United States. The freeway begins northeast of the middle of World Trade International Bridge in Laredo and ends at I-35. In ...

(I-69W) and Loop 20, and has an intersection with Interstate 35 which ends at the Juarez-Lincoln International Bridge. After crossing the bridge into Mexico, Interstate 35 continues as Mexican Federal Highway 85 in Nuevo Laredo, which then runs through Mexico and Central America and ends in Panama at the Panama Canal. Panoramic Houston skyline

Arkansas

In Arkansas, US 59 is concurrent with U.S. Route 71 from Interstate 30 at Texarkana to

Acorn The acorn, or oaknut, is the nut of the oaks and their close relatives (genera ''Quercus'' and '' Lithocarpus'', in the family Fagaceae). It usually contains one seed (occasionally two seeds), enclosed in a tough, leathery shell, and borne ...

, and with

U.S. Route 270 U.S. Route 270 (US 270) is a spur of US 70. It travels for from Liberal, Kansas at US 54 and US 83 to White Hall, Arkansas at Interstate 530 (I-530) and US 65. It travels through the states of Arkansas, Oklahom ...

from Acorn to the

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

state line. The Third Loop was to be extended on Interstate 49 from its original northern end to US-71 at the Texas state line opened on May 15, 2013, and was extended to State Line Road, where it intersects US-59 and US-71 in Texas.

Oklahoma

US 59 and

U.S. Route 412 U.S. Route 412 is an east–west United States highway, first commissioned in 1982. U.S. 412 overlaps expressway-grade Cimarron Turnpike from Tulsa west to Interstate 35 and the Cherokee Turnpike from east of Chouteau, Oklahoma, to west of the ...

are co-signed for in

Delaware County, Oklahoma Delaware County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2010 census, the population was 41,487. Its county seat is Jay. The county was named for the Delaware Indians, who had established a village in the area prior to the ...

. US 59 is co-signed with

from the Arkansas state line to Heavener and

U.S. Route 271 U.S. Route 271 (US 271, US-271) is a north–south United States highway. Never a long highway, it went from bi-state route (Arkansas and Oklahoma) to a tri-state route (Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas). Its southern terminus is in Tyler, ...

from Poteau to west of Spiro. It is also co-signed with U.S. Route 64 in Sallisaw.

Kansas

U.S. 59 enters the state just south of Chetopa and runs nearly directly north across the state. It runs concurrently with U.S. 169 starting about south of Garnett and diverges north again immediately south of Garnett. The intersection immediately south of Garnett used to be a "braided" intersection with stop and yield signs. It was identified as a high-crash location in 2001, and was rebuilt as a roundabout that opened in April 2006. The Kansas Department of Transportation is rebuilding or planning to rebuild several other rural intersections as roundabouts for increased safety. Until 2012, US 59 passed through Ottawa, Kansas, and had to be shut down or detoured every time the Marias Des Cygnes

floodwall A flood wall (or floodwall) is a primarily vertical artificial barrier designed to temporarily contain the waters of a river or other waterway which may rise to unusual levels during seasonal or extreme weather events. Flood walls are mainly u ...

gates were closed across the highway. The highway now bypasses around Ottawa, running concurrently with Interstate 35 for 5 mi and using that highway's bridges over the Marias Des Cygnes. US 59 passes through Lawrence. The street name of US 59 in Lawrence is Iowa Street, then 6th Street as it joins

U.S. 40 U.S. Route 40 or U.S. Highway 40 (US 40), also known as the Main Street of America, is a major east–west United States Highway traveling across the United States from the Mountain States to the Mid-Atlantic States. As with most routes wh ...

and jogs east to cross the Kansas River near downtown. North of the

U.S. 40 and 59 Bridges The U.S. 40 and 59 Bridges are twin multi-beam girder bridges over the Kansas River at Lawrence, Kansas. The west bridge carries two lanes of southbound traffic, connecting to Vermont Street, while the east bridge carries two lanes of northboun ...

, it splits with U.S. 40 as it joins U.S. 24 briefly and jogs back west before resuming a northerly course. It continues north to Nortonville, then northeast to

Atchison Atchison may refer to: Places In the United States: * Atchison, California, a former settlement * Atchison, Kansas, a city * Atchison County, Kansas * Atchison County, Missouri People with the surname *Bob Atchison (born 1941), Canadian drag r ...

, where it crosses the Missouri River over the

Amelia Earhart Bridge The Amelia Earhart Memorial Bridge is a network tied arch bridge over the Missouri River on U.S. Route 59 between Atchison, Kansas and Buchanan County, Missouri. It opened in December 2012, replacing a previous truss bridge with the same name. ...

. U.S. 59 has been rebuilt and rerouted just to the east between Lawrence and

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

as a divided highway, as the former road was one of the most dangerous stretches of highway in the state. The project began in mid-2007, and was completed and opened to the public on October 17, 2012.

Missouri

In Missouri, US 59 roughly follows the Missouri River in the northwest corner of the state, from its entrance at Winthrop. In

Saint Joseph Joseph (; el, Ἰωσήφ, translit=Ioséph) was a 1st-century Jewish man of Nazareth who, according to the canonical Gospels, was married to Mary, the mother of Jesus, and was the legal father of Jesus. The Gospels also name some brothers of ...

, the highway is paired with Interstate 229 through downtown. US 59 departs from I-229 as Saint Joseph Avenue, joining with U.S. Route 71 at Interstate 29. The two highways then separate in

Savannah A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the Canopy (forest), canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to rea ...

. US 59 then follows Interstate 29 very closely until turning northward at Craig. It exits the state north of Tarkio. This section of US 59 is immortalized in the Brewer and Shipley song "Tarkio Road".

Iowa

In Iowa, US 59 is a main north–south artery in the western part of the state. It enters Iowa south of Shenandoah and joins

Interstate 80 Interstate 80 (I-80) is an east–west transcontinental freeway that crosses the United States from downtown San Francisco, California, to Teaneck, New Jersey, in the New York metropolitan area. The highway was designated in 1956 as one o ...

at Avoca. It passes through the county seats of

Harlan Harlan is a given name and a surname which may refer to: Surname *Bob Harlan (born 1936 Robert E. Harlan), American football executive *Bruce Harlan (1926–1959), American Olympic diver *Byron B. Harlan (1886–1949), American politician *Byron G ...

, Denison, Cherokee, and Primghar. Except for small stretches of

expressway Expressway may refer to: * Controlled-access highway, the highest-grade type of highway with access ramps, lane markings, etc., for high-speed traffic. * Limited-access road, a lower grade of highway or arterial road. *Expressway, the fictional s ...

near Avoca, Denison, and Holstein, the entire length of US 59 in Iowa is an undivided two-lane road. US 59 exits the state near

Hawkeye Point Hawkeye Point is the highest natural point in Iowa at . It is approximately north of Sibley on the eastern side of SR 60 and approximately south of the Iowa-Minnesota state border. The high ground lies due south of an old silo. The land tha ...

, the highest point in the state of Iowa.

Minnesota

US 59 enters Minnesota south of

Worthington Worthington may refer to: People * Worthington (surname) * Worthington family, a British noble family Businesses * Worthington Brewery, also known as Worthington's * Worthington Corporation, founded as a pump manufacturer in 1845, later a dive ...

, just east of Bigelow. It passes through rural western Minnesota for its entire length in the state. Some cities along the way include Slayton, Marshall, Clarkfield,

Montevideo Montevideo () is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2011 census, the city proper has a population of 1,319,108 (about one-third of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...

, and Morris. US 59 overlaps

Interstate 94 Interstate 94 (I-94) is an east–west Interstate Highway connecting the Great Lakes and northern Great Plains regions of the United States. Its western terminus is just east of Billings, Montana, at a junction with I-90; its eastern ter ...

U.S. Highway 52 U.S. Route 52 (US 52) is a major United States highway in the central United States that extends from the northern to southeastern region of the United States. Contrary to most other even-numbered U.S. Highways, US 52 primarily follows ...

in the

Fergus Falls Fergus Falls is a city in and the county seat of Otter Tail County, Minnesota, Otter Tail County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 14,119 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History The falls from which the city gets par ...

area. North of Fergus Falls, US 59 passes through Pelican Rapids,

Detroit Lakes Detroit Lakes is a city in the State of Minnesota and the county seat of Becker County. The population was 9,869 at the 2020 census. Its unofficial population during summer months is much higher, estimated by citizens to peak at 13,000 midsum ...

, and

Thief River Falls Thief River Falls, sometimes referred to as Thief River or abbreviated as TRF, is a city in Pennington County in the northwest portion of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The population was 8,749 at the 2020 census. Thief River Falls is the county ...

before ending at the Lancaster–Tolstoi border crossing on the Canada–US border. US-59 runs for about through Minnesota. The Minnesota section of US 59 is legally defined as all or part of Routes 265, 16, 17, 88, 66, 144, 3, 30, and 174 in Minnesota Statutes §§ 161.115(19), (75), and (196) and 161.114(2).

History

In 1934, a coalition of government officials from Missouri, Iowa, and Minnesota agreed to sign the current US 59 as Highway 73 in an attempt to extend US 73 north from Atchison, Kansas. However,

AASHO The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) is a standards setting body which publishes specifications, test quality control, protocols, and guidelines that are used in highway design and construction through ...

approved the route as US 59, instead. The part in Missouri was defined in 1922 as Route 52 from Kansas to St. Joseph, Route 1 from St. Joseph to Tarkio, and Route 61 from Tarkio to Iowa. Route 61 became Route 9 in 1926, and Route 52 became part of Route 4 in 1927, and this portion became Route 18 in 1932, before being removed in favor of US 59 in the 1930s.

Historic termini

Before the 1950s, US 59 headed northwest to US 75 at

Noyes Noyes is an English surname of patronymic origin, deriving from the given name Noah. Notable people with the surname include: * Albertina Noyes (born 1949), American figure skater * Alfred Noyes (1880–1958), English poet * Arthur Amos Noyes (18 ...

, crossed the Red River of the North at

St. Vincent Saint Vincent may refer to: People Saints * Vincent of Saragossa (died 304), a.k.a. Vincent the Deacon, deacon and martyr * Saint Vincenca, 3rd century Roman martyress, whose relics are in Blato, Croatia * Vincent, Orontius, and Victor (died 305) ...

, and terminated at US 81 in Pembina, North Dakota. A new highway and border crossing were built north of Lancaster on the present alignment in 1950. The former segment of US 59 between Lancaster and US 75 became CR 6, and the extremely short segment between US 75 and US 81 became MN 171 and ND 59. ND 59 still exists in Pembina from the state line to I-29. From 1934 to 1935, the US 59 designation referred to a -long route across southeastern Minnesota, from Lake City, Minnesota, to the Iowa state line just short of

Chester, Iowa Chester is a city in Howard County, Iowa, United States. The population was 139 in the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, a decrease of 7.9% from the 151 population in the 2000 United States Census, 2000 census. Chester is located close to the ...

. That entire route is now part of US 63, and nowhere close to the present US 59, established in 1935. In 1933, much of the present US 59 and the entirety of US 96 in Texas were originally proposed to be part of US 71. Under this plan, discussed at a meeting of the United States Good Roads Association in Beaumont, US 71 was to be diverted out of Louisiana altogether and instead rerouted from the Texarkana area southward through East Texas.

Future

A large portion of US 59 is proposed to become part of the future extension of I-69, I-69W and I-369 through Texas, allowing the current alignment and right-of-way to be upgraded without the need for government environmental studies or extensive eminent domain proceedings.I69Info.com: "New" and "Old" Terrain
/ref>

Major intersections

;Texas : World Trade International Bridge at the Mexico–US border : in Laredo. The highways travel concurrently through the city. : in Laredo : in George West : east of George West : in

Beeville Beeville is a city in Bee County, Texas, United States, with a population of 12,863 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Bee County and home to the main campus of Coastal Bend College. The area around the city contains three prisons oper ...

: in Goliad : southwest of Victoria. I-69/US 59 will travel concurrently to Houston. US 59/US 77 travels concurrently to south-southwest of Victoria. : in Victoria : in Houston : in Houston : in Houston : in Houston. I-69/US 59 will travel concurrently to Tenaha. : in

Livingston Livingston may refer to: Businesses * Livingston Energy Flight, an Italian airline (2003–2010) * Livingston Compagnia Aerea, an Italian airline (2011–2014), also known as Livingston Airline * Livingston International, a North American custom ...

: in Corrigan : in

Lufkin Lufkin is the largest city in Angelina County, Texas and the county seat. The city is situated in Deep East Texas and about 60 miles west of the Texas-Louisiana border. Its estimated population is 35,021 as of July 1, 2019. Lufkin was founded ...

. The highways travel concurrently through the city. : in Redfield : in Timpson. The highways travel concurrently to Tenaha. : in Tenaha. I-369/US 59 will travel concurrently to Texarkana. : in Carthage. The highways travel concurrently to north of Carthage. : in Marshall : in Marshall : in Texarkana. I-369/US 59 travels concurrently to I-30. : in Texarkana : in Texarkana : in Texarkana. I-30/US 59 travels concurrently to the Arkansas state line. ;Arkansas : in Texarkana. US 59/US 71 travels concurrently to

. ;Texas : north of Texarkana ;Arkansas : in Lockesburg. The highways travel concurrently to De Queen. : in Saline Township. The highways travel concurrently to De Queen. : in Wickes : in Acorn. US 59/US 270 travels concurrently to Heavener, Oklahoma. ;Oklahoma : west-northwest of Page : in Poteau. The highways travel concurrently to west of Spiro. : in Sallisaw : in Sallisaw. The highways travel concurrently through the city. : in Westville : in West Siloam Springs. The highways travel concurrently to Kansas. : east-northeast of Afton. US 59/US 60 travels concurrently for approximately . US 59/US 69 travels concurrently to north of Dotyville. : east-northeast of Afton ;Kansas : in Chetopa. The highways travel concurrently through the city. : in Oswego. The highways travel concurrently to the Mount Pleasant–Fairview township line. : in

Parsons Parsons may refer to: Places In the United States: * Parsons, Kansas, a city * Parsons, Missouri, an unincorporated community * Parsons, Tennessee, a city * Parsons, West Virginia, a town * Camp Parsons, a Boy Scout camp in the state of Washingto ...

: 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 ...

: in Welda Township. The highways travel concurrently to Washington Township. : in

. The highways travel concurrently to Ottawa Township. : in Willow Springs Township : in Lawrence. The highways travel concurrently through the city. : in Lawrence : in Lawrence. US 24/US 59 travels concurrently to Williamstown. : in Shannon Township. The highways travel concurrently to

. ;Missouri : in

St. Joseph Joseph (; el, Ἰωσήφ, translit=Ioséph) was a 1st-century Jewish man of Nazareth who, according to the canonical Gospels, was married to Mary, the mother of Jesus, and was the legal father of Jesus. The Gospels also name some brothers ...

. The highways travel concurrently through the city. : in St. Joseph : in Jefferson Township : in Nodaway Township : in Jackson Township. The highways travel concurrently to Nodaway Township. : in Hickory Township : in Hickory Township : in Union Township : in Tarkio Township. The highways travel concurrently to Tarkio. ;Iowa : in Indian Creek Township : in Belknap Township. The highways travel concurrently to

Oakland Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the Bay A ...

. : in Avoca : in Denison. The highways travel concurrently through the city. : on the Logan–Griggs township line. The highways travel concurrently to Holstein. : on the

Franklin Franklin may refer to: People * Franklin (given name) * Franklin (surname) * Franklin (class), a member of a historical English social class Places Australia * Franklin, Tasmania, a township * Division of Franklin, federal electoral d ...

–Lincoln township line. The highways travel concurrently to Sanborn. ;Minnesota : in

: in Custer Township : in Camp Release Township. The highways travel concurrently to

. : in Moyer Township : on the Buse– Dane Prairie township line. The highways travel concurrently to Fergus Falls Township. : in

: in Knute Township : at the Canada–US border on the Richardville–

township line

References

External links

Endpoints of US 59
{{DEFAULTSORT:59 059 United States Numbered Highway System U.S. Highways in Arkansas U.S. Highways in Minnesota U.S. Highways in Missouri U.S. Highways in North Dakota