U.S. Route 83 (US 83) is a major north–south

United States Numbered Highway The United States Numbered Highway System (often called U.S. Routes or U.S. Highways) is an integrated network of roads and highways numbered within a nationwide grid in the contiguous United States. As the designation and numbering of these hi ...

that extends in the

central United States The Central United States is sometimes conceived as between the Eastern and Western as part of a three-region model, roughly coincident with the U.S. Census' definition of the Midwestern United States plus the western and central portions o ...

. Only four other north–south routes are longer: US 1, US 41, US 59, and US 87, while US 83 follows a straighter north-south path than all of these. Nearly half of its mileage is in the state of

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

. The highway's northern terminus is north of

Westhope, North Dakota Westhope is a city in Bottineau County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 374 at the 2020 census. Westhope was founded in 1903 along a Great Northern Railway branch line that began in Rugby. The name was based on the slogan "Hope ...

, at the

Canadian border Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

, where it continues as

Manitoba Highway 83 Provincial Trunk Highway 83 (PTH 83) is a major north-south highway that runs in the far western region of the Canadian province of Manitoba. It travels from the North Dakota border south of Melita, north through Virden, Birtle, Russell, and ...

(PTH 83). The southern terminus is at the Veterans International Bridge in Brownsville, Texas. Together, US 83 and PTH 83 form a continuously numbered north-south highway with a combined distance of 3,450 kilometres (2,140 mi). Despite its length it has very few concurrencies with interstate highways. Due to the sparse population and primarily rural routing, no segments have been decommissioned. If the road were ever upgraded to interstate status, no numbers in the proper sequence would be available as the route is between I-27 and

I-29 Interstate 29 (I-29) is an Interstate Highway in the Midwestern United States. I-29 runs from Kansas City, Missouri, at a junction with I-35 and I-70, to the Canada–US border near Pembina, North Dakota, where it connects with Manitoba ...

Route description

Texas

US 83 is a largely north–south highway, in length, in Texas except for a segment parallel to the Rio Grande, where it takes an east–west course, much of which runs concurrently with

Interstate 2 Interstate 2 (I-2) is a partially completed Interstate Highway running through the Lower Rio Grande Valley of South Texas. It begins at the intersection of U.S. Highway 83 (US 83) and Business U.S. Highway 83 (Bus. US 83) ...

(I-2). It enters the United States and Texas near Brownsville concurrent with US 77 and then splits from US 77 at Harlingen. Passing

Weslaco Weslaco is a city in Hidalgo County, Texas, United States. As of the 2020 census the population was 41,103, and in 2020 the estimated population was 41,103. It is located at the southern tip of Texas in the Rio Grande Valley near the Mexi ...

with I-2, it begins to veer northward and passes the current western terminus of I-2 at Peñitas, follows the Rio Grande to Laredo where it meets I-35 in a concurrency before heading northwestward. It meets I-10 at

Junction Junction may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Junction'' (film), a 2012 American film * Jjunction, a 2002 Indian film * Junction (album), a 1976 album by Andrew Cyrille * Junction (EP), by Basement Jaxx, 2002 * Junction (manga), or ''Hot ...

, where it has a concurrency with I-10, before heading almost due-north to Abilene, meeting I-20 on an expressway before heading north again on mostly undivided surface roads. It again heads slightly west of due north to meet US 287 in Childress and

I-40 Interstate 40 (I-40) is a major east–west Interstate Highway running through the south-central portion of the United States. At a length of , it is the third-longest Interstate Highway in the country, after I-90 and I-80. From west to ea ...

in Shamrock. About north of Perryton it leaves Texas and enters Oklahoma. Except for Abilene, Laredo, and some cities in the lower Rio Grande Valley it is largely rural in nature.

Oklahoma

US 83 traverses the Oklahoma panhandle along the western border of Beaver County, but in this brief stretch it encounters no fewer than three other federal highways. Approximately from the Texas line, US 83 intersects US 412 in the hamlet of Bryan's Corner. Continuing its journey northward, the highway crosses the Beaver River, then intersects US 64 in Turpin. US 83 north and US 64 east are co-signed for three northbound miles, where US 64 turns eastward. At this intersection, US 270 west joins the highway, and together with US 83 proceeds northbound for the final to the Kansas line.

Kansas

US 83 enters the Sunflower State in Seward County, approximately south of

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

, where it intersects US 54 and US-270 ends. North of Liberal, US 83 begins a concurrency with US 160, and the highways remain joined until reaching Sublette, the seat of Haskell County. US 83 and US 160 split north of Sublette; US 160 heads west toward Ulysses, and US 83 continues north toward Garden City. At Garden City, US 50 and US 400 join US 83 for a brief concurrency on a bypass around the east and north sides of the city while US 83 Business follows the former routing through downtown. All three routes cross K-156, also known as Kansas Avenue, in the northwest portion of the city. At the north end of the US 50/US 83 Business route, US 83 splits and heads north toward Scott City, while US 50 and US 400 remain joined through the rest of the state. The highway passes through largely unpopulated areas of

Finney County Finney County (county code FI) is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 38,470. Its county seat and most populous city is Garden City. History Finney County began about 1880 as Buffalo ...

and Scott County before reaching a junction with

K-96 K96 or K-96 may refer to: *K-96 (Kansas highway) K-96 is a state highway in central and southern Kansas. Its western terminus is at the Colorado state line east of Towner, Colorado, where it continues as Colorado State Highway 96; its east ...

in downtown Scott City. In northern Scott County, K-4 has its origins at US-83, heading east toward Healy, and US-83 traverses through rolling farmlands until reaching Oakley, the seat of

Logan County Logan County is the name of ten current counties and one former county in the United States: * Logan County, Arkansas * Logan County, Colorado * Logan County, Idaho (1889–1895) * Logan County, Illinois * Logan County, Kansas * Logan County, ...

. US-83 reaches US-40 less than a mile west of

I-70 Interstate 70 (I-70) is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the United States that runs from I-15 near Cove Fort, Utah, to a park and ride lot just east of I-695 in Baltimore, Maryland, and is the fifth-longest Interstate in the c ...

, and the two highways jog west for a brief multiplex before US-83 splits and crosses I-70. North of I-70, US-83 intersects US-24 then curves northeast, east of Gem in Thomas County. US-83 continues its northeasterly track through Rexford and Selden. After passing through Selden, US-83 intersects the southern terminus of K-383 and the northern terminus of K-23. From here, US-83 turns north, crosses into

Decatur County Decatur County is the name of various past and present counties in the United States, all named for Stephen Decatur: *Decatur County, Georgia *Decatur County, Indiana *Decatur County, Iowa *Decatur County, Kansas *Decatur County, Tennessee *Decatu ...

then continues north and intersects US-36 in Oberlin. Oberlin is the last area of significant population the highway passes in Kansas; the next city is McCook, Nebraska.

Nebraska

US 83 enters Nebraska south of McCook, where it meets US 6 and US 34. It continues northward to North Platte, where it intersects

I-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 ...

and US 30. After leaving North Platte in a northeasterly direction, it turns north near Thedford and goes north through the Sand Hills to Valentine. For before Valentine, it runs concurrently with US 20. After passing through Valentine, it continues north to enter South Dakota.

South Dakota

US 83 enters South Dakota south of Olsonville on a segment of highway which passes through the

Rosebud Indian Reservation The Rosebud Indian Reservation is an Indian reservation in South Dakota, United States. It is the home of the federally recognized Rosebud Sioux Tribe, who are Sicangu, a band of Lakota people. The Lakota name ''Sicangu Oyate'' translates as ...

. After a brief overlap with US 18 in

Mission Mission (from Latin ''missio'' "the act of sending out") may refer to: Organised activities Religion *Christian mission, an organized effort to spread Christianity *Mission (LDS Church), an administrative area of The Church of Jesus Christ of ...

, the route turns north and meets I-90 at Murdo. The two routes overlap as US 83 goes east with I-90 until Vivian, where US 83 turns north. At Fort Pierre, US 83 meets US 14 and

South Dakota Highway 34 South Dakota Highway 34 (SD 34) is a state route that runs parallel to Interstate 90 across the entire state of South Dakota. It begins at the Wyoming border west of Belle Fourche, as a continuation of Wyoming Highway 24 (WYO 24). The east ...

. The three highways overlap as they cross the Missouri River and enter

Pierre Pierre is a masculine given name. It is a French form of the name Peter. Pierre originally meant "rock" or "stone" in French (derived from the Greek word πέτρος (''petros'') meaning "stone, rock", via Latin "petra"). It is a translation ...

. At Pierre, SD 34 separates and US 83 turns northeast with US 14. They separate near

Blunt Blunt may refer to: * Blunt (surname), a surname (and list of people with the name) * Blunt (cigar), a term used in the cigar industry to designate blunt-tipped, usually factory-rolled cigars * Blunt (cannabis), a slang term used in cannabis cult ...

and US 83 turns northward. US 83 briefly overlaps with US 212 near Gettysburg and with US 12 through the

Selby Selby is a market town and civil parish in the Selby District of North Yorkshire, England, south of York on the River Ouse, with a population at the 2011 census of 14,731. The town was historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire until ...

area. US 83 leaves South Dakota north of Herreid. The South Dakota section of US 83, with the exception of concurrencies with US 18, I-90, US 14, US 212, and US 12, is defined at South Dakota Codified Laws § 31-4-180.

North Dakota

US 83 enters

North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minnesota to the east, So ...

at the South Dakota state line, near the town of

Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital of ...

, and runs northward for approximately , serving the small cities of Strasburg and Linton before reaching I-94. It follows I-94 west to Bismarck, where it resumes a generally northward course as a four-lane highway. Headed toward

Minot Minot ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Ward County, North Dakota, United States, in the state's north-central region. It is most widely known for the Air Force base approximately north of the city. With a population of 48,377 at the 20 ...

US 83 traverses mostly agricultural land, passing through the some small cities such as Wilton,

Washburn Washburn (alternatively Wasseburne, Wasseborne, Wasshebourne, Wassheborne, Washbourne, Washburne, Washborne, Washborn, Wasborn, Washbon) is a toponymic surname, probably of Old English origin, with likely Anglo-Norman and Norman-French influen ...

and Underwood north to Max. Leaving Underwood, US 83 encounters a large

strip-mining Surface mining, including strip mining, open-pit mining and mountaintop removal mining, is a broad category of mining in which soil and rock overlying the mineral deposit (the overburden) are removed, in contrast to underground mining, in which ...

coal ( lignite) operation which can be seen from the roadway in the vicinity of Falkirk. North of Coleharbor, US 83 briefly merges both roadways and shares land with an adjacent railroad line in order to cross a viaduct that separates

Lake Sakakawea Lake Sakakawea is a large reservoir in the north central United States, impounded in 1953 by Garrison Dam, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dam located in the Missouri River basin in central North Dakota. Named for the Shoshone-Hidatsa woman Sa ...

from Lake Audubon. North of the lakes, the surroundings return to cropland and grazing land, though a

wind farm A wind farm or wind park, also called a wind power station or wind power plant, is a group of wind turbines in the same location used to produce electricity. Wind farms vary in size from a small number of turbines to several hundred wind turb ...

is located south of Minot. US 83 passes directly through Minot, where it is known as

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

, although the

Minot Bypass Minot Bypass may refer to: * U.S. Route 83 Bypass, a bypass of U.S. Route 83 to the west of Minot, North Dakota *A loop around the city that consists of portions of U.S. Route 83 Bypass, as well as U.S. Route 2 U.S. Route 2 or U.S. Highway ...

to the west is an alternate route. From Minot, the northbound route passes

Minot Air Force Base Minot Air Force Base is a U.S. Air Force installation in Ward County, North Dakota, north of the city of Minot via U.S. Route 83. In the 2020 census, the base was counted as a CDP with a total population of 5,017, down from 5,521 i ...

where it returns to a two-lane highway, and shares a roadway with eastbound

North Dakota Highway 5 North Dakota Highway 5 (ND 5) is a east–west state highway in North Dakota. Its route is in the extreme north part of the state, near the Canada–United States border. The eastern terminus is located about four miles (6 km) east of ...

about north of the base for about . The highway then diverges from ND 5 to head north through

Westhope Westhope, also known as the Richard Lloyd Jones House, is a Frank Lloyd Wright designed Textile Block home that was constructed in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1929. This was Wright's only Textile Block house outside of California. The client, Richard L ...

to the

Major intersections

;Texas : at the

Veterans International Bridge at Los Tomates The Veterans International Bridge at Los Tomates is one of three international bridges that span the Mexico–United States border between the cities of Brownsville, Texas, and Matamoros, Tamaulipas. It is also known as simply as the Veterans Brid ...

at the

Mexico–United States border The Mexico–United States border ( es, frontera Estados Unidos–México) is an international border separating Mexico and the United States, extending from the Pacific Ocean in the west to the Gulf of Mexico in the east. The border trave ...

in Brownsville. US 77/US 83 travels concurrently to Harlingen. : in Brownsville. The highways travel concurrently to Harlingen. : in Brownsville : in Harlingen. I-2/US 83 travels concurrently to north of Abram-Perezville. : in Pharr : in Laredo. The highways travel concurrently to Botines. : in Laredo : in Carrizo Springs : in La Pryor : in Uvalde : northwest of

Segovia Segovia ( , , ) is a city in the autonomous community of Castile and León, Spain. It is the capital and most populated municipality of the Province of Segovia. Segovia is in the Inner Plateau ('' Meseta central''), near the northern slopes of t ...

. The highways travel concurrently to

. : in Junction. US 83/US 377 travels concurrently to north of Junction. : in

Menard Menard may refer to: Places Canada *Menard River, a tributary of the Wawagosic River in Quebec, Canada United States * Menard County, Illinois ** Menard, Illinois * Menard County, Texas ** Menard, Texas * Menard–Hodges site, archaeological s ...

. The highways travel concurrently to north of Menard. : in Eden : in Ballinger. The highways travel concurrently through Ballinger. : east-northeast of Tuscola. The highways travel concurrently to Abilene. : in Abilene. The highways travel concurrently to north of

Anson Anson may refer to: People * Anson (name), a give name and surname ** Anson family, a British aristocratic family with the surname Place names ;United States * Anson, Indiana * Anson, Kansas * Anson, Maine ** Anson (CDP), Maine * Anson, Missour ...

. : in Abilene : in Anson : in Aspermont. The highways travel concurrently to north-northwest of Aspermont. : south of Guthrie : in

Paducah Paducah ( ) is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of McCracken County, Kentucky. The largest city in the Jackson Purchase region, it is located at the confluence of the Tennessee and the Ohio rivers, halfway between St. Louis, Miss ...

. US 62/US 83 travels concurrently to north of Childress. : in Childress : in Shamrock : south-southwest of

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

. The highways travel concurrently to north-northeast of Canadian. ;Oklahoma : in Bryan's Corner : south-southeast of Turpin. The highways travel concurrently to north of Turpin. : north of Turpin. US 83/US 270 travels concurrently to

Liberal, Kansas Liberal is the county seat of Seward County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 19,825. Liberal is home of Seward County Community College. History Early settler S. S. Rogers built the first hous ...

. ;Kansas : in Liberal : northwest of Kismet. The highways travel concurrently to north-northwest of Sublette. : southwest of Sublette : in Garden City. The highways travel concurrently to north-northwest of Garden City. : in Oakley. The highways travel concurrently through Oakley. : north-northwest of Oakley : south-southeast of Gem : in Oberlin ;Nebraska : in McCook. The highways travel concurrently through McCook. : in North Platte : in North Platte : south-southeast of Valentine. The highways travel concurrently to Valentine. ;South Dakota : in

. The highways travel concurrently to west-southwest of Mission. : southeast of Murdo. The highways travel concurrently to southwest of Vivian. : in Fort Pierre. The highways travel concurrently to west-southwest of

: west of Gettysburg. The highways travel concurrently for approximately . : south of

. The highways travel concurrently to north-northwest of Selby. ;North Dakota : in Sterling. The highways travel concurrently to Bismarck. : in

: at the Canada–United States border north of

References

External links

*
Endpoints of U.S. Highway 83
{{DEFAULTSORT:83 United States Numbered Highway System U.S. Highways in Nebraska U.S. Highways in South Dakota