U.S. Route 59 (US 59) is a north–south U.S. highway (though it was signed east–west in parts of

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

). A latecomer to the U.S. Highway System, US 59 is now a border-to-border route, part of the NAFTA Corridor Highway System. It parallels US 75 for nearly its entire route, never much more than away, until it veers southwest in

Houston, Texas Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

. Its number is out of place since US 59 is either concurrent with or entirely west of US 71. US 59 also goes into St Joseph seeing I-229 and I-29. 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 ...

, at the Lancaster–Tolstoi Border Crossing on the

Canadian border The borders of Canada include: * To the south and west: An international boundary with the United States, forming the Canada–United States border, longest shared border in the world, ; (Informally referred as the 49th parallel north which make ...

, where it continues as Manitoba Highway 59. Its southern terminus is at the

Mexican border Mexico shares international borders with three nations: *To the north the United States–Mexico border, which extends for a length of through the states of Baja California, Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León and Tamaulipas. *To the sou ...

Laredo, Texas Laredo ( ; ) is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Webb County, Texas, Webb County, on the north bank of the Rio Grande in South Texas, across from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Founded in 1755, Laredo grew from a villag ...

, where it continues as Mexican Federal Highway 85D.

Route description

Texas

US 59 in the state of

is named the Lloyd Bentsen Highway, after

Lloyd Bentsen Lloyd Millard Bentsen Jr. (February 11, 1921 – May 23, 2006) was an American politician who served as the 69th United States secretary of the treasury under President Bill Clinton from 1993 to 1994. He served as a United States senator from ...

, former U.S. senator from Texas. In northern

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

, US 59, co-signed with

I-69 Interstate 69 (I-69) is an Interstate Highway in the United States currently consisting of eight unconnected segments. The longest segment runs from Evansville, Indiana, northeast to the Canada–United States border, Canadian border in Po ...

, is the Eastex Freeway (from

Downtown Houston Downtown is the largest central business district in the city of Houston and the largest in the state of Texas, located near the geographic center of the metropolitan area at the confluence of Interstate 10 in Texas, Interstate 10, Interstate 45 ...

to the

Liberty Liberty is the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, or political views. The concept of liberty can vary depending on perspective and context. In the Constitutional ...

– 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 (

overlap Overlap may refer to: * In set theory, an overlap of elements shared between sets is called an intersection, as in a Venn diagram. * In music theory, overlap is a synonym for reinterpretation of a chord at the boundary of two musical phrases * Ove ...

ed by US 71) actually straddles the border between Texas and Arkansas north of I-30 near

Texarkana The Texarkana metropolitan statistical area (MSA), as defined by the United States Office of Management and Budget, is a two-county region anchored by the Twin cities (geographical proximity), twin cities of Texarkana, Texas (population 37,33 ...

, 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, US 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 A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway, and expressway. Other similar terms ...

in the United States. US 59 is known as the "Eastex Freeway" in the north/northeast part of the Houston region. At the Mexican border, it ends at the World Trade International Bridge in Laredo, Texas. In Laredo, US 59 is co-signed with both I-69W and Loop 20, and has an intersection of

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 Mexico–Uni ...

which ends at the Juarez-Lincoln International Bridge. After crossing the bridge into

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

, I-35 continues as Mexican Federal Highway 85 in

Nuevo Laredo Nuevo Laredo () is a city in the Municipality of Nuevo Laredo in the Mexican List of states of Mexico, state of Tamaulipas. The city lies on the banks of the Rio Grande, across from Laredo, Texas, Laredo, United States. The 2010 census popula ...

, which then runs through Mexico and

Central America Central America is a subregion of North America. Its political boundaries are defined as bordering Mexico to the north, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. Central America is usually ...

and ends in

Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

at the

Panama Canal The Panama Canal () is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Caribbean Sea with the Pacific Ocean. It cuts across the narrowest point of the Isthmus of Panama, and is a Channel (geography), conduit for maritime trade between th ...

Arkansas

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...

, US 59 is concurrent with US 71 from I-30 at

Acorn The acorn is the nut (fruit), nut of the oaks and their close relatives (genera ''Quercus'', ''Notholithocarpus'' and ''Lithocarpus'', in the family Fagaceae). It usually contains a seedling surrounded by two cotyledons (seedling leaves), en ...

, and with US 270 from Acorn to the

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

state line. The Third Loop was to be extended on

I-49 Interstate 49 (I-49) is a north–south Interstate Highway with multiple segments. The original portion is entirely within Louisiana with an additional signed portion extending from I-220 in Shreveport to the Arkansas state line, three ne ...

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 with US 59 and US 71 in Texas.

Oklahoma

US 59 and US 412 are co-signed for in

Delaware County, Oklahoma Delaware County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 census, its population was 40,397. Its county seat is Jay. The county was named for the Delaware Indians, who had established a village in the area prior to t ...

. US 59 is co-signed with US 270 from the Arkansas state line to Heavener and US 271 from Poteau to west of Spiro. It is also co-signed with US 64 in Sallisaw.

Kansas

US 59 enters the state just south of Chetopa and runs nearly directly north across the state. It runs concurrently with US 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 Marais Des Cygnes floodwall gates were closed across the highway. The highway now bypasses around Ottawa, running concurrently with I-35 for 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 US 40 and jogs east to cross the

Kansas River The Kansas River, also known as the Kaw, is a meandering river in northeastern Kansas in the United States. It is potentially the southwestern most part of the Missouri River drainage, which is sometimes in turn the northwesternmost portion of ...

near downtown. North of the U.S. 40 and 59 Bridges, it splits with US 40 as it joins US 24 briefly and jogs back west before resuming a northerly course. It continues north to Nortonville, then northeast to Atchison, where it crosses the

Missouri River The Missouri River is a river in the Central United States, Central and Mountain states, Mountain West regions of the United States. The nation's longest, it rises in the eastern Centennial Mountains of the Bitterroot Range of the Rocky Moun ...

over the Amelia Earhart Bridge. US 59 has been rebuilt and rerouted just to the east between Lawrence and

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

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

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

, US 59 roughly follows the

in the northwest corner of the state, from its entrance at Winthrop. In St. Joseph, the highway is paired with I-229 through downtown. US 59 departs from I-229 as Saint Joseph Avenue, joining with US 71 at I-29. The two highways then separate in

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

. US 59 then follows I-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

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

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

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

at Avoca. It passes through the county seats of Harlan, Denison,

Cherokee The Cherokee (; , or ) people are one of the Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, they were concentrated in their homelands, in towns along river valleys of what is now southwestern ...

, and Primghar. Except for small stretches of expressway near Avoca, Denison, and

Holstein Holstein (; ; ; ; ) is the region between the rivers Elbe and Eider (river), Eider. It is the southern half of Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost States of Germany, state of Germany. Holstein once existed as the German County of Holstein (; 8 ...

, 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 Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

south of Worthington, 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 Marshall may refer to: Places Australia *Marshall, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria ** Marshall railway station Canada * Marshall, Saskatchewan * The Marshall, a mountain in British Columbia Liberia * Marshall, Liberia Marshall Is ...

, Clarkfield,

Montevideo Montevideo (, ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2023 census, the city proper has a population of 1,302,954 (about 37.2% of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...

, and Morris. US 59 overlaps I-94/ US 52 in the Fergus Falls area. North of Fergus Falls, US 59 passes through Pelican Rapids, Detroit Lakes, and Thief River Falls before ending at the Lancaster–Tolstoi border crossing on the Canadian 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 Atchison is a city in, and the county seat of, Atchison County, Kansas, United States, along the Missouri River. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 10,885. The city is named in honor of US Senator ...

. However, the

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

(AASHO) 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, crossed the

Red River of the North The Red River (), also called the Red River of the North () to differentiate it from the Red River of the South, Red River in the south of the continent, is a river in the north-central United States and central Canada. Originating at the confl ...

at St. Vincent, 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 route across southeastern Minnesota, from

Lake City, Minnesota Lake City is a city in Goodhue County, Minnesota, Goodhue and Wabasha County, Minnesota, Wabasha counties in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It lies along Lake Pepin, a wide portion of the Mississippi River. The population was 5,252 at the 2020 ...

, to the

state line just short of Chester, Iowa. 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

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 Eminent domain, also known as land acquisition, compulsory purchase, resumption, resumption/compulsory acquisition, or expropriation, is the compulsory acquisition of private property for public use. It does not include the power to take and t ...

proceedings.I69Info.com: "New" and "Old" Terrain
/ref>

Major intersections

;Texas : World Trade International Bridge at the

: in Laredo. The highways travel concurrently through the city. : in Laredo : in George West : east of George West : in Beeville : in Goliad : southwest of Victoria. I-69/US 59 will travel concurrently to

. 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 : in Corrigan : in Lufkin. 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

. : in

Carthage Carthage was an ancient city in Northern Africa, on the eastern side of the Lake of Tunis in what is now Tunisia. Carthage was one of the most important trading hubs of the Ancient Mediterranean and one of the most affluent cities of the classic ...

. The highways travel concurrently to north of Carthage. : in

: 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

state line. ;Arkansas : in

. 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 Page most commonly refers to: * Page (paper), one side of a leaf of paper, as in a book Page, PAGE, pages, or paging may also refer to: Roles * Page (assistance occupation), a professional occupation * Page (servant), traditionally a young m ...

: 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 Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

. : 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 : in Moran : 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 Atchison. ;Missouri : in St. Joseph. 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 a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major West Coast port, Oakland is ...

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

. : on the Franklin–Lincoln township line. The highways travel concurrently to Sanborn. ;Minnesota : in Worthington : 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 Detroit Lakes : in Knute Township : at the

on the Richardville– St. Joseph 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