U.S. Route 59

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{{Infobox U.S. Route |article_route=59 |type=Primary |length_mi=1,911<ref name="droz">Droz, Robert V. U.S. Highways: From US 1 to (US 830). 9 March 2006.</ref> |length_km=3,075.5 |yrcom=1934<ref name="droz"/> |direction_a=South |direction_b=North |from=Laredo, TX |to=Canadian border north of Lancaster, MN }}

U.S. Route 59 is a north-south United States highway (though it is signed east-west in parts of Texas). A latecomer to the US numbered route system, U.S. 59 is now a border-to-border route. It parallels U.S. Route 75 for nearly its entire route, never much more than 100 miles away, until it veers southwest in Houston, Texas.

In Houston, residents often refer to highways by name. To the north, U.S. 59 is the Eastex Freeway. To the south, it is the Southwest Freeway, the busiest section of freeway in the United States with a vehicle count of nearly 400,000 daily.

Contents 1 Termini 2 Historic termini 3 Business U.S. Route 59 4 Alternate routes 5 States traversed 6 Related US Routes 7 Notes 8 References

Termini

As of 2004, the highway's northern terminus is 9 miles north of Lancaster, Minnesota at the Canadian border, where it continues as Provincial Highway 59. Its southern terminus is in Laredo, Texas at an intersection with Interstate 35 and U.S. Route 83, just short of the Mexican border.

Historic termini

From 1934 to 1935, the U.S. 59 designation referred to a 50-mile-long route across southeastern Minnesota, from Lake City, Minnesota to the Iowa border just short of Chester, Iowa. That entire route is now part of U.S. Route 63, and nowhere close to the present U.S. 59, established in 1935.<ref name="droz"/>

Business U.S. Route 59

• Texarkana, Texas (decommissioned)
• Carthage, Texas
• Nacogdoches, Texas
• Lufkin, Texas
• Victoria, Texas

Alternate routes

Though it is not signed as an Alternate US Route, Arkansas State Highway 59 parallels US 59 between Siloam Springs and Fort Smith. U.S. 59 and U.S. Route 412 are co-signed in Oklahoma for 10 miles, then US 59 turns south right at the Arkansas border. One mile into Arkansas, AR 59 also turns south from U.S. 412. U.S. 59 bears east to Sallisaw, Oklahoma, while AR 59 hugs the border to Fort Smith. From there, the official U.S. 59 is 10 miles west down U.S. Route 271 (in Oklahoma), or 60 miles south down U.S. Route 71 (at Mena, Arkansas).

States traversed

The highway passes through the following states:

• Minnesota
• Iowa
• Missouri
• Kansas
• Oklahoma
• Arkansas (with U.S. Route 270 from the Oklahoma State Line to Acorn and U.S. Route 71 from Acorn to Interstate 30 at Texarkana.
• Texas

Related US Routes

• U.S. Route 159
• U.S. Route 259

Notes

• U.S. 59 originally crossed into North Dakota from Pembina until the early 1950's.
• A large portion of U.S. 59 is proposed to become part of the future extension of Interstate 69 through Texas.

References

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