U.S. Highway 159 is a "child" route of U.S. Highway 59. It currently runs for 85 miles (137 km) from Nortonville, Kansas

Nortonville, Kansas

Nortonville is a city in Jefferson County, Kansas, United States. The population was 620 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Topeka, Kansas Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Nortonville is located at ....

 at U.S. Highway 59 to New Point, Missouri

New Point, Missouri

New Point is an unincorporated community in eastern Holt County, Missouri, United States. It is located about five miles northeast of Oregon. It was originally named Grant. Its post office has closed and mail now comes from Oregon. Its most famous citizen is football Hall of Famer, Roger Wehrli,...

 at U.S. Highway 59. The highway permits through traffic on U.S. 59 to bypass the cities of Atchison, Kansas

Atchison, Kansas

Atchison is a city situated along the Missouri River in the eastern part of Atchison County, located in northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 11,021. It is the county seat and most populous city of Atchison County...

 and Saint Joseph, Missouri

Saint Joseph, Missouri

Saint Joseph is the second largest city in northwest Missouri, only second to Kansas City in size, serving as the county seat for Buchanan County. As of the 2010 census, Saint Joseph had a total population of 76,780, making it the eighth largest city in the state. The St...

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Kansas

US-159 begins at US-59 in Nortonville

Nortonville, Kansas

Nortonville is a city in Jefferson County, Kansas, United States. The population was 620 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Topeka, Kansas Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Nortonville is located at ....

. It joins with U.S. Route 73 in Horton

Horton, Kansas

Horton is a city in Brown County, Kansas, United States. The population was 1,967 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Horton is located at...

. The two highways overlap to the Nebraska border, passing through Hiawatha

Hiawatha, Kansas

Hiawatha is the largest city and county seat of Brown County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 3,172. It is the largest city on U.S. Route 36 between St. Joseph, Missouri, and Denver, Colorado.Hiawatha is named after a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow...

 before leaving the state north of Reserve

Reserve, Kansas

Reserve is a city in Brown County, Kansas, United States. The population was 100 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Reserve is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....

.

Nebraska

U.S. 159 clips the far southeastern corner of Nebraska. It enters south of Falls City

Falls City, Nebraska

Falls City is a city in Richardson County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 4,671 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Richardson County.-Geography:Falls City is located at ....

 concurrently with U.S. Route 73

U.S. Route 73

U.S. Route 73 is a north–south United States highway that runs for 112 miles from northeast Kansas to southeast Nebraska. The highway's southern terminus is Bonner Springs, Kansas at Interstate 70. Its northern terminus is near Dawson, Nebraska at U.S. Highway 75.-Kansas:U.S. Route 73...

. In Falls City U.S. 159 turns east. It leaves the state via the Rulo Bridge at the Missouri River

Missouri River

The Missouri River flows through the central United States, and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the longest river in North America and drains the third largest area, though only the thirteenth largest by discharge. The Missouri's watershed encompasses most of the American Great...

 in Rulo

Rulo, Nebraska

-History:The 'Leary' excavation is the main 'Oneota'- reference to the Missouri River. The Oneota were a 'Mississippi' equal culture that flourished from 1000 to 1650 AD. Oneota are the ancestors of Siouane-speaking tribes. The site is located near present Rulo. Around 1640, the area around the...

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Missouri

US 159 enters northwestern Missouri near Big Lake

Big Lake, Missouri

Big Lake is a village in Holt County, Missouri, United States. The population was 127 at the 2000 census.The village is located on the Big Lake which is the largest oxbow lake in Missouri...

. It crosses Interstate 29 near Fortescue

Fortescue, Missouri

Fortescue is a village in Holt County, Missouri, United States. The population was 51 at the 2000 census, at which time it was a town.-Geography:Fortescue is located at ....

 before ending at US 59 near New Point. Its total length in Missouri is approximately 16 miles (25.7 km).

History

When the route was commissioned in 1934, U.S. Route 159 only went between Nortonville, Kansas and Horton, Kansas. In 1945, it was extended north to Craig, Missouri

Craig, Missouri

Craig is a city in Holt County, Missouri, United States. The population was 309 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Craig is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....

 via Falls City, Nebraska. After 1975, the route in Missouri was altered to go east from the Fortescue area to what is now its current terminus near New Point, Missouri. The old route which went to Craig is now Route 111.

Future

In March 2009, a new bridge, which will replace the current Rulo Bridge, was approved by Nebraska Department of Roads

Nebraska Department of Roads

The Nebraska Department of Roads is the state government agency charged with building and maintaining the state and federal highways in the U.S. state of Nebraska. The main headquarters of the agency is located in Lincoln, the capital city...

. It will be located about 650 feet south of the current bridge..