Texas US 59 in the state of
Texas is named the Lloyd Bentsen Highway, after
Lloyd Bentsen, former U.S. senator from Texas. In northern
Houston, US 59, co-signed with
I-69, is the Eastex Freeway (from
Downtown Houston to the
Liberty–
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 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. (1971-1993) and the
Democratic vice-presidential nominee (1988). 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 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 which ends at the
Juarez-Lincoln International Bridge. After crossing the bridge into
Mexico, I-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. skyscrapers along US 59
Arkansas In
Arkansas, US 59 is concurrent with
US 71 from
I-30 at
Texarkana to
Acorn, and with
US 270 from Acorn to the
Oklahoma state line. The Third Loop was to be extended on
I-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 with US 59 and US 71 in Texas.
Oklahoma US 59 and
US 412 are co-signed for in
Delaware County, Oklahoma. 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 , and
Lawrence, 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 Marais 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 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 over the
Amelia Earhart Bridge. US 59 has been rebuilt and rerouted just to the east between Lawrence and
Ottawa 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 travels northerly through the northwest corner of the state, largely amidst the
Missouri River Valley and
Loess Hills. The highway crosses the Missouri River east of Atchison, Kansas at
Winthrop and travels northeast towards
St. Joseph. In St. Joseph, the highway is paired with
I-229 through downtown, and then departs from I-229 as Saint Joseph Avenue. It later joins with
Bus. US 71 at its first junction with
I-29 in
Andrew County. US 59 and Bus. US 71 continue up to and through
Savannah before reaching
US 71, where the business route terminates, and US 59 continues west. US 59 then tracks with I-29 closely through
Holt County, crossing it four separate times, until diverging northward at
Craig. There it begins a very northerly route that it follows through the rest of the state. It passes through
Fairfax and
Tarkio before exiting the state north of Tarkio. ==History==