U.S. Route 259

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U.S. Route 259 marker

U.S. Route 259

Map
US 259 highlighted in red
Route information
Auxiliary route of US 59
Length250 mi (400 km)
Existed1963[1]–present
Major junctions
South end
Major intersections
North end US 59 / US 270 near Heavener, OK
Location
CountryUnited States
StatesTexas, Oklahoma
Highway system

U.S. Route 259 (US 259, US-259) is a north–south spur of U.S. Route 59 that runs for 250 miles (400 km) through rural areas of northeastern Texas and southeastern Oklahoma. The highway's southern terminus is near Nacogdoches, Texas, at an interchange with its parent route, US 59. Its northern terminus is in the Ouachita Mountains, approximately 15 miles (24 km) south of Heavener, Oklahoma, where it reunites with US 59. For most of its length, US 259 lies 30–50 miles (48–80 km) to the west of its parent route.

Route description[edit]

First reassurance marker heading north from the southern terminus in Nacogdoches, Texas

Texas[edit]

US 259 begins at an intersection with its parent, US 59 (future Interstate 69), on the north side of Nacogdoches, Texas. The highway continues due north, passing through Mount Enterprise, and around the eastern side of Henderson and Kilgore. In Kilgore, Texas, US 259 is known as the Charles K. Devall Memorial Highway, as named by the Texas Legislature.[2] It then has a concurrency with Interstate 20 of about 6 miles (9.7 km), then continues north around the eastern edge of Longview along Eastman Rd. The highway continues due north, crossing Interstate 30 in northern Morris County, and crossing into Oklahoma in northwest Bowie County.

Oklahoma[edit]

Northern terminus of US 259 in the Ouachita Mountains

After crossing into McCurtain County, Oklahoma, US-259 immediately meets State Highway 87, and continues north through Harris. Maps indicate that US-259 and SH-87 overlap to Idabel, but officially, this is not the case,[3] and ODOT signage does not reflect a concurrency.

US-259 bypasses Idabel to the south and east, concurring with U.S. Highway 70 Bypass. East of Idabel, the bypass route ends, and US-259 begins a concurrency with mainline US-70 and SH-3. The three highways continue north to Broken Bow, where US-70 splits to the east toward DeQueen, Arkansas, and SH-3 splits to the west, bound for Antlers. US-259 continues north alone, taking a winding path through the Ouachita Mountains of southeastern Oklahoma. The route passes Broken Bow Lake on its west side, with State Highway 259A serving as an access loop to the lake and Beavers Bend State Resort. Near the lake, US-259 crosses through the Ouachita National Forest for the first time. Near Smithville, the highway serves as the western terminus of State Highway 4.

North of the SH-4 junction, US-259 crosses into Le Flore County. The U.S. route then serves as the eastern terminus of SH-144 near Octavia. US-259 reenters the national forest north of this junction, and intersects SH-63 at Big Cedar. It then has a junction with SH-1, the Talimena Drive. The highway reunites with US-59 about 10 miles (16 km) south of Heavener, reaching its northern terminus.

History[edit]

In Texas, the highway was designated in 1962 and assumed the entire route of a previous iteration and alignment of State Highway 26, which was then cancelled.[4] (The SH 26 designation has since returned, on another roadway elsewhere in the state.)

Prior to 1985, US 259 between Kilgore and Longview followed the current route of Texas State Highway 31. It entered Longview from the southwest at the intersection of South Street and Spur 63. It then followed Spur 63 to US 80. US 259 then ran concurrently with US 80 to Eastman Road. At the US 80/Eastman Rd. intersection, the previous alignment of US 259 turned left to go north on Eastman. In 1985, US 259 was rerouted to its current route along Interstate 20 to Eastman Road, then left to go north, along the eastern edge of Longview, bypassing the central business district.

Major intersections[edit]

StateCountyLocationmi[5]kmExitDestinationsNotes
TexasNacogdochesRedfield0.000.00



Future I-69 / US 59 / I-69 BL south / Bus. US 59 south (North Street) – Nacogdoches, Garrison, Lufkin, SFASU
Interchange; southern terminus; road continues as Bus. I-69 south/Bus. US 59 south (North Street); U.S. 59 is the future Interstate 69

FM 698 west

SH 204 west – Cushing

FM 2664 east

FM 1087 east
RuskMount Enterprise US 84 (Rusk Street) – Rusk, Timpson

SH 315 east – Carthage

FM 2496 west
FM 1798 – Laneville, MindenInterchange

FM 3310 north
Henderson
US 79 south – Jacksonville, Palestine
South end of US 79 overlap



Bus. US 79 south / FM 840 south – Downtown Henderson



US 79 north / SH 43 north / SH 64 west – Tyler, Tatum, Carthage
North end of US 79 overlap

FM 782 east – Oak Hill

SH 322 north – Airport

Loop 571 south (Landon Alford Loop)

FM 2276 south
South end of FM 2276 overlap

FM 2276 north
North end of FM 2276 overlap
Jacobs FM 850 – Overton
Pitner Junction
FM 918 west – Overton


Bus. US 259 north – Kilgore
Interchange; northbound exit and southbound entrance
FM 1249Interchange
Gregg FM 2204Interchange
Kilgore FM 349Interchange


Bus. US 259 south (SH 31 west) – Kilgore
Interchange; southbound exit and northbound entrance; south end of SH 31 overlap
Kinsloe


SH 31 east to I-20 west
North end of SH 31 overlap

I-20 west – Dallas
South end of I-20 overlap; southbound exit and northbound entrance; I-20 exit 589; southbound entrance via Post Oak Road
591 FM 2087 (Old Kilgore Highway) / FM 2011Exit numbers follow I-20
Longview595

SH 322 south (Estes Parkway) / Loop 281 north – Downtown, Longview, Amtrak
Split into exits 595A (south) and 595B (north) northbound


I-20 east / SH 149 south (Eastman Road south) – Carthage
North end of I-20 overlap; south end of SH 149 overlap; I-20 exit 596

SH 149 ends / US 80 (Marshall Avenue) – Downtown Longview, Hallsville, Marshall, Kilgore College
Northern terminus of SH 149; north end of SH 149 overlap
FM 2208 (Alpine Street) – Harleton
Loop 281Interchange

FM 1844 west
FM 2751

Spur 502 south – Downtown Longview

FM 449 east

FM 1650 west – Gilmer
UpshurDiana
FM 3245 east
SH 154 – Gilmer, Marshall
Old Diana FM 726 – Lake O' The Pines, Jefferson
Ore City

FM 450 south / FM 1649 west – Harleton, Lake O' The Pines
SH 155 – Linden, GilmerInterchange

FM 557 west – Pittsburg
Camp
No major junctions
MorrisLone Star
FM 729 east (Lone Star Boulevard) – Jefferson, Lake O' The Pines North Shore

FM 250 north (Industrial Boulevard) – Hughes Springs

FM 3421 east
Jenkins

FM 144 north / FM 997 south – Cason
Daingerfield

SH 11 east / SH 49 east (W.M. Watson Boulevard) – Hughes Springs, Linden, Jefferson, Daingerfield State Park
South end of SH 11 / SH 49 overlap

SH 11 west (W.M. Watson Boulevard) – Pittsburg
North end of SH 11 overlap

FM 130 east

SH 49 west – Mount Pleasant
North end of SH 49 overlap
Rocky Branch
SH 338 north – Naples

Spur 284 west
Omaha US 67 – Mount Pleasant, Texarkana, Omaha Business District

FM 144 south

SH 77 east
I-30 – Dallas, TexarkanaI-30 exit 178

FM 71 west – Talco
Bowie
FM 561 east – Dalby Springs


FM 44 east / FM 992 east
South end of FM 44 overlap


FM 44 west to FM 992
North end of FM 44 overlap

FM 1701 west
De Kalb US 82 – De Kalb, ClarksvilleInterchange
Spring Hill

FM 114 west / FM 2735 south – Clarksville
OklahomaRed River151.1
0.00
243.2
0.00
Bridge over the Red River
McCurtain1.93.1
SH-87 east – Foreman Ark.
Western terminus of SH-87
Idabel19.631.5

US 70 Byp. west (SW Lincoln Road)
Southern end of US-70 Byp. concurrency; serves McCurtain County Regional Airport
22.636.4
SH-3 east (Washington Street) – Haworth
Southern end of SH-3 concurrency
24.539.4
US 70 Byp. ends / US 70 west – Southeastern Oklahoma State University McCurtain Campus, Hugo
Eastern terminus of US-70 Byp.; northern end of US-70 Byp. concurrency; southern end of US-70 concurrency
Broken Bow32.352.0

US 70 east (Martin Luther King Drive) / SH-3 west (Veterans Way) – Antlers, DeQueen Ark.
Northern end of US-70 / SH-3 concurrency
38.662.1
SH-259A east – Beavers Bend
Clockwise terminus of SH-259A
40.665.3 SH-259A – Beavers Bend, Broken Bow DamCounterclockwise terminus of SH-259A
Smithville70.7113.8
SH-4 east – Smithville
Western terminus of SH-4
Le Flore75.4121.3
SH-144 west – Octavia
Eastern terminus of SH-144
Big Cedar89.6144.2 SH-63 – Talihina, Mena
94.6152.2 SH-1 (Talimena Scenic Drive)Interchange via connector road
98.9159.2 US 59 / US 270Northern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

Special routes[edit]

Kilgore business route[edit]

Business plate.svg

Business U.S. Highway 259 marker

Business U.S. Highway 259

LocationKilgore, Texas
Existed2006–present

US-259 has one Business route in Texas. In 2006, a new bypass was completed around the eastern side of Kilgore. The bypass had been proposed as early as 1965, but funding did not become available until the late 1990s. The new bypass was designated as US-259, while the previous route through the Kilgore business district was designated as a business route. The new business route was approved by the AASHO in September 2006.

Idabel bypass[edit]

By-pass plate.svg

U.S. Highway 259 Bypass marker

U.S. Highway 259 Bypass

LocationIdabel, Oklahoma
Existed2000

Formerly, US-259 continued into downtown Idabel, and the southeast portion of the Idabel bypass was double-designated as US-70 Bypass and US-259 Bypass. On 6 March 2000, the bypass route was decommissioned, and mainline US-259 was moved onto the bypass.[6] However, as of 2008, some bypass signage is still in place, including signage indicating the former terminus of Bypass US-259 at US-70/SH-3.

SH-259A[edit]

SH-259A, an Oklahoma state highway, is a 10-mile (16 km) loop to Broken Bow Lake and Beavers Bend Resort Park north of Broken Bow, Oklahoma. It lies partially in the Ouachita National Forest and is occasionally signed as a U.S. highway.

See also[edit]

Related routes[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Highway Re-Numbered". The Daily Oklahoman. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. February 9, 1963. p. 34. Retrieved December 18, 2021 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  2. ^ Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 1193, § 1, eff. June 15, 2001
  3. ^ 2008 Control Section Maps (PDF) (Map). Oklahoma Department of Transportation. p. McCurtain 45. Retrieved 2008-06-06.
  4. ^ Transportation Planning and Programming Division (n.d.). "U.S. Highway No. 259". Highway Designation Files. Texas Department of Transportation. Retrieved June 17, 2015.
  5. ^ Google (June 26, 2014). "US-259 in Oklahoma" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved June 26, 2014.
  6. ^ Oklahoma Department of Transportation, Planning & Research Division. "Memorial Dedication & Revision History - US-259". Retrieved 2008-06-09.

External links[edit]

KML is from Wikidata
Browse numbered routes
SH-251AOK US 266