U.S. Route 54(US 54) is an east–westUnited States Highwaythat runs northeast–southwest for 1,197 miles (1,926 km) fromEl Paso, Texas,toGriggsville, Illinois.TheUnion Pacific Railroad's Tucumcari Line (formerSouthern PacificandRock Island Lines"Golden State Route" ) runs parallel to US 54 from El Paso toPratt, Kansas,which comprises about two-thirds of the route. Truckers refer to this road as "The Bee Line."
 U.S. Route 54 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 US 54 highlighted in red | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Length | 1,197 mi[citation needed](1,926 km) | |||
| Existed | 1926[citation needed]–present | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| South end |  Loop 375inEl Paso, TX | |||
| ||||
| East end |    I-72/US 36/IL 107inGriggsville, IL | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| States | Texas,New Mexico,Oklahoma,Kansas,Missouri,Illinois | |||
| Highway system | ||||
| ||||
The highway's western (and southern) terminus is in the city of El Paso, near theMexican borderand the eastern terminus is atInterstate 72(I-72) in Griggsville.
Route description
edit| mi[1] | km | |
|---|---|---|
| TX(El Paso) | 20 | 32 |
| NM | 355 | 571 |
| TX(Panhandle) | 92 | 148 |
| OK | 56 | 90 |
| KS | 380 | 610 |
| MO | 279 | 449 |
| IL | 24 | 39 |
| Total | 1,206 | 1,941 |
Texas (El Paso)
editUS 54 begins inEl PasoatLoop 375downtown (US 54/Patriot Freeway). The highway serves as a majorfreewayfor the Metro area's network, running north–south along the city's eastern slope of theFranklin Mountainsrange. The highway runs through the city for approximately 20 miles (32 km) before reaching theNew Mexicostate line. Within the network, it is a military connector forFort BlissandHolloman Air Force Base.
New Mexico
edit
US 54 entersNew MexicoinChaparralas part of theEl Paso, TexasMetro area network. It also serves as a military highway to connectFort Blissin El Paso toHolloman Air Force BaseinAlamogordo, New Mexico(viaU.S. Route 70). The speed limit is 75 mph on the divided highway section upon entering the state to approximately 10 miles (16 km) south of Alamogordo, with a 35 mph zone inOrogrande.Upon entering Alamogordo, US 54 becomes concurrent withU.S. Route 70.US 54/US 70 then intersects the beginning ofU.S. Route 82at the north end of Alamogordo (nearLa Luz). The limit is 60 mph from Alamogordo toTularosaand 55 mph north of Tularosa, where the concurrency with US 70 ends, and the highway reverts to being two lanes wide and not divided. The highway runs north through the central portion of the state, passing throughCarrizozoand intersectingU.S. Route 380.The route then turns northeast before passing throughVaughn.Upon entering Vaughn, the route is briefly concurrent withU.S. Route 60andU.S. Route 285.In Vaughn, US 285 splits off to the south. Exiting Vaughn, US 60 splits off to the southeast, and the route continues northeast toSanta Rosawhere it becomes concurrent withInterstate 40.The I-40 concurrency lasts for 59 miles (95 km) toTucumcari.The highway then exits the state back intoTexasatNara Visa.The highway runs for 354 miles (570 km) in New Mexico, and is signed as a north–south route through the state.
Texas (Panhandle)
editThe highway re-enters theTexas Panhandlejust beyond Nara Visa, New Mexico, and continues northeast for 92 miles (148 km) to the Oklahoma border. Major Texas cities along US 54 in the panhandle areDalhartandStratford.
Oklahoma
editUS 54 runs through theOklahoma Panhandlefrom southwest to northeast. It enters atTexhoma,then continues northeast throughGoodwellbefore enteringGuymon.In Guymon, it intersectsUS 412and begins a concurrency withUS-64.It goes northeast throughOptimaandHooker,where US 64 turns east. After going northeast throughTyrone,it enters Kansas just before entering Liberal, Kansas.
Kansas
edit
US 54 enters the state from Oklahoma inSeward County,and travels through the cities ofLiberalandPlains,where it runs concurrently withUS 160inMeade County.Just east of the city ofMeade,US 54 splits from US 160 and continues in a northeasterly direction through Meade andFordcounties before beginning a long concurrency withUS 400inMullinvilleinKiowa County.
The highway then travels through the town ofGreensburgand continues as a two-lane road throughPratt,Cunningham,andKingman.At Pratt, the Union Pacific railroad tracks which paralleled the highway for over 600 miles (970 km) from El Paso turn to the northeast (towards Topeka) and leave US 54. The road becomes a divided highway in easternKingman County.From Kingman to Garden Plain inSedgwick Countyit is a freeway but becomes an at-grade expressway as it passes through Goddard and approaches Wichita.
The freeway resumes as the road crosses the city limits of Wichita nearWichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport.In Wichita, US 54/US 400 is known as Kellogg Avenue, and has junctions withI-235,I-135andI-35,theKansas Turnpike,before a junction withK-96.The Kellogg Avenue freeway has six lanes and extends 15 miles (24 km) from 111th Street on the west side of Wichita to Zelta just after the I-35/Kansas Turnpike interchange on the east side. Upgrading of Kellogg Avenue from a surface arterial to a freeway has been underway since the mid-1980s, with the latest interchange project opening in late 2019. The road gets its name from Milo Bailey Kellogg, a shopkeeper and Civil War veteran who was the city's first civilian postmaster in 1870.
The concurrency of US 54 and US 400 continues throughAugustainButler Countybefore US 400 heads east toward theMissouristate line, while US 54 forms a brief concurrency withUS 77throughEl Dorado.At El Dorado, US 54 continues its easterly course through rural areas inGreenwoodandWoodsoncounties before passing through the cities ofIolaandFort Scott;US 77 heads north toJunction City.US 54 exits Kansas inBourbon Countybefore reachingNevada, Missouri.
Missouri
editIn Missouri, US 54 runs from the southwest portion of the state to the northeast. It is a major conduit through theOzarksand is the primary access road toPomme de Terre LakeandLake of the Ozarks.After entering the state it passes throughNevada,El Dorado Springs,Hermitage,crossing Lake of the Ozarks the first time just north ofHa Ha Tonka State Park.It passes throughCamdentonand crosses the lake a second time on theGrand Glaize BridgeatOsage Beachbefore bypassingEldonand going throughJefferson City,where it crosses theMissouri Rivervia theJefferson City Bridgeand briefly overlapsU.S. Route 63.Just north of the bridge, it splits passing throughFulton,crossingInterstate 70atKingdom City,bypassingMexico,sharing a concurrency withHighway 19throughLaddonia,passing just north ofVandalia,and ultimately crossing theMississippi Rivervia theChamp Clark BridgeintoIllinoisatLouisiana.
Illinois
editIn the state ofIllinois,U.S. 54 runs from the Champ Clark Bridge over theMississippi Riverto its terminus atInterstate 72southwest ofGriggsville.Before the eastern terminus was cut back to I-72, U.S. 54 continued northeast via several existing roads, including the currentIllinois Route 54,Illinois Route 50,and Governors' Highway, into downtownChicago,where it ended at Michigan Avenue and Lake Shore Drive. It is a rural, two-lane surface street for its entire length in Illinois. In the state of Illinois, U.S. 54 is 23.96 miles (38.56 km) long.[2]
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History
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Illinois
editInitially, US 54 ended at the junction of present-day IL 106 (former portion of US 36).[3]In 1935, it replaced a portion of IL 107 betweenLouisiana, Missouriand New Hartford, Illinois.[4]From 1942 to 1971, US 54 reacheddowntown Chicago.[5][6]It then got truncated back to its previous northern terminus. This was in favor of portions of US 36,Illinois Route 54,US 45,Illinois Route 50, Governors Highway, Wood Street, 127th Street, Halsted Street, Vincennes Avenue, State Street, and Michigan Avenue.[6][7]The four-lane section of U.S. 36 northeast of Pittsfield now also carries Interstate 72 east to Springfield. As of 1992, US 54 was extended northeast to US 36 and present-day I-72 (exit 35). That same year, the section of road that once carried Illinois Route 54 through Springfield is no longer designated as a numbered highway.[8]Now Illinois Route 54 starts at the Interstate 55 exit and goes northeast to Onarga, where it ends at U.S. Route 45. US 54 once joined with US 45 to Kankakee, but that highway is now designated as US 45 alone to Gilman, then US 45 and US 24 through Gilman, then US 45 alone again until a four-way intersection with U.S. Route 52 and Illinois Route 49, and US 45 and US 52 through Kankakee. Between Kankakee and Monee, the section that once carried US 54 is now marked asIllinois Route 50.
Major intersections
edit
- New Mexico
US 70inAlamogordo.The highways travel concurrently toTularosa.
US 82in Alamogordo
US 380inCarrizozo
US 60/US 285southwest ofVaughn.The highways travel concurrently to southeast of Vaughn.
US 84inSanta Rosa.The highways travel concurrently through the city.
I-40/US 84in Santa Rosa. I-40/US 54 travels concurrently toTucumcari.- US 84in Santa Rosa
- Texas
US 87/US 385inDalhart
US 287inStratford
- Oklahoma
US 412inGuymon.The highways travel concurrently through the city.
US 64in Guymon. The highways travel concurrently toHooker.
- Kansas
US 83/US 270inLiberal
US 160east ofPlains.The highways travel concurrently to east ofMeade.
US 283inMinneola
US 400east ofMullinville.The highways travel concurrently toPickrell Corner.
US 183west ofGreensburg
US 281inPratt
I-235inWichita
I-135/US 81in Wichita
I-35in Wichita
US 77inAugusta.The highways travel concurrently toEl Dorado.
US 75inYates Center
US 169east ofIola
US 59inMoran
US 69north ofFort Scott.The highways travel concurrently to Fort Scott.
- Missouri
I-49/US 71inNevada
US 65inPreston
US 50/US 63inJefferson City.US 54/US 63 travels concurrently through the city.
I-70/US 40inKingdom City
US 61north ofBowling Green
- Illinois
- I-72/US 36inGriggsville Township
- IL 107in Griggsville Township
Related route
editSee also
edit
References
edit- ^"U.S. Route Number Database"(Dec 2009 ed.).American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.Retrieved2011-02-05.
- ^Illinois Technology Transfer Center (2006)."T2 GIS Data".Retrieved2007-11-08.
- ^Illinois Secretary of State; Rand McNally (1934).Official Road Map Illinois(Map). [c. 1:950,000 and c. 1:1,110,000]. Springfield: Illinois Secretary of State.OCLC183709045.RetrievedSeptember 13,2020– via Illinois Digital Archives.
- ^Illinois Secretary of State; H.M. Gousha (1935).Official Road Map Illinois(Map). [c. 1:950,000 and c. 1:1,110,000]. Springfield: Illinois Secretary of State.RetrievedSeptember 13,2020– via Illinois Digital Archives.
- ^Illinois Secretary of State; Rand McNally (1942).Illinois Road Map(Map). c. 1:918,720. Springfield: Illinois Secretary of State.RetrievedSeptember 13,2020– via Illinois Digital Archives.
- ^abIllinois Division of Highways; Rand McNally (1971).Illinois Official Highway Map(Map). [1:772,500]. Springfield: Illinois Division of Highways.RetrievedSeptember 13,2020– via Illinois Digital Archives.
- ^Illinois Department of Transportation (1972).Illinois Official Highway Map(Map). [1:772,500]. Springfield: Illinois Department of Transportation.RetrievedSeptember 13,2020– via Illinois Digital Archives.
- ^Illinois Department of Transportation (1991).Illinois Highway Map(Map) (1991–1992 ed.). [1:762,500]. Springfield: Illinois Department of Transportation.RetrievedSeptember 13,2020– via Illinois Digital Archives.
- ^Rand McNally (2014).The Road Atlas(Walmart ed.). Chicago: Rand McNally. pp. 33, 40–41, 58–59, 68, 82, 98–99.ISBN978-0-528-00771-2.
External links
edit- Endpoints of U.S. Highway 54
- Kansas Highway Maps:Current,Historic,KDOT
| Browse numbered routes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
← FM 53 | TX | → SH 54 | ||
← SH-53 | OK | → SH-54 | ||
← K-53 | KS | → K-55 | ||
← Route 53 | MO | → I-55 | ||
← IL 53 | IL | → IL 54 | ||