Colorado State Highway 159 Explained

State:CO
Type:CO
Route:159
Map:Colorado State Highway 159 Map.svg
Map Notes:Map of Costilla County in southern Colorado with SH 159 highlighted in red
Length Mi:33.661
Length Round:3
Length Ref:[1]
Direction A:South
Terminus A: at New Mexico state line
Junction: San Luis
Direction B:North
Terminus B: near Fort Garland
Counties:Costilla
Previous Type:CO
Previous Route:157
Next Type:US
Next Route:160

State Highway 159 (SH 159) is a 33.661adj=midNaNadj=mid state highway in far southern Colorado. SH 159's southern terminus is a continuation as New Mexico State Road 522 (NM 522) at the New Mexico state line, and the northern terminus is at U.S. Route 160 (US 160) near Fort Garland.

Route description

SH 159 starts in the south at the New Mexico state line where the road becomes NM 522 which heads south towards Taos, NM. From the state line the road heads north to meet US 160 at its north end just outside Fort Garland. There is only one town along the route, San Luis, which is at the road's midpoint. San Luis is also the site of SH 159's junction with SH 142, the only significant junction along the route.

History

The route was established in the 1920s and paved by 1938. The route remains as it was when established.[2]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Segment Descriptions for Highway 159. 2008-03-26. Colorado Department of Transportation.
  2. Web site: Colorado Routes 140-159. Salek, Matthew E.. 2010-04-09.