End of US highway 73

View a map showing this route.

Photo credits: Neil Bratney; Andy Field; Richie Kennedy; Jeremy Lance; Jeff Morrison; Alex Nitzman; Ben Prusia; me
Additional research: Dan Drackley; Jeff Morrison

Approx. time period North terminus South terminus
1926-1932 (near Auburn, NE) Atoka, OK
1932-1935 South Sioux City, NE Atoka, OK
1935-1965 South Sioux City, NE Kansas City, KS (7th)
1965-1984 Winnebago, NE Kansas City, KS (7th)
1984-2008 (near Dawson, NE) Kansas City, KS (I-435)
2008-present (near Dawson, NE) Bonner Springs, KS (I-70)

US 73 was an original 1926 route. At the time, its south end extended all the way down to Atoka OK - south of Kansas City, US 73's route was essentially along what is now US 69:

OK DoT, 1934

However, the modern junction of US 69 and US 75 does not mark the location of the historic terminus. Rather, it seems more likely that US 75 came into town from the north on Sandy Road. Where it met California Avenue (below)...

Brooks, Sep. 2005

...US 75 continued to the right, but to the left on California was the south beginning of US 73. In other words, the car shown above is heading north on historic US 75. To continue doing so, he would have to turn towards the camera, but if he continued straight, he'd be at the historic south beginning of US 73. The photo below shows the perspective from that driver:

Brooks, Sep. 2005

Northbound US 75 turned left on Sandy, and US 73 began straight ahead on California. Below we're looking at the former end of US 73:

Brooks, Sep. 2005

Southbound US 75 was straight ahead on California, and northbound was to the right on Sandy. Robert reports the stone bridge in the foreground was inscribed with the date "1930".

Originally the north end of US 73 was also at its junction with US 75 - this was just south of Auburn NE. The photo below is looking north on US 75:

Google Maps Street View, 2008

Auburn is about four miles ahead. The green sign at right indicates that the little settlement of Howe is one mile to the right via a county road. That county road was once the north beginning of US 73. After US 73 was changed to its current alignment around 1936, its historic segment (from here through Howe, Stella, and Shubert, to the current US 73) became NE hwy. 54. The segment from US 75 to Stella has since been removed from the state highway log, but old US 73 from Stella to Shubert is still maintained by the state as NE 62, and from Shubert to modern US 73 is now NE 67.

During this time (1926-1934) there was a split in the route of US 73. The north end of this split was in Horton KS. The photo below is looking west on 15th Street (northbound US 73 and westbound KS hwy. 20 today). Northbound US 73E ended here, and northbound US 73W came in from the left on 1st Avenue East. Northbound US 73 went ahead for one block, then turned north (right, same as it does today):

me, Oct. 2002

The assembly visible behind the K-20 sign is shown below:

me, Oct. 2002

That's the modern perspective of a traveller at the historic north end of US 73W. US 73 was to the left, and US 73E was to the right. That followed today's US 73 to Kansas City, and then modern US 69 down to southeast Kansas. US 73W essentially followed what is now US 59 to Oswego KS - that's where the two routes rejoined. US 59 and US 159 were commissioned in 1934. They eliminated the need for US 73W, so US 73E was then redesignated as mainline US 73.

In 1932 the north end of US 73 was extended to US 20 in South Sioux City NE; you can view photos from there on this page.

In 1965 the north end of US 73 was truncated to Winnebago NE. The photo below is looking west on northbound US 75, which continues to the right from here with US 77. Winnebago is just to the right:

Morrison, Sep. 2007

That used to be the north end of US 73. Below, we're heading south out of Winnebago on US 75/77. US 75 takes a left here, onto what was the former north beginning of US 73:

Morrison, Sep. 2007

Between about 1935-1957 (when US 73 ran through here instead of ending here), straight ahead was designated US 73W, and to the left was designated US 73E. The two routes joined up again about 40 miles down the road, in Tekamah. The photo below is looking the opposite direction (northbound):

Morrison, Sep. 2007

To the right on southbound US 75 was once the north beginning of US 73.

The north end of US 73 was truncated again in 1984; since then its terminus is at a junction about a mile north of Dawson NE:

me, Oct. 2002

At the north end of US 73, you're actually heading due west. The road makes a "Y" intersection with US 75. The road on the left above goes to a stop sign at US 75. The road to the right curves to a merge lane for northbound US 75. If you choose that direction, there's another "End" sign posted:

Lance, 2000

Perhaps that's just to make certain you're not still looking for US 73 signs(?) Below is the beginning of US 73 as seen from southbound US 75:

me, Oct. 2002

Until 1984, US 73 north of here was co-signed with US 75 into Omaha. There the two routes split, with 73 heading north along the west bank of the Missouri River, and US 75 on the Iowa side. When I-29 was built through Iowa, the US 75 designation was moved to the Nebraska side. At that point, the US 73 designation became unnecessary north of Dawson.

In 1935 the south end of US 73 was truncated to Kansas City KS. From Leavenworth, the route enters Kansas City on 139th Street. At its junction with State Avenue, it used to be co-signed with eastbound US 24/US 40. For about 50 years, US 73 followed State east all the way to 7th Street, where it ended at its junction with US 69:

Google Maps Street View, 2008

The shot below is looking south on 7th, or US 69:

Google Maps Street View, 2008

To the right on State was once the original south beginning of US 73. But when I-435 was completed through the area, the US 73 designation was truncated to a terminus further out from the city:

Prusia

That photo was looking east on State; the overpass is I-435. Heading the opposite direction, the beginning of US 73 was signed thus:

Morrison, Oct. 2007

This was the beginning of US 73 as seen from northbound I-435:

Field/Nitzman, Oct. 2004

In Oct. 2008, KDoT received AASHTO's approval to remove US 73 from State, and instead to extend it further south along with K-7, ending at I-70's interchange 224. Signage to this effect was posted in Feb. 2009, and captured on film shortly thereafter:

Kennedy, Mar. 2009

That shot shows signage from westbound I-70 at the exit to the new south beginning of US 73. If you exit there and head north, the first US 73 sign looks like this:

Kennedy, Feb. 2009

Heading the opposite direction, a new "End" assembly is posted at the approach to I-70:

Kennedy, Feb. 2009