Montana Highway 59

(Redirected from U.S. Highway 312)

Highway 59 (MT 59) is a 195.389-mile (314.448 km) state highway in Montana, United States, that connects Wyoming Highway 59 (WYO 59) in Wyoming with Montana Highway 200 (MT 200) near the south end of the town of Jordan. WYO 59 continues south 57 miles (92 km) to the city of Gillette. The landscape traversed by MT 59 is mostly hilly and arid, largely used for open-range grazing; the only major commercial areas are the towns of Broadus and Miles City.

Montana Highway 59 marker
Montana Highway 59
Map
MT 59 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by MDT
Length195.389 mi[1] (314.448 km)
Major junctions
South end WYO 59 at Wyoming state line
Major intersections
North end MT 200 at Jordan
Location
CountryUnited States
StateMontana
CountiesPowder River, Custer, Rosebud, Garfield
Highway system
MT 56 MT 64

For approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) in and near Broadus, MT 59 is concurrent with U.S. Route 212 (US 212).

Route description

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MT 59 continues as Fence Creek Road from the Wyoming state line across the desert for several miles before travelling concurrently with US 212 north. The highway enters the town of Broadus as Park Avenue heading north, and turns onto Holt Street, leaving the town headed west. Passing by the Broadus Airport and the Rolling Hills Golf Course, MT 59 splits off from US 212 and continues northwest and then north through Olive and through meadows. Several miles later, MT 59 travels through Volborg before entering Miles City and has an interchange with Interstate 94 (I-94) on Haynes Avenue. The route turns west on Main Street, briefly travelling concurrently with I-94 Business (I-94 Bus.) before turning northwest on North 7th Street and crossing the Yellowstone River. MT 59 intersects Montana Secondary Highway 489 (S-489) across from the Miles City Airport before continuing through the plains of eastern Montana. The highway travels through Angela and Cohagen before ending at MT 200 in Jordan.[2]

History

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The current MT 59 is an amalgamation of three roadway segments, each formerly numbered separately. The highway south of Broadus was originally designated as S-319.[citation needed] From Broadus to Miles City, the highway was U.S. Route 312 (US 312) until 1979,[3] and MT 59 north of Miles City was originally MT 22.[citation needed] Although US 312 continued west from Miles City to Billings, this was a concurrency with US 10 (and later I-90), and only the part between Miles City and Broadus was independent.[4] However, from 1959 to 1962, US 312 extended west to Yellowstone National Park, and its east end was at US 12 in Forsyth. In 1962, US 212, which had ended in Miles City, was rerouted to absorb former US 312 southwest of Billings, and US 312 was extended southeast to Broadus over former US 212.[5]

Major intersections

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CountyLocationmi[1]kmDestinationsNotes
Powder River0.0000.000 
 
WYO 59 south – Gillette
Wyoming state line; southern terminus
8.15413.123 
 
S-544 east – Belle Creek
Western terminus of S-544
29.30447.160 
 
US 212 east – Alzada, Belle Fourche
South end of US 212 concurrency
31.85651.267Powderville (S-398 north)Southern terminus of S-398
33.75254.319 
 
S-391 south
Northern terminus of S-391
36.42258.616 
 
US 212 west – Billings
North end of US 212 concurrency
Custer99.544160.201 
 
S-332 south (Tongue River Road)
Northern terminus of S-332
Miles City110.410177.688  I-94 (US 12) – Billings, BismarckI-94 exit 138
112.244180.639 
 
I-94 BL east
South end of I-94 Bus. concurrency
112.676181.334 
 
I-94 BL west (Main Street)
North end of I-94 Bus. concurrency
114.864184.856 
 
S-489 east – Airport, Kinsey, Pirogue Island State Park
Western terminus of S-489
RosebudRock Springs147.653237.624 
 
S-462 north
Southern terminus of S-462
Garfield195.389314.448  MT 200 – Lewistown, JordanNorthern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Montana Road Log" (PDF). Montana Department of Transportation. 2011. Retrieved December 24, 2013.
  2. ^ "Overview map of MT 59" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved December 24, 2013.
  3. ^ Special Committee on U.S. Route Numbering (June 25, 1979). "Route Numbering Committee Agenda Showing Action Taken by the Executive Committee" (PDF) (Report). Washington, DC: American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. p. 503. Retrieved June 4, 2023 – via Wikimedia Commons.
  4. ^ The Official Montana 1978 Highway Map (PDF) (Map). 1 inch = approx. 22 miles. Cartography by H.M. Gousha Company. Helena: Montana Department of Transportation. 1978. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
  5. ^ U.S. Route Numbering Committee (June 20, 1961). "U.S. Route Numbering Committee Agenda Showing Action Taken by Executive Committee" (PDF) (Report). Washington, DC: American Association of State Highway Officials. pp. 220–221. Retrieved June 4, 2023 – via Wikimedia Commons.
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