U.S. Route 166

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Template:Infobox U.S. Route U.S. Route 166 is an east-west United States highway. This route and US 266 are the only two remaining children of historic U.S. Highway 66, since US 666 was decommissioned in 2003.

US 166 meets the old route of US 66, now designated Alt US 69, in Baxter Springs in the southeast corner of Kansas.

Route description

U.S. 166's western terminus in South Haven, Kansas

U.S. 166's eastern terminus approaching I-44 in Newton County, Missouri

As of 2006, the highway's western terminus is in South Haven, Kansas at an intersection with U.S. 81, approximately 1 mile north of the northern terminus of U.S. Highway 177. From this point, it heads east for about four miles, where it intersects the Kansas Turnpike (Interstate 35) at exit 4. It then enters Arkansas City, where it meets U.S. 77 and overlaps it for approximately two miles, splitting off near Parkerfield.

U.S. 166 crosses into Chautauqua County shortly before passing through Cedar Vale. It runs south of Sedan, intersecting K-99. Near Havana, U.S. 166 has an interchange with U.S. 75, where the two routes begin a concurrency. U.S. 166 splits off just north of Caney. It has a brief concurrency with U.S. 169 in the Coffeyville area. It also overlaps U.S. 59 through Chetopa before crossing U.S. Route 69 north of Treece. In Baxter Springs, it crosses U.S. 69 Alternate before joining with U.S. 400 west of town. Just before crossing into Missouri, it serves as the southern terminus of K-26.

U.S. 166's eastern terminus is southwest of Joplin, Missouri at an intersection with Interstate 44 one mile (1.6 km) from the Kansas border. It's also about 1000 feet (300 meters) from the point where Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma meet. U.S. Route 400 also ends here, and the routes are co-signed from this point to near Baxter Springs, Kansas, a distance of approximately 10 miles (16 km).

History

US 166 is an original 1926 route and originally ran from Baxter Springs, Kansas to South Haven. In 1945, it was extended east through Joplin, Missouri, where it paralleled U.S. Route 66 to Springfield, Missouri. This extension absorbed Route 38, which had been formed in 1922 from Carthage to west of Springfield and realigned to Joplin in about 1930, with the former route becoming Route 38N and soon U.S. Route 71 Alternate. In 1966, following the completion of the last section of Interstate 44 in Missouri, the east end of US 166 was truncated back from Springfield to its current terminus. Most sections of US 166 between Joplin and Springfield were not upgraded to interstate standards and were renumbered as I-44 Business Loops, state highways (such as Route 174) or turned over to local or county jurisdiction.