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100 years of US routes: 1926-2026
Endpoints of
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1931-1935
North: Dodge City, KS
South: Early, TX
1935-1939
North: Ness City, KS
South: Early, TX
1939-1941
North: Norton, KS
South: Junction, TX
1941-1951
North: Lexington, NE
South: Junction, TX
1951-1970s
North: Lexington, NE
South: Brady, TX
1970s-present
North: Lexington, NE
South: near Brady, TX
View a map showing this route. Mileage: in 1989 AASHTO listed a figure of 730 miles for US 283. That is reasonably close to our own 2020 measurement, which yielded 720.4 miles. Want historic mileages? Our handy reference book includes the mileages that were published in all 13 of AASHO/AASHTO's historic route logs (spanning the years 1927 to 1989).
Early
US 283 was commissioned in 1931; at the time its south terminus was in Early (just outside Brownwood):
c. 1936, TXDoT
There, the original road heading north towards Cisco is CR 381. But traffic had been rerouted onto today's US 183 no later than 1940, so it is uncertain whether US 283 was ever routed along CR 381. This shot was looking southwest on US 67-84-183-377:
Sanderson, Mar. 2014
That is where US 183 splits off today, but to the right was probably the original south beginning of US 283. A short distance ahead is CR 381, which goes to the right, but signage there refers to another route that goes left. It is possible that the original south beginning of US 283 was to the right:
Sanderson, Feb. 2015
At the time of its commissioning, the route description for US 283 had its north end in Norton. However, it took a few years before the highway was actually signposted that far north. In 1932 AASHO said Kansas could sign it only as far north as Dodge City...
c. 1933, KS DoT
...and by the time of the 1936 map, Kansas showed US 283 extending up as far as hwy. 96 at Ness City:
c. 1938, KS DoT
Here, we are looking southbound at that junction; for a time, straight ahead was where US 283 began:
Grier, May 2007
(detail)
Norton
US 283 was finally signposted to US 36 at Norton towards the end of that decade. At the time, US 83 also ran through Norton -- it was signed along what is now KS hwy. 383 southwest out of town, joining the current US 83 near Selden. So US 283 connected to its parent route at Norton, and also to its sibling route (US 183)...
c. 1941, KS DoT
...although that was the case for only a couple years. The history of US 83 and its branch routes (183, 283, and 383) is a bit complex, but if you are interested, that is all explained in more detail in this blog post.
This photo from Norton was looking north on US 283 (State Avenue); historically that designation ended here, because straight ahead was eastbound US 83, while westbound was to the left on Washington Street:
Sanderson, Mar. 2018
Right about that same time (1939), the south end of US 283 was was extended to Junction.
Lexington
In 1941, the US 283 designation was extended north into Nebraska, ending in Lexington:
c. 1949, Gousha
Traffic coming into town was originally directed along Washington Street:
c. 1962, USGS
This photo was looking north on Washington:
Sanderson, Aug. 2005
The former at-grade railroad crossing is behind the "Road Closed" barrier. Just on the other side of the tracks is US 30 (also known as Pacific Avenue in town); that intersection marked the original north end of US 283. This image was looking the same direction, but on the north side of the tracks:
Sanderson, Aug. 2005
US 30 runs across the foreground of that photo. US 283 ended there; downtown Lexington is straight ahead.
Later a new viaduct was built in Lexington, to carry US 283 traffic over the railyards. The upgraded highway is now known as "Plum Creek Parkway", although just about all of it (except the viaduct itself) is the same old southern extension of Washington Street. Because US 30 runs right alongside the railroad, the viaduct flies over not only the railyards, but also over US 30. On its north side, the viaduct comes into downtown Lexington aligned with Jackson Street. Northbound US 283 traffic is routed east onto 5th Street and then south on Jefferson Street, looping around to a junction with US 30 on its north side:
NDOR
Perhaps since much traffic is headed further north into Lexington (rather than back south to US 30), northbound US 283 traffic formerly encountered several "End" signs. If one's destination was not US 30, these signs were presumably there to let drivers know that it may be counterproductive to continue following the route of US 283. But as a result, Lexington easily held the national record for the most "End" signs at a single terminus. Witness: these shots were looking north on Jackson, right where the viaduct comes back down to the surface:
Sanderson, Aug. 2005
Sanderson, Aug. 2005
Technically US 283 continues to the right. Travelers who turn that way saw this assembly before reaching the next block (Jefferson)...
Sanderson, Aug. 2005
...and if one turned right again (south on Jefferson), they encountered two additional "End" signs:
Sanderson, Aug. 2005
Sanderson, Aug. 2005
That would be the true north endpoint of US 283, although it seems the DoT was making every effort to keep drivers from coming that far! And there was still one additional "End" sign:
Sanderson, Aug. 2005
The assembly at left is for traffic heading south on Grant... which seems a little odd, since northbound 283 traffic is not directed onto that road. But presumably drivers who know their way around and who want westbound US 30 (as opposed to eastbound) use Grant instead of Jefferson.
In that photo, the assembly at right marks the north beginning of US 283 for traffic on eastbound US 30. This image shows that same grouping face-on:
Sanderson, Jun. 2020
The signage in this next photo was for traffic heading the opposite direction (west on US 30). The Madison Street viaduct is visible three blocks in the distance. Washington is just one block ahead, and the original north beginning of US 283 was to the left there. But now southbound US 283 is directed right onto Grant (not Jefferson, presumably so that drivers will have only right-hand turns to get to the viaduct):
Sanderson, Aug. 2005
Heading north on Grant, there was a "south" US 283 sign... which is technically correct, but nevertheless may cause confusion:
Sanderson, Feb. 2000
At the next block, traffic is directed east on 5th thus:
Sanderson, Aug. 2005
One block to the right (at Jackson), traffic is directed right again (south) over the viaduct...
...and where that comes back down on the south side was formerly a nice vintage US highway shield:
Sanderson, Feb. 2000 (gone by 2005)
A few blocks ahead, that newer highway joins the original alignment of US 283.
That previously-pictured series of "End" signs did not last much longer; all but the last one were removed sometime around 2010. And then by 2020 the final "End" assembly had been replaced with a green unisign:
Sanderson, Jun. 2020
Brady
In 1951, US 283 was cut back from Junction to a new terminus in Brady (photos and more info on that page). At some point around 1970 the US 283 designation was truncated, such that it ends at its junction with US 87 about four miles northwest of Brady. Nevertheless, US 283 is still referenced in at least one place in Brady proper, and also on another signpost between Brady and its actual terminus:
Turner, Sep. 2024
These photos were taken approaching that junction from Brady, on northbound US 87; the south beginning of US 283 is to the right:
Taylor, Dec. 2000
Sanderson, Aug. 2013
Heading that direction, this photo shows the first northbound sign on US 283:
Taylor, Dec. 2005
These shots show the south beginning as seen from southbound US 87 -- Brady is about four miles ahead:
Taylor, Dec. 2000
Turner, Sep. 2024
This photo shows the perspective from the end of southbound US 283:
Taylor, Dec. 2005
There the road curves to the southwest, so that it junctions US 87 at a perpendicular angle. The green sign in the distance points left to Brady, and right to San Angelo (about 75 miles away, via northbound US 87):
Sanderson, Aug. 2013
Research and/or image credits: Tom Grier; Dale Sanderson; Michael Summa; Stephen Taylor; Charles Turner
Page originally created 2000;last updated Jun. 11, 2025.
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