About 0.9 miles (1.4 km) of US 160 is located within New Mexico. The highway travels northeast through extreme northwestern New Mexico, intersecting State Road 597, which provides access to the Four Corners Monument.[1] US-160 along with NM-597 do not connect to any other portion of the New Mexico state highway network, requiring New Mexico Department of Transportation crews to travel through either Arizona or Colorado to access it.
East of Interstate 35, it intersects U.S. Route 77 in Winfield. It goes east from Winfield, then turns north to Burden, then goes east before going south to Elk City. It then turns east and goes through Independence after being concurrent with U.S. Route 75. It continues east, is briefly concurrent with U.S. Route 169 and then intersects U.S. Route 59 at Altamont. US-160 and US-59 then go into Oswego and separate. At Columbus, US-160 begins a concurrency with U.S. Route 69, which goes east to Crestline, then north to Frontenac, Kansas. Also at Crestline, it picks up a second concurrency with U.S. Route 400, which goes north and ends just south of Pittsburg, Kansas. After Frontenac, it turns east and enters Missouri.
In 1970 many US highways in the Four Corners region were re-aligned. U.S. 160 was diverted southwesterly from Cortez, Colorado to follow its present route past the Four Corners into Arizona, absorbing the route numbered U.S. Route 164 from 1964-1970.[4]
Former eastern terminus of US 160 in Poplar Bluff, Missouri.
The eastern terminus of US 160 was originally located at an intersection with U.S. Route 60 and then-U.S. Route 66 in Springfield, Missouri (Grant Avenue and College Street). In the 1950s, the terminus moved eastward across the state to an intersection with then-US 60 and then-U.S. Route 67 (now US 60 Bus. and U.S. Route 67 Business) in Poplar Bluff. The extension between Springfield and Poplar Bluff was parallel to U.S. Route 65 from Springfield to Highlandville. Between Highlandville and Holister, the highways ran concurrently. Past Holister, US 160 headed east across the Ozark Mountains.[5] Route 160 was later routed further north in the Branson area, replacing a section of Route 148.[6] In 2007, the terminus was moved to its current location southwest of Poplar Bluff, eliminating a concurrency between US 160 and two other highways (US 67 and US 67 Business) over the last 10 miles (16 km) of US 160.
Missouri
When U.S. Route 160 was formed in Missouri in 1930, it replaced Route 12, which had been created in 1922 as Route 36 from Kansas to Springfield and renumbered in 1926 due to US 36. The 1950s extension absorbed Route 80 (Gainesville to West Plains in 1922, later extended west to Lakeview and east to Thomasville) and the part of Route 14 east of Alton (created in 1922 as Route 42, and later absorbed by Route 14).
U.S. 160 Business is a business loop that serves Mancos located in southwestern Colorado. It begins west of Mancos and goes straight through downtown. It parallels the Mancos River as it leaves town before it terminates at US 160.
U.S. Route 160 Business is a business loop that serves Bayfield located in southwestern Colorado. The entire route runs along Bayfield parkway which begins at US 160 west of Bayfield. It crosses the Los Pinos River and runs north of downtown until it reaches its eastern terminus at US 160.
U.S. Route 160 Business is a business loop that serves Willard in southwestern Missouri. It runs along Jackson Street from US 160 northwest of Willard and through downtown before it terminates at US 160 southeast of town. It is also a former alignment of US 160 as it was rerouted on a bypass around Willard.
