Highway Page Updates - 2003 (January-June)

June 27: I neglected to add IA 371 to the first Decommissioning Watch table, so I have fixed that. Also, having received confirmation that some signs have been taken down, I put a note under the "Breaking News" box on the title page but don't plan to update the route listings until at least July 1.

June 25:

• I added terminus photo links for Business US 71 (Storm Lake) and defunct IA 226, IA 274, and IA 341.
• Correction for Business IA 2: it does go all the way to US 71, multiplexing with part of Business US 71. And speaking of US 71, Jeff Morrison pointed out a 1937 alignment change south of Sioux Rapids that created IA 351 and 352. He also noticed that IA 385 is still signed as of June 16.
• I did some research at the University of Iowa library on Thursday, en route to visiting my family in Davenport.
• IA 322 (II) was decommissioned in 1972, and IA 191 was truncated at IA 37 in 1973.
• IA 415 was extended from Polk City to IA 17 in 1980 (even though it didn't appear on the 1981 map).
• The breaks in IA 928 (Webster City) and IA 956 in De Witt have always been there; in addition, Independence maintains its segment of IA 939 (even though it is fully signed, or will be until July 1), and IA 948 was turned over to Clinton County in 1987.

June 18:

• Decommissioning update: Jeff Morrison noted that IA 49 markers have been removed on the road itself in Adams County, even though they are still standing on IA 2. Also, according to an article in today's Daily Gate City of Keokuk, IA 16 won't be turned over on July 1; the DOT will keep the road and resurface it, while giving Lee County IA 103 instead. The Decommissioning Watch table has been updated.
• Other updates from Jeff Morrison's road trip of June 15-16:
• Clarinda has a Business IA 2 that follows part of the pre-1972 alignment of IA 2.
• The east-west segment of IA 142 (II) is County Road J18 (not V18).
• IA 152 (I) is a numbered county road, R16.
• There are no county road shields on IA 186 (II); a gravel County Road R27 continues northward from its turn to the west toward Green Valley State Park.

June 15:

• I added terminus photo links for three defunct highways: IA 351, IA 352, and IA 390.
• Decommissioning update: I updated the statuses of IA 931 and IA 945, both of which are still currently signed. I also updated IA 965; Jeff Morrison was in the Cedar Rapids area a week after I was, and nothing had changed.
• Also, for all photographers out there: Jeff Morrison has put together a "most wanted" list of the soon-to-be-decommissioned highways where terminus photos are needed. These highways' signs will disappear forever soon, so your help is appreciated.

June 8:

• Decommissioning update: Chris Dobel reports that IA 107 is no longer signed in Cerro Gordo County.
• At Freeway Junctions, I updated the I-35 exit list; the first single point urban interchange (SPUI) in Iowa opened Friday at Mills Civic Parkway in West Des Moines. (News coverage: KCCI-TV in Des Moines; includes video from Friday's 5:00pm newscast.) What is a SPUI, you ask? Click here to find out.

June 1:

• I changed all links to the AARoads Interstate Guide, which moved recently.
• IA 50 makes a slight turn southward before ending, as new photos on Jeff Morrison's site indicate. In addition, the reverse mile-numbering on IA 160 has been fixed.

May 28: A few updates based on recent news items:

• The Fort Dodge Messenger reported on May 24 that US 20 will be widened to four lanes between Moorland and US 169 by the end of 2005.
• According to this story in the May 27 Washington Evening Journal, the transfer of IA 923 was expected to become official today. (Its new designation, County Road W64, was signed on at junctions with US 218, IA 22, and IA 92 when I was down there on May 18 but it wasn't signed on the highway itself.)
• A couple of Freeway Junctions updates: The East 6th Street/Penn Avenue exit at I-235 has closed for reconstruction, and the signage at Exit 97 on IA 5 has changed again.

May 23:

• Decommissioning update:
• It's official -- many state highways will be decommissioned on July 1 as Gov. Vilsack signed Senate File 451 into law today. (The DOT's press release links to a complete list of affected highways.) I've launched a Decommissioning Watch page that lists all of the signed highways that are scheduled to be turned over to local control as well as the status of those where jurisdictional transfers were already approved.
• According to Chris Dobel, the north ends of IA 107 and the west end of IA 122 have not changed as of May 16. I also updated the note on the IA 49 listing, as Adams County will be taking its share of the highway on July 1 with the passing of the transfer bill.
• I also made a trip to the Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, Mount Pleasant, and Ottumwa areas last weekend and noticed that nothing has changed with IA 965, but Washington County's share of IA 923 is now signed as County Road W64 south of IA 22.
• At Freeway Junctions, I made minor revisions to the I-80 central, I-380, and US 218 lists after last weekend's road trip.

May 15:

• Decommissioning update: IA 195 was converted to the decommissioned format; per Jeff Morrison's earlier correspondence, the signs were expected to come down on Monday. Jeff also pointed out that Cerro Gordo County will maintain all of its share of IA 107, including the segments through Thornton and Meservey; although I haven't received confirmation of its decommissioning, I updated the note. In addition, after further review, the mile and a half of IA 923 north of IA 92 in Washington County is still a state highway -- for now.
• I added a new section to the Links page, dealing with links to local metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) that have their own websites.

May 13:

• Decommissioning update: IA 102 is gone. Matt Kono was in the area on May 9 and noted that the signs were removed from its former east end in New Sharon.
• I added a new terminus photo link for IA 240, and updated links for IA 10, the northern IA 15, and IA 110.

May 10:

• The Photo Gallery remodeling is finished! I've uploaded new pages for Council Bluffs and Fort Dodge.
• Terminus photo links were added for IA 147, unsigned IA 162 (and Business US 218 in Charles City), and former IA 949 (and Business US 34 in Glenwood).
• Decommissioning update:
• Jeff Morrison confirmed that IA 142 in Appanoose County is no more (and that IA 371, whose status at this point is unknown, will not become County Road T67 as previously reported). He also contacted the DOT on Monday and received a map of the roads that are scheduled to be turned over on July 1 if Senate File 451 is signed into law (which could be any day now; the bill is currently in Gov. Vilsack's office). I am currently working on a page that lists these roads and will have the list online after the bill becomes law.
• The Des Moines Register reported Wednesday that Polk County is scheduled to take over IA 316 north of Runnells, IA 931, and IA 945 this summer, while the north end of IA 415 will be realigned to end at a new interchange that's under construction with IA 141 when a new road connecting IA 141 with the bridge across Saylorville Lake to Polk City opens in July. Notes were added to the four linked listings.
• I also updated the IA 923 listing; the road in Washington County is probably under county control by now, leaving only 7½ miles in Johnson County (which will be turned over if the bill becomes law).

May 3:

• I converted the Odds 'n' Ends section into the new format, splitting it into four pages. I kept the county road photos page; I also moved the County Road D46 photo from the Waterloo/Cedar Falls page to the county roads page (since I felt that it fits better there). I distributed the remaining photos -- and some new ones -- onto new pages for western, central, and eastern Iowa. The western Iowa page includes counties along and west of US 71, and the central Iowa page includes those along and west of US 63. These three pages have also been rearranged so that they are sorted by county. I'm almost done; all that's left are to upload are new pages for Council Bluffs and Fort Dodge.
• After 63 years, the Centennial Bridge in Davenport became toll-free yesterday (coverage: Quad City Times, May 3). I updated the US 67 listing, the IL 92 exit list, and some captions on the Quad Cities Photo Gallery page. This leaves the IA 2 crossing at Fort Madison as the only remaining toll bridge over the Mississippi; by contrast, according to the 1983 state transportation map, eight of the 13 crossings between Iowa and Illinois were toll bridges 20 years ago.
• Also in the news, the Iowa House voted 74-24 to pass Senate File 451 on Tuesday. It appears that barring a veto from Gov. Vilsack, more roads will be decommissioned on July 1; as of right now I am not sure which ones.

April 27:

• Decommissioning update: Jeff Morrison contacted several counties and DOT offices on Friday to check the statuses of roads where transfers of jurisdiction have been approved, and he posted the results in this misc.transport.road message. With that in mind:
• IA 314 and IA 315 have been converted to the decommissioned format. Signs for both roads were taken down in April.
• IA 195 signs are expected to come down on May 12. Terminus photo links -- with photos taken as active highways -- have been added to the previous three listings. Links were also added for IA 124 and IA 197, which haven't been decommissioned -- yet.
• Taylor County's segment of IA 49 won't be turned over until July 1. In addition, signs for IA 107 in Cerro Gordo County and 122 east of Mason City are also expected to come down by July 1.
• IA 102, 142, and 385 -- which are still signed -- were also updated.
Also, on Wednesday the Senate voted 43-7 to pass Senate File 451, a bill that would allow the DOT to decommission certain roads without any compensation (amendments to protect IA 79, IA 99, and IA 16 east of US 218 from decommissioning were defeated). The bill is now in the House Appropriations Committee for discussion, and with a week to go in this year's Legislative session things could get interesting. Will more roads be cut from the state highway system come July 1?
• Brandon Gorte's Illinois exit lists are back online; I changed the links from the Freeway Junctions title page and the I-80 east, I-88, and I-74 lists. (The links to the index and eastern Wisconsin pages will come back once he puts the appropriate pages back up.)

April 20: I converted the Lincoln Highway and Avenue of the Saints Photo Gallery sections to the new format. All that's left to convert is the Odds 'n' Ends section; I also plan to add new sections for Fort Dodge, with photos from November 2002, and Council Bluffs, with photos from the January 19 roadgeek meet.

April 14: I finally got a chance to field-check the rest of I-35 between the Missouri state line and Des Moines yesterday; I made the appropriate corrections to the exit list.

April 12:

• I converted the Sioux City and Waterloo/Cedar Falls Photo Gallery pages to the new format.
• I also added links to Interstate highways that currently have entrance photos on Neil Bratney's site: I-29, I-35, I-74, I-80, and I-129.

April 6:

• I converted the Mason City and Quad Cities Photo Gallery pages to the new format, adding four new photos to the Quad Cities page.
• I added a note to the IA 982 listing; a 1988 article in the Des Moines Register profiled it as a "No Name Highway" that confused drivers and led the DOT to sign some of the 900-series highways shortly afterwards.

March 29:

• I converted the Dubuque and Iowa City Photo Gallery pages to the new format. Five new photos, all from my trip back to eastern Iowa for Christmas 2002, were added to the Iowa City page.
• It's official: IA 405 is the shortest posted highway in Iowa. Jeff Morrison went on a three-day trip through northwest Iowa last week (photos can be found here), and he confirmed that what's left of IA 341 is not signed; in his words, "The .06-mile segment pretty much just entitles the DOT to put up a mileage sign and plow around the little traffic island." He also noticed that the east-west IA 124 makes a turn to the north before ending.

March 23:

• I put a message on the title page to support our troops overseas; it will remain up until the war in Iraq is over.
• I redid the Scenic and Historic Routes page, converting the page to a format similar to that of the route listings and adding images of trail markers (except for the Loess Hills Scenic By-Way, which I currently don't have a photo of). While at it I listed most (if not all) of the Dragoon Trail's main and alternate routes, based on (1) a 1994 brochure I found at the west-side branch of the Public Library of Des Moines and (2) the Iowa DOT's PDF maps, which were used to list street names and road surfaces. It's a complicated route, to say the least! I also found some more information on the Hiawatha Pioneer Trail based on a 1964 brochure that I bought for a quarter at a Des Moines antique store recently.
• I also updated the US 65/IA 5 exit list as the signage at the Fleur Drive interchange has changed.

March 10:

• I converted the Burlington and Cedar Rapids Photo Gallery pages to the new format, adding new photos to the latter.
• I also added a terminus photo link for IA 956.

March 2:

• I uploaded the first new-format Photo Gallery page: Des Moines.
• I also added terminus photo links for IA 273, IA 346, and Business US 63 in New Hampton; added entrance links for US 18 and US 65; and updated the links for IA 32 and IA 386 (their new common end has its own page now).
• After further review of maps, IA 47 (II) was an east-west spur, not a north-south.
• At Freeway Junctions, I made a minor update to the I-235 list, as the trailblazer to eastbound IA 163 along westbound I-235 has been moved to the Guthrie Avenue exit.

February 28:

• The Fort Dodge Messenger reported on February 21 that the opening of US 20 between US 65 and IA 14 will likely be delayed to October. On a similar note, the Sioux City Journal ran a story on February 8 about the ongoing effort to widen US 20 in northwest Iowa.
• At Freeway Junctions, I updated the US 61 list; Nick Wilwert pointed out that the signs for the Ice Harbor were recently changed to read "Port of Dubuque."
• I added terminus photo links for IA 50, 76 (and Business US 18 in Marquette/McGregor), old 87, and old 246, and updated the link for IA 144.
• Looking through the new PDF-format county maps (dated January 1, 2002) that the DOT posted on its map website, I noted that the old segment of US 218 through Mount Pleasant is officially IA 438, while the recently-decommissioned segment of old US 61 through Blue Grass was indeed part of IA 421. While at it I noted in all soon-to-be-decommissioned listings (see the January 20 update below) the dates that the DOT approved the transfers of jurisdiction; in some cases I changed the decommissioning dates to the dates of DOT approval instead of county approval for consistency purposes. Again, if any of these roads are not signed anymore, please let me know!
• No, I haven't forgotten about the Photo Gallery even though most of the photos I've taken lately have been going to Jeff Morrison's terminus photo pages. I am planning an overhaul of the Gallery, converting each page to a thumbnail-link format. As I do this I will add whatever new photos I have and update any captions that need updating. I will start uploading new pages, one section at a time (Des Moines will be the first), next month.

February 15:

• Another project website -- that of the IA 100 extension in the Cedar Rapids area -- has been discontinued.
• I fixed these terminus photo links after Jeff Morrison moved their pages: IA 82, 142, 198, 199, 200, 201, 279, 287, and 363.

February 9: Entrance photo links have been added for US 52, old 55, 59, 71, 75, 77, 151, old 161, old 163, 169, 218, and 275. I also added terminus photo links for IA 26 and old 90 (III) and updated the links for IA 9.

February 2:

• I added entrance photo links to US 61, 63, 67, and 69.
• I tweaked with the format of the Links page while adding some new links and updating a few others.

January 25:

• I dropped the Guestbook feature from the main page because of the lack of activity. If you wish to leave feedback, please e-mail me instead.
• Another project website -- that of the repeatedly-delayed US 61 bypass of Fort Madison -- was discontinued recently.
• I added a note to IA 965 that's similar to the ones I added on January 20; the Iowa City Press-Citizen reported Thursday that the DOT will transfer the rest of IA 965 in the Cedar Rapids city limits to the city.
• I added terminus photo links for old IA 164 and old 395, and updated the link for IA 202.
• I added notes to IA 160 about its backwards mile markers, and to IA 212 stating that part of the old piece is IA 940, which is now the shortest road to have a terminus photo link.

January 21:

• A followup to the IA 49 note I posted yesterday: Jeff Morrison contacted the Taylor County engineer, and the decommissioning will become final on or after April 1; however, Adams County has not been contacted about taking over its segment. (I also clarified IA 107 and IA 122; the links are to the public notices of the impending transfers of jurisdiction. The actual transfer was approved on December 30 and published in the Thornton Southern Co. News on January 9.)
• I added seven decommissioned roads to the 900-series page. These roads meet the criteria I set for listing 900s that I set, but they must have existed for at least ten years. They are:
  • IA 924, old US 61/151 in Dubuque from 1982-92
  • IA 947, old US 20 between IA 38 and Dyersville from 1964-80
  • IA 948, old US 30 through De Witt from 1975-92
  • IA 950, a connector between Altoona and Pleasant Hill from 1980-94
  • IA 964, old IA 92 in the Knoxville area from 1977-96
  • IA 974, old US 30 and IA 150 near Mount Vernon from 1965-80
  • IA 986, old US 75 in northern Harrison County from 1969-85
  Three more roads also meet these criteria -- IA 951 (old IA 95 (II) from 1982-93), IA 966 (old 416 from 1980-96), and IA 970 (old IA 475) -- but they are listed under the highways that they replaced.
• I updated terminus photo links for IA 68 (moved), and 24 and 150 (their common end in Calmar has its own page now). New links were added for Business US 20 and Business US 75 (officially IA 376) in Sioux City.
• Nick Wilwert reports that the two links on US 20 projects in the Dubuque area -- us20.com and us20online.com -- will no longer be running as of January 27. The links were removed from the listing.

January 20:

• The biggest mass decommissioning since 1980 is underway. In the wake of possible legislation that would allow the DOT to turn state highways over to counties without any compensation (which is currently illegal), several cities and counties have agreed to transfers of jurisdiction within the past month. Jeff Morrison put together a list based on newspaper reports, public notice ads, and county boards of supervisors' meetings and gave me a copy at the Great Plains roadgeek meeting in Council Bluffs yesterday. As of today, all or part of these signed roads have been turned over:
  • IA 49, by Taylor County on December 26 and 30
  • IA 60, by Sioux County and the city of Alton on January 14 (this is for a segment that will be bypassed by a new four-lane road; I would assume the actual transfer will occur when the four-lane opens)
  • IA 102, by Mahaska County on December 23
  • IA 107, by Cerro Gordo County on January 2
  • IA 122 east of Mason City, by Cerro Gordo County on January 2
  • IA 142, by Appanoose County and the city of Plano on January 14
  • IA 195, by Pocahontas County on December 17
  • IA 314, by Palo Alto County on December 3 and the city of Ayrshire on December 14
  • IA 315, by Pocahontas County on December 15
  • IA 371, by Mahaska County on December 23
  • IA 385, by Mills County on December 30
  Links to public notices and/or newspaper articles, if any, can be found at the appropriate listings; the January 14 transfers were approved at that day's DOT meeting. For all listings except 60, I have added notes in yellow boxes stating that transfers of jurisdiction have been approved. These listings will be updated, and the roads that are being decommissioned entirely will be converted to the decommissioned road listing format, as soon as I receive confirmation that the signs for the appropriate highway have been taken down.
• Several unsigned highways have also been turned over. Those include:
  • IA 263 (II), by Black Hawk County on December 17 (this was for the old segment of US 20 that ran along the Black Hawk/Grundy county line from the point where the freeway ended before November 2000; Grundy County had previously accepted jurisdiction of the rest of old US 20)
  • IA 289 (II), by Lee County on December 17
  • IA 296 (II), by the city of Norwalk on January 14 (this was a former segment of IA 28)
  • IA 373 (II), by Muscatine County on December 23 (this used to be a segment of US 61/IA 92 that was bypassed by a new four-lane)
  • IA 421, by Muscatine County on December 23
  • IA 923 in Washington County, on January 14 (effective April 1)
  • IA 949 and IA 978, by Mills County on December 30 (this was reported in the Fremont-Mills Beacon-Enterprise on January 9)
  • IA 956 by the city of Eldridge on December 9, Clinton County on December 16, and Scott County on December 19. (Although this had been previously reported, I fixed the date.)
  Even though the transfers of jurisdiction likely will not be finalized for a few months, most of them were converted to the "decommissioned" format since the roads weren't signed to begin with. The exceptions were IA 263 and 923 since the dates of transfer are already known (they will be switched when it happens); I added a note for 923 like I did with the signed highways.
• I added some notes about US 30 from the trip Jeff Morrison and I took to yesterday's meeting. These include a segment west of Denison that most maps showed as four lanes until the 1970s, as well as a couple of short "wrong-way" multiplexes in Dunlap and Denison.

January 18: I fixed the terminus photo links for IA 931, Business US 18 (Mason City), Business US 34 (Chariton), and Business US 61 (Muscatine), while adding new links for old IA 114 (II), old 125, 316, old 326, 340, 364, and old 401.

January 14:

• I changed all links to the Minnesota Highways Page after Steve Riner moved it. I also added a link to Jeff Morrison's new page of US 20 construction photos from that listing.
• Mark Odor found the date that IA 330 was relocated around Marshalltown, replacing IA 233. Both listings were updated.

January 12:

• IA 956 is no more. Last month both Scott and Clinton counties agreed to take jurisdiction of the road from the DOT, based on coverage in the North Scott Press of Eldridge and the Clinton Herald. (In the near future I will add other decommissioned 900-series roads that were longer than three miles long and had lasted at least ten years.)
• Terminus photo links were added for IA 56 and 359, while the links for IA 223, 234, and 245 (II) were changed. In addition, Jeff Morrison created a new page for the southwest end of IA 330 and north end of IA 117, but he also kept the old pages up for comparison purposes (IA 117 and US 65 were slightly realigned to cross the diagonal expressway at a perpendicular angle). He also found a mid-1930s extension of IA 107 from Thornton to Meservey.
• After another trip to the State Historical Building, I found some opening dates for I-29 in the Sioux City area -- with a tidbit on a 1962 bridge collapse that was mentioned on a map I recently bought from an eBay trader -- and for every segment of I-380. Most of the dates for the latter came from a Gazette front-page feature story on August 5, 1984. I also found the date that US 151 was extended to I-80, and added a piece on how the extension came as a result of a long controversy over a short piece of road (based on various Des Moines Register articles I've looked at as part of my research).
• I added a link to the I-74 Corridor Study website from that highway's listing.
• At Freeway Junctions, I updated the I-35 list; Dave Mohler pointed out that Graceland College is now Graceland University, plus I-35 crosses the Grand River (some maps call it the Thompson, but the signs say "Grand") at mile marker 7.

January 4:

• It's hard to believe the Iowa Highways Page is five years old already! I added a note commemorating this to the title page.
• Jeff Morrison found an earlier version of IA 230 on a 1931 map; the second version was created as the result of a US 75 realignment in the mid-1930s.
• The multiplex of IA 3 and IA 5 (I) lasted until 1962, not 1969 as previously stated.
• IA 191 shared part of IA 37 in the 1950s and 1960s, while IA 37 also shared a segment with IA 175 during this time period.

Past updates:

• 2002 (second half)
• 2002 (first half)
• 2001
• 2000

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