The Iowa Highways Photo Gallery
Contributed photos
This page is dedicated to photos submitted by viewers of the Iowa Highways Page, organized by county.
After clicking on a link to see the photo, use your browser's "BACK" button to return to this page.
|
|
|
|
This incorrect sign is heading west on County Road J3T in Moravia. Not only is this photo in Iowa instead of Connecticut, Massachusetts, or Vermont (the sign should be IA 5), but Appanoose County isn't served by any US highways. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison) |
|
This sign in Unionville places the distance marker ahead of the IA 2 shield; it's usually the other way around. In addition, the destinations and markers are aligned to the right of the sign. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison) |
|
Although the Missouri border is five miles away, Cincinnati is the last town on IA 5, and the distance sign leaving town lists three Missouri cities. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison) |
|
Although IA 5 hasn't been IA 60 since the beginning of 1969, this motel in Centerville is still called "Motel 60." (Photographed by Jeff Morrison) |
|
Jeff Morrison took this photo, which features two colors of directional markers, along the former IA 142 on June 16, 2003 — weeks after the state turned it over to Appanoose County. "The 'West' must be left over from IA 142, but the Centerville Daily Iowegian clearly showed that the first 142 sign leaving IA 2 was "North". I think it switched directions when J18 left the route. This is where the road itself changes direction (this is facing south)." |
|
|
|
|
In the spring of 2011, the Iowa DOT began placing new markers along the Lincoln Highway after the road was designated as a National Heritage Byway. New signs for the Iowa Valley Scenic Byway followed later that year. The Lincoln Highway has several "loops" along various former alignments, such as this example in Belle Plaine. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison) |
|
|
|
 |
Is it IA 27/58 or IA 58/27? These assemblies on Waterloo Road at the interchange with the expressway showed two different orders when this photo was taken in 2005, but it has since been replaced with IA 27 taking top billing over IA 58. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison) |
|
This horizontal signal display existed on IA 57 west of Hudson Road in Cedar Falls in March 2005, but has since been replaced. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison) |
|
|
|
|
In the summer of 2004, IA 57 (former US 20) west of Parkersburg was closed as a result of a bridge replacement project. The detour followed County Roads T25 and D17 and IA 14 back to IA 57. Yet for southbound IA 14 traffic, detour signs were put up so that drivers would be on westbound and eastbound IA 14 at the same time! (Photographed by Jeff Morrison) |
|
|
|
|
This E18 marker south of Templeton has a white "END" banner, which was probably a leftover from its days as IA 236. By 2006 this assembly was replaced with a "STOP AHEAD" sign. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison) |
|
|
|
 |
This "fork" sign is on IA 3 east of Cherokee, at the point where it splits from its old alignment (the former IA 977) and heads northwest toward US 59. By mid-2007 the wooden sign was replaced with a metal freeway-style sign. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison) |
 
|
Overhead button copy signage was also present at the US 59/IA 3 junction in Cherokee, as these two sign bridges show. Most of these signs had been replaced by mid-2006. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison) |
|
These signs, photographed June 25, 2006, are facing south on US 59. The left two signs are new, as evidenced by the larger initial letter in the directions. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison) |
|
In late 2011, new signs for each of Iowa's scenic byways replaced the standard Iowa Scenic Byway signs. This is an example of the Glacial Trail. (Photographed by Michael Ehret) |
|
|
|
|
This was one of a pair of signs visible along the left lane of westbound US 34 approaching I-35 in Osceola, but the sign photographed here was taken down by early 2011. The other sign, which is in the right lane, reads "US 34 / KEEP RIGHT" and is still standing. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison) |
|
|
|
|
This new sign for the River Bluffs Scenic Byway was spotted in Marquette. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison) |
|
|
|
|
Before Iowa used blue pentagons to mark county roads, it used green squares. Although they're rare now, a few of them are still standing, such as this aging sign which can be found right after turning off US 30 in Dow City. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison) |
|
|
|
 |
In 2006 part of Dallas County Road F90 was detoured onto I-80. In this case, a County Road R16 marker was used, with the "F90" pasted on top. In addition, the detour sign was placed on a bracket with an I-80 shield. The shadow of the original I-80 shield — which was larger than the shield photographed here — is visible in this photo. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison) |
|
|
|
|
A sign assembly noting the end of Davis County Road J3T is visible on the left-hand side of the road, but a standalone marker appears on the right, implying that J3T doesn't end at this point. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison) |
|
|
|
|
Distance signs with six destinations on one sign are uncommon, but Decatur County placed one at County Road J66 in Pleasanton. (Photographed by J.D. Adams) |
|
US 69 and IA 258 shields are present on a barn near the former IA 258's east end. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison) |
|
This green county road marker is east of Garden Grove, just east of where the former IA 204 made a southward turn. This may be a newer sign as it does not show the age that other green signs on this page show. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison) |
|
|
|
|
This new sign for the Delaware Crossing Scenic Byway was spotted along IA 38. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison) |
|
|
|
 |
This unusual square "DMC 99" county road marker, which uses the same colors as the pentagon markers, was spotted in Des Moines County at the junction of County Roads X99 and H38 east of Mediapolis in May 2008. While County Road X99 (formerly IA 99 and briefly County Road 99) had already been detoured at that point, nearby Oakville was submerged by the Iowa River during the flood of 2008 one month later. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison) |
|
|
|
   |
Michael Ehret photographed examples of the three different styles of Adopt-a-Highway signs; these are in Dickinson County, but they're found all over the state. Iowa began its Adopt-a-Highway litter control program in 1989 and many counties and cities have followed suit. |
|
Despite being at an intersection of two state highways, the text on this sign at northbound IA 86 at the junction with IA 9 west of Spirit Lake is in all-uppercase. (Photographed by Michael Ehret) |
|
A "DETOUR US 86" sign was spotted in Dickinson County in 2009. Not only was IA 86 misrepresented, but US 86 has never existed anywhere. (Photographed by Michael Ehret) |
|
|
|
|
This is what the freeway-style signage for westbound US 20 coming off the Julien Dubuque Bridge looked like in the fall of 2001. A decade later, the Iowa Welcome Center logo had been replaced, the "Downtown Civic Center" was stripped from the sign on the right with the arrow moving to below the US 151 marker, and the green sign for the Greyhound Park, Civic Center, and Ice Harbor was replaced. (Photographed by Jay Deetelm) |
|
This sign error on IA 136 at Business US 151 in Cascade was spotted in 2009. (Photographed by Tony Klostermann) |
|
|
|
|
The intersection of IA 3 and IA 187 between Oelwein and Strawberry Point was converted to a traffic circle in mid-2009. Here is a photo of the green sign in advance of the roundabout on westbound IA 3. (Photographed by Tony Klostermann) |
|
|
|
|
Signage of the former brief (less than one mile) multiplex of US 275 and IA 333. IA 333 is to the left of US 275 in this case, even though US highways are usually placed on the left-hand side of US/state multiplex assemblies. IA 333 was truncated at US 275 on July 1, 2003, meaning that this sign assembly is gone now. (Photographed by David Backlin) |
|
Street signage looking west on US 275 at the south junction with IA 2. (Photographed by David Backlin) |
|
This is the same street sign assembly, looking north on US 275 at the south junction with IA 2. 250th Street is the former IA 42 which ran into Riverton. (Photographed by David Backlin) |
|
|
|
|
The Missouri-Mississippi River divide is also signed along IA 44 west of Guthrie Center. Unlike US 30, though, it is actually signed on the highway instead of a roadside park. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison) |
|
|
|
|
This sign is on County Road S57 east of Ackley, at the intersection of IA 57. The sign dates back from IA 57's days as part of US 20, but when the US 20 freeway opened, a "57" was placed over the "20" while the "US" was left alone. One would have to go to Texas to access US 57. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison) |
 |
The first spotted county road with any sort of banner was found in Ackley. Business County Road S56 follows Main and Butler streets while the mainline County Road S56 follows Franklin Street and 10th Avenue. This photo is on southbound Franklin Street at Main Street. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison) |
 |
This Business S56 sign is located on Butler Street heading north after splitting from the mainline S56. The accompanying Glacier Trail marker is for an old auto trail that is signed in Hardin County. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison) |
|
|
|
|
After the decommissioning of IA 225, Jasper County originally put signs up stating that its replacement, County Road F62, was previously IA 225. This sign was in Sully, where IA 225's former west end was. By mid-2010, the "PREV 225" sign had been taken down. (Photographed by Mark Odor) |
|
|
|
|
This sign on IA 1 north of Fairfield leads drivers toward Iowa's newest incorporated community, Vedic City. The city, founded by Transcendental Meditation followers from the Maharishi University in Fairfield, incorporated in 2001 but I didn't spot any signs for it until May 2003. Yet two years later, that sign was replaced by a sign showing the complete name of the community, Maharishi Vedic City. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison) |
|
The new US 34 bypass, under construction in this May 2008 photo, is seen crossing the existing US 34 west of Fairfield. The segment west of Fairfield opened in October 2008 while the rest of the bypass opened in November. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison) |
|
|
|
|
This distance sign on 1st Avenue in Coralville, at the interchange with I-80, was believed to be the westernmost distance sign to list Chicago as a destination until it was replaced in late 2011. Since 2009 Iowa has been gradually replacing assemblies and distance signs on intersecting highways at interchanges with big green signs (examples at I-80 and US 63: here, here, and here). (Photographed by Jeff Morrison) |
|
|
|
|
Lee County places distance signs after each major intersection on its county roads. This example is on County Road J62 west of US 218. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison) |
|
|
|
|
This small green sign with US 30 and I-380 shields can be found at the intersection of County Roads W6E and E70 north of Ely. The "LINN CO" sign indicates that the road re-enters the jurisdiction of Linn County at this point rather than the city of Ely. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison) |
 
|
These two US 13 markers, which are really supposed to be for IA 13, were spotted in Coggon in early 2008. (Photographed by Zach Simmen; submitted by Jeff Morrison) |
|
|
|
|
The southwesternmost I-90 shield in Minnesota can be found at the Iowa/Minnesota border, one mile east of the point where the Iowa, Minnesota, and South Dakota state boundaries intersect. Rock County Road 17 turns southward after the state line to become Lyon County Road K16. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison) |
|
Signing for County Road A10, Iowa's lowest-numbered and lowest-lettered county road, along IA 9 northwest of Larchwood. A10, which is not signed along the route itself, straddles the Iowa/South Dakota state line and passes the point where Iowa, South Dakota, and Minnesota state boundaries meet. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison) |
|
|
|
|
This piece of old IA 92 is just west of the Des Moines River near the Marion County line. Since the bridge across the river was removed when the current IA 92 opened, traffic has to go through Marion County to go anywhere. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison) |
|
This old truss bridge crosses the Des Moines River in western Mahaska County near the Marion County line, northeast of Tracy. Although it is no longer open to vehicular traffic, it was probably the first bridge to carry IA 92 and its predecessor, IA 2 (I), over the Des Moines River. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison) |
|
|
|
|
This view of old IA 92 is northwest of Tracy, facing west. There was a railroad bridge over the tracks west of Tracy, but in late 2004 that bridge was removed and old IA 92 now dead-ends in both directions from the railroad crossing. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison) |
|
This DOT-standard distance sign is present facing north on the former IA 310 south of Harvey. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison) |
 |
This green county road marker was spotted in Marion County. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison) |
|
|
|
 |
This sign at Center Street and Riverside Drive in Marshalltown pointed drivers toward IA 14. It featured an old-style IA 14 marker but was taken down by mid-2010. (Photographed by Mark Odor) |
 |
This set of street signs is on County Road E18 east of the junction with County Road S62, three miles west of Liscomb and 1½ miles south of the Hardin/Marshall county line. Jeff Morrison, who photographed these signs, comments: "To the best of my knowledge there is nothing of extraordinary importance on W Avenue. There are two gravel roads that connect to W Avenue from S62 in Hardin County, so it's not a case of this being the only way to get to it. In short, the existence of this 'To Hardin Co. W Ave.' baffles me." |
|
|
|
 |
These signs on southbound US 275 in Glenwood were photographed on June 16, 2003, by Jeff Morrison; on July 6 he noted that these poles were stripped of their signs, as Business US 34 was decommissioned along with its secret IA 949 designation. |
|
This signage is present where the divided portion of US 34 ends. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison) |
|
US 34 and US 59 intersect at a pseudo-interchange near Emerson, where US 59 goes over US 34 and a short road connects the two. Here is a view of signage heading north on US 59. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison) |
|
|
|
    
|
County Road H35 (old US 34) has several different styles of markers, including the standard pentagon marker and various square markers. (Photographed by Brian McMillin) |
|
|
|
 |
These signs are in southwest Iowa, but they can be found throughout the state along roads that are classified as "minimum maintenance" roads. (Photographed by David Backlin) |
|
|
|
 |
Iowa's highest point (1,670 feet above sea level) is Hawkeye Point, located in a farm northeast of Sibley off IA 60. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison) |
|
A view of westbound County Road A22 at IA 60 east of Sibley, shortly after the bypass opened. (Photographed by Michael Ehret) |
|
Signage of IA 60's interchange with IA 9 north of Sibley. All signs along the Sibley bypass are in Clearview, making it the first bypass to have all-Clearview signage. (Photographed by Michael Ehret) |
 |
Gore signs along the Sibley bypass also feature a different design than the type normally found in Iowa: instead of an exit number tab above the "EXIT" sign, these signs have the exit number on the same sign, much like gore signs in Illinois. Similar gore signs have popped up throughout the rest of the state whenever an existing gore sign needed to be replaced since about mid-2007. (Photographed by Michael Ehret) |
|
|
|
 |
Proof that Business US 71 exists in Clarinda. This "BUSINESS" sign is white-on-green instead of the usual black-on-white. (Photographed by David Backlin) |
 |
Not only does US 71 have a business route in Clarinda, but so does IA 2. This sign on the northwest corner of the courthouse square shows both routes. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison) |
|
Another entry in the "streets named for famous Iowans" department: South 16th Street in Clarinda also bears the name of native son Glenn Miller. (Photographed by David Backlin) |
|
|
|
 |
This sign giving the distance to the East Mixmaster with I-80 and I-235, photographed in October 2001, was taken down after construction to widen I-35 to six lanes in the Ankeny area started. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison) |
|
After southbound I-35 exited onto westbound I-80, but before the off-ramp to eastbound I-80, reassurance shields for I-235 and I-80 appeared. It was signed as a "wrong-way" multiplex even though there really wasn't one. After the new lanes connecting I-235 and I-35 opened in late 2007, I-235 was removed from this sign assembly. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison) |
|
These old button copy signs were on westbound University Avenue (IA 163) in Des Moines at the I-235 overpass before reconstruction. Also note that IA 163 was not posted on the "E University" sign. And "Freeway" as a control city on I-235? The I-235 sign was taken down in December 2004 when the on-ramp to westbound I-235 was closed for reconstruction, while the other sign was taken down by February 2005 as the overpass that the signs were mounted on was removed. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison) |
|
Button-copy print and the ghosts of the US 65/69 multiplex were also present in the sign on the right in this photo. (They were also visible in the advance BGS for this exit on westbound I-235 before reconstruction.) The sign on the left was the advance BGS for the East 6th Street/Penn(sylvania) Avenue interchange, but it was completely stripped when the interchange was reconstructed in 2003. The whole gantry was removed in late 2004 during the I-235 reconstruction. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison) |
|
This worn-out sign on northbound Keo(sauqua) Way pointed traffic onto I-235 before reconstruction. The on-ramp followed 12th Street for a few blocks before splitting, and traffic onto both directions of I-235 merged into the left lanes of the freeway. The ramp onto eastbound I-235 permanently closed in September 2002, while the ramp onto westbound I-235 closed in July 2005 as the entire interchange was rebuilt. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison) |
|
This photo from 2002 shows one of the original signs at the ramp from westbound I-80 to southbound I-35 just before I-80 merges into I-35 in West Des Moines. You can tell that a few things had changed since this sign was installed and the time this photo was taken: (1) the arrow used to point straight downward, (2) Davenport was the control city for eastbound I-80 instead of Chicago, and (3) there was a state highway marker for IA 60 (I) next to the I-35 shield. This sign dated from 1966; the original IA 60 was decommissioned in 1969 as part of the Great Renumbering. The Des Moines Register published a photo of this sign assembly in its September 17, 1966, issue, which confirmed that there was indeed an IA 60 marker on this sign. This sign was replaced in early 2003. (Photographed by Neil Bratney) |
|
Button-copy signs were present on southbound I-35/80 at the West Mixmaster until they were replaced with Clearview signs in mid-2007. In the past there were downward-pointing arrows on these signs; even though they had been stripped off, you could still see where they used to be on these signs. Jeff Morrison, who took this photo, circled where the arrows were. (There was also an "EXIT" to the left of the arrow on the I-235 sign, but that was also stripped off long ago.) |
|
More button copy signage, this time on southbound I-35 at the ramp to eastbound I-235, was present until mid-2007. Again, given the way the "I-35 SOUTH" was positioned on the sign on the left, there probably was an IA 60 marker on that sign when it was originally installed. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison) |
|
The US 65/IA 330 diagonal road was recently widened to four lanes between I-80 and US 30 southwest of Marshalltown. The original alignment was widened except for a spot in northeastern Polk County — because of environmental concerns, a bypass was built in northeastern Polk County. This is a shot of the original US 65, part of which was removed after the bypass opened. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison) |
|
|
|
 |
Iowa has a "1-2" punch in Van Buren County, and it also has a "3-4 punch" in Pocahontas as IA 3 and IA 4 intersect here. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison) |
|
|
|
|
US 275, which runs through the south side of Council Bluffs, is sometimes missigned as IA 275, as this photo from mid-2003 shows. Many of those IA 275 signs were replaced by mid-2006, including this one near the interchange with I-29. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison) |
|
This sign gantry is visible in the above photo. By mid-2006 these signs had been taken down, as the interchange — which had a loop ramp from southbound I-29 from that prevented access to northbound US 275 — was reconfigured to allow access to northbound US 275. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison) |
|
This sign was one of the few IA 275 shields remaining in Council Bluffs as of June 2006. Here is what the assembly looks like as of January 2012, when new markers for the Loess Hills Scenic Byway were placed but the IA 275 marker was not removed or replaced. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison) |
|
Former signage for the left exit to I-29 northbound from I-80 eastbound, coming in from Nebraska. This was taken down by early 2011 due to widening of the Missouri River bridge. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison) |
 |
One of the few standalone I-480 shields in Iowa can be found at the half-diamond interchange at Dodge Park. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison) |
|
A "fork" sign is visible as westbound I-80 approaches I-680. While I-80 is marked as the main route to Council Bluffs and Omaha, I-680 is noted as the route toward North Omaha (which isn't a separate city) and Sioux City, which is accessible via I-29. More photos are on the I-680 terminus photo page. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison) |
|
Exit signage for the I-80/680 split. The interchange with IA 191/County Road G8L, which has been the south end of IA 191 since July 1, 2003, is visible in the background. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison) |
|
There's a goof on this sign on eastbound I-680: the county road should be County Road G8L instead of GL8. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison) |
|
All of the former IA 244 near Neola is visible from this photo, taken about a month before its July 1, 2003, decommissioning. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison) |
|
Signage for southbound I-29's interchange with I-680 near Loveland is visible from the overpass of the former IA 362, now County Road G12. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison) |
|
These signs, which indicate that both eastbound and westbound I-80 are straight ahead, are on southbound US 59 north of Avoca. They may be placed there to prevent traffic from turning onto the road next to the signs. Also worth noting is that the "80" on both shields is bigger than usual. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison) |
|
IA 59 hasn't been used since US 59 was commissioned in 1934, but this IA 59 marker was spotted south of US 6 near Oakland in 2002. (It has since been corrected.) (Photographed by David Backlin) |
|
This assembly shows the correct route marker for US 59. (Photographed by David Backlin) |
 |
Although I-29 never runs through Nebraska, there's never a lack of trailblazer signage. But lo and behold, this sign in downtown Omaha — like many in the city — have the Iowa state name on them! This is on 14th Street; note the absence of a "TO" in this case. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison) |
|
|
|
 |
This marker for the World War White Way Memorial Highway is near the foot of the Government Bridge in Davenport. It was dedicated in honor of Marion Crandell, a Cedar Rapids native and Davenport French teacher who was the first American woman to be killed in active service during World War I (while volunteering in France). After years of neglect, the restored sign was rededicated in March 2001. (Photographed by Vern Wriedt, leader of the restoration effort; he also maintains the Monuments of Davenport site, which is definitely worth a visit.) |
|
|
|
|
Des Moines is listed on this distance sign on IA 44 east of Harlan. While IA 44 ends at Grimes, the sign may be a holdover from 44's days as IA 64, which went into Des Moines. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison) |
|
This sign in Harlan, photographed in 2006, was one of the first spotted signs in Iowa to use Clearview, a new font that the Federal Highway Administration developed for guide signs. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison) |
|
|
|
|
This bridge for the new four-lane IA 60, under construction in mid-2004, is where 10 turns from south to east near Alton. An interchange was not built here. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison) |
|
This is looking eastbound where IA 60 and 10 split. The gravel 450th Street is ahead, but the interchange serving Alton was built here. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison) |
|
These signs were changed after the Alton bypass opened. The old IA 60 is now marked as "TO" IA 60, leading to the Alton/Orange City exit, while a new green distance sign was put up here. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison) |
|
Signage for the Alton/Orange City exit along IA 60. Since the interchange is not directly with IA 10, it is marked as "TO IA 10" instead — and the initial letter in "TO" is larger, something that is usually reserved for directions on newer signs. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison) |
|
Facing northeast, this long bridge crosses present IA 60 and the railroad tracks just north of 470th Street. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison) |
|
Southwest of Alton, the construction actually starts up a bit south of the Sioux/Plymouth county line. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison) |
|
The completed expressway at the county line in 2006. Note that the Sioux County marker was replaced with a new, larger one. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison) |
|
This is the future interchange with 470th Street, two miles south of IA 10. IA 60 splits from the old route just south of here. This gravel road is on a straight line with B58 west of K64. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison) |
 |
Lyon/Sioux County Road A54B, running southeastward from Beloit to US 18, is one of a handful of four-digit county roads that do not follow the regular letter-number-letter format. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison) |
|
|
|
 |
Story County's version of the Adopt-a-Highway sign, found on an unmarked county road near Gilbert. (Photographed by Mark Odor) |
|
The work of the Department of Redundancy Department was once present along Beech Avenue approaching West 4th Street, but these signs had been taken down by mid-2010. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison) |
 |
Some counties mark the ends of their county roads, and some don't. Story County Road E29's end is one that is signed. (Photographed by Mark Odor) |
 |
This green county road sign was spotted in Gilbert. (Photographed by Mark Odor) |
|
|
|
 |
Jeff Morrison photographed this sign in northwestern Tama County. This sign might be more appropriate if it was on a freeway, but the "exits" in question are really at-grade intersections. |
|
|
|
 |
During the summer of 2006, some strange detour shields were spotted in Indianola. The US 65/69 shields are larger than normal, and IA 92 was marked as US 92 instead. (Photographed by Nathan Bush) |
|
|
|
 |
This 2006 photo of a sign on eastbound IA 9 at County Road R50 gives the distance to Minnesota Highway 22, represented with a white square "MINN 22" marker. The signs at this intersection have since been replaced with Clearview signs that show actual Minnesota route markers. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison) |
|
|
|
|
The former "wrong-way" multiplex of I-29 and US 75 is shown in this November 1999 photo by Eric Peterson, looking west on Singing Hills Boulevard. From 1984 to 2001, I-29 and US 75 shared the segment between US 20/I-129 and Singing Hills, but the multiplex was dropped when the US 75 bypass opened in November 2001 and a "BUSINESS" banner has replaced the "SOUTH" banner. |
|
These signs were photographed on northbound I-29 approaching I-129 and US 20 in 1999. While the sign on the right was replaced to add US 75 and the control city of Le Mars, the sign on the left has not been replaced, and the text "I-129" is still around. (Photographed by Eric Peterson) |
|
The sign in the first photo shows the advance exit sign for I-129/US 20 from southbound I-29. After US 75 became part of the freeway in 2001, US 20 and US 75 markers were retrofitted into the existing sign, but by mid-2004, the entire sign was replaced, and it was taken down altogether by the spring of 2012 due to the ongoing reconstruction of I-29. (Photographed by Eric Peterson) |
 
|
This is the sign bridge for southbound I-29 at I-129/US 20. The first photo dates from November 2001; although the US 75 bypass had just opened, US 75 was still on the Singing Hills exit, but that was stripped a short time later and never replaced. The only note of Business US 75 along I-29 is at the southbound exit sign south of here. An additional note: Exits 144A and 144B split apart after exiting from I-29; this is one of two flyover ramps in this interchange. And "EXITS" is missing from that tab for some reason. By the spring of 2012, these signs had been taken down because of the I-29 reconstruction. (2001 photo by Neil Bratney; 2005 photo by Jeff Morrison) |
|
This view is looking northward along I-29 north of the US 20 interchange. The 100-foot high Sergeant Charles Floyd Monument, commemorating the man who died here during the Lewis & Clark Expedition in 1804, is in the background. This sign bridge was taken down by the spring of 2012 because of the I-29 reconstruction project. (Photographed by Eric Peterson) |
|
Here is a close-up view of what was then US 75 crossing under the US 20 freeway in this November 1999 photo. US 75 is now Business US 75, but either way, there is no direct connection between the road and US 20. (Photographed by Eric Peterson) |
 
|
The "END I-129" assembly is visible on the second sign bridge heading east (toward the bottom right-hand corners of these photos); this is, as far as I know, the only free-standing I-129 shield in Iowa. The first photo was taken shortly after the US 75 bypass opened in November 2001, but there was no indication that US 75 continued onto US 20. That was changed shortly afterwards, as US 20 and US 75 markers and directional banners were retrofitted into the space above "Ft Dodge" in the sign. By June 2005, as the second photo indicates, it was replaced with a completely different sign. The "END I-129" assembly was taken off the pole by April 2012. (2001 photo by Neil Bratney; 2005 photo by Jeff Morrison) |
|
All traffic from westbound US 20 uses one ramp to exit onto I-29, but that ramp splits into two after leaving US 20; this is the other flyover ramp at the I-29/I-129/US 20 interchange. Since this photo was taken in 1999, US 75 has been stripped from the sign on the left. (Photographed by Eric Peterson) |
|
This is a general view of US 20/75, looking west toward I-29 and I-129. (Photographed by Eric Peterson) |
|
This is the first exit along the US 20/75 freeway east of I-29, photographed before exit numbers were added to the freeway in early 2001. Lakeport Road, which is now Exit 1, serves Southern Hills Mall and other shopping areas. (Photographed by Eric Peterson) |
|
These signs are on southbound US 75, where it splits from its former alignment through Sioux City onto the freeway bypass that opened November 19, 2001. County Road D12 and Business US 75 (at its north end) are pictured on the right. One thing to note is that this is Exit 99 even though this interchange is eight miles north of US 75's entrance into Iowa; the pre-1984 mile markers are still used north of US 20. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison) |
|
The Sioux City skyline is visible underneath a railroad bridge in this November 1999 photo along I-29. (Photographed by Eric Peterson) |
|
The photo on the top was what the sign bridge on I-29 northbound at Exit 147B looked like in November 1999. ("Wesley Way" was boarded up because of the Perry Creek flood control project that ran from mid-1999 to November 2001.) By June 2005, IA 12 was removed through Sioux City, Wesley Way reopened as Wesley Parkway, and the Municipal Auditorium was expanded into the Tyson Events Center. Yet there is no mention of Business US 20 on the new sign. (Photographed by Eric Peterson) |
|
On southbound I-29, the sign for Exit 147B was also recently replaced with no mention of Business US 20. But the sign on the left, save for the exit tab, was completely blank when the first photo was taken on June 12, 2005. The top line read "Floyd Blvd" but was stripped off for some reason (the sign at the ramp still had it), while the second line read "Stockyards," which was taken off after the Sioux City Stockyards closed. In 2006 the sign on the left was completely replaced by a new sign showing Historic 4th Street as a destination. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison) |
  
|
The Pacific Short Line Bridge, more commonly known as the Combination Bridge, served Sioux City from its opening on January 21, 1896, to the opening of the Siouxland Veterans Memorial Bridge in early 1981. Here are some photos from the Combination Bridge's explosion on February 23, 1981. Some additional photos from 1980 can be found at the Library of Congress' Historic American Engineering Record site. (Photographed by B.J. Verley; submitted by Mike Murphy) |
|
This is a 1999 view of the Siouxland Veterans Memorial Bridge and part of the "volleyball" interchange from Prospect Hill in Sioux City. The Missouri River and South Sioux City, Nebraska, are visible here. Reconstruction of this interchange, once dubbed "Iowa's Most Stupid Intersection", began in March 2012. (Photographed by Eric Peterson) |
|
This is another view of the "volleyball" interchange and I-29 looking eastward from Prospect Hill. (Photographed by Eric Peterson) |
|
All three decks are visible in this 2001 view looking southeast toward the "volleyball" interchange. (Photographed by Neil Bratney) |
|
These signs, photographed in 2001, are looking westbound on the middle (interchanging) deck of the "volleyball" interchange. (Photographed by Neil Bratney) |
|
This 1999 photo is from the off-ramp from southbound I-29 where it intersects the southbound off-ramp from Wesley Parkway/US 77. Since this photo was taken, "Wesley Pkwy" was put back on the sign on the left and the "TO IOWA 12 SOUTH" was stripped from the sign in the middle before all of these signs were taken down in the spring of 2012 because of reconstruction of this interchange. (Photographed by Eric Peterson) |
|
These signs were found heading south from the Wesley Parkway off-ramp toward the intersection with the I-29 north off-ramp in 2005. The sign on the right showed that Business US 20 follows US 77 into Nebraska, even though signage of Business 20 is sparse in South Sioux City. They were taken down when reconstruction of this interchange began in the spring of 2012. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison) |
|
A November 1999 view of Business US 20, which follows the Gordon Drive viaduct east of downtown. (Photographed by Eric Peterson) |
|
The gore sign for I-29 Exit 134 near Salix featured both the exit number and the word "EXIT" in the same sign, instead of having a tab with the exit number. It has since been replaced. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison) |
|
This unusual I-29 sign was spotted at the west end of IA 141 near Sloan. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison) |