US highways in Iowa
(decommissioned routes are in italics):
6
18
20
30
32
34
52
55
59
61
63
65
67
69
71
75
77
136
151
161
163
169
218
275

This page lists US highways that have been decommissioned or are less than 10 miles long in Iowa.

For an explanation of the route listings, click here.

US 32
Designated: October 16, 1926 Decommissioned: December 1931
Original northern terminus: US 30 and US 34 in Council Bluffs
Original southern terminus: Illinois state line (Mississippi River) at Davenport
Paving history: At the time of designation, the segments through Polk County, from Coralville to Iowa City, and through Scott County were paved.
  • 1926: Paved from the Polk/Jasper line to Colfax, Brooklyn to Victor, the Iowa/Johnson county line to Coralville, and from Iowa City to the Johnson/Muscatine county line by the end of the year
  • 1927: Paved from the South Skunk River crossing to a point east of Newton
  • 1928: Paved from a point east of Newton to Brooklyn, from the Johnson/Muscatine county line to West Liberty, and from Durant to the Muscatine/Scott county line
  • 1929: Paved from Council Bluffs to a point east of the city and from Marengo to the Iowa/Johnson county line
  • 1930: Paved from a point east of Council Bluffs to Adel, across the Skunk River, from Victor to Marengo, and from West Liberty to Durant
  • 1931: Paved from a point east of the Raccoon River crossing to Des Moines (on a new alignment east of Waukee following Hickman Road into Des Moines). At the time of decommissioning, the Raccoon River crossing was the only unpaved segment of US 32.

    • Replaced by: US 6
    Former entrance photos
    US 32 replaced IA 2 (the Great White Way) from Council Bluffs to Des Moines and IA 7 (the River to River Route) from Des Moines to Davenport. According to a February 1999 post by Robert Droz on misc.transport.road, US 32 had remained in Illinois (where it ran from Rock Island to Chicago along current US 6 and US 34) until 1935.
    For alignments in Council Bluffs, see Jeff Morrison's Council Bluffs/Omaha Highway Chronology page.
    For alignments in Davenport, see the Highways of Davenport and Bettendorf page.
    For alignments in Des Moines, see the Highways of Des Moines page.
    For alignments in Iowa City, see the Highways of Iowa City page.
    US 55
    Designated: October 16, 1926 Decommissioned: December 1934
    Original northern terminus: Minnesota state line near Prosper, MN
    Original southern terminus: US 61 at Dubuque. In August 1931, a new road between Sabula and Clinton and the former IA 99 (I) between Clinton and Davenport became part of US 55, but a gap between Dubuque and IA 117 west of Sabula existed (according to maps). A new road following the Mississippi between IA 62 in Bellevue and IA 117 was signed in June 1932, and a new road between Dubuque and Bellevue was completed by September 1, 1932.
    Paving history: At the time of designation, the segment from Sageville to Dubuque was paved.
  • 1926: Paved from Luxemburg to Rickardsville and from Durango to Sageville by the end of the year
  • 1928: Paved from Decorah to Postville
  • 1929: Paved from the Minnesota state line to Decorah, and from Postville to the split with IA 13 near Froelich
  • 1930: Paved from IA 128 to Guttenburg and from Millville to Luxemburg
  • 1931: Paved from IA 13 to IA 128. The paved segment from Clinton to Davenport was added to US 55 that year.
  • 1932: Paved from Rickardsville to Durango
  • 1934: Paved from Guttenberg to Millville; at decommissioning, the segment from US 61 south of Dubuque to IA 136 in Clinton remained unpaved.

    • Replaced by: US 52 north of Sabula, and US 67 south of Dubuque (including the former overlap with US 52). This replaced part of IA 20.
    Former entrance photos
    Note: According to the Bureau of Public Roads' 1925 US Highway Plan and the Iowa State Highway Commission Service Bulletin from the fall of 1925, US 55 in Iowa was originally supposed to be an extension of US 53 from its southern terminus in La Crosse, WI, to Dubuque. Newspaper articles from this era mentioned US 53 even though the BPR's final US highway list, which was approved on November 11, had this road as US 55. (Minnesota also signed US 55 instead of 53, according to the Postville Herald of October 14, 1926.) The January 1, 1927, map was the first map to show US 55, but the change was not mentioned in Highway Commission meeting notes or newspaper articles.
    For alignments in Davenport, see the Highways of Davenport and Bettendorf page.
    US 77
    Length in Iowa: About 0.4 mile/0.6 kilometer
    Northern terminus: I-29 in downtown Sioux City
    Southern terminus: Nebraska state line (Missouri River)
    Entrance photos

    Counties: Woodbury
    History
    Designated: June 24, 1929; it was extended from the Iowa/Nebraska border into South Dakota, entering with US 20 and replacing part of IA 141 west of downtown Sioux City.
    Paving history: The entire road was paved at the time of its designation.
    Major alignment changes and upgrades:
  • 1949: Re-routed along Gordon Drive along the Missouri River.
  • December 15, 1957: Freeway segment between Hamilton Boulevard and the interchange with the Combination Bridge in Sioux City opened. This was the first segment of what would become I-29, which was built on US 77's alignment, but it may not have been signed as I-29 right away. After the segment between IA 12 (Riverside Boulevard) and Hamilton Boulevard opened on October 1, 1958, US 77 became multiplexed with I-29.
  • December 15, 1961: After the I-29 bridge into South Dakota opened, US 77 was taken off Riverside Boulevard and Military Road and put onto I-29.
  • January 15, 1981: Veterans Memorial Bridge opens, replacing the original Combination Bridge that dated back from 1896. The bridge opened to four lanes on July 22, 1981 (the day it was dedicated), but it closed on May 6, 1982, after cracks were discovered in the bridge's girder. Traffic used the Sergeant Floyd Memorial Bridge (I-129/US 20) until the bridge reopened to two lanes on December 9, 1982. All four lanes of the bridge reopened in May 1983.
  • 1982: Truncated north of the I-29 interchange. (The completion of I-29 in South Dakota had spelled the end of US 77 there.)

    • For maps of alignments in Sioux City, see Jeff Morrison's Sioux City Highway Chronology page.
    Notes
    Until July 1, 2003, there was also an IA 77 in Keokuk County, but neither route was very long. In its meeting on January 21, 1930, the Highway Commission decided to leave IA 77 alone after considering a plan to renumber it as IA 150. The decommissioning of IA 77 removed the numbering duplication.
    US 136
    Length in Iowa: 3.6 miles/5.7 kilometers
    Western terminus: Missouri state line (Des Moines River) with US 61; the two roads split shortly after crossing the bridge.
    Eastern terminus: Illinois state line (Mississippi River) at Keokuk
    All of this route is within the Keokuk city limits.
    Entrance photos

    Counties: Lee
    Cities along route: Keokuk

    NHS: Entire route
    History
    Designated: 1951, replacing IA 161 (II) between US 218 and Illinois.
    Paving history: The entire road was paved at the time of its designation.
    Upgrades: On November 23, 1985, a new four-lane bridge opened between Keokuk and Hamilton, IL, replacing an older toll bridge that dated back to 1916.
    Notes
    With the July 1, 2003, decommissionings of the southern IA 15 and IA 77, this is the only case where highway numbers are duplicated, as there is a much longer IA 136 in east-central Iowa. However, US 136 doesn't make much of a dent into Iowa.
    US 161
    Designated: October 16, 1926 Decommissioned: January 1, 1938
    Original northern terminus: US 61 in (or south of) Dubuque
    Original southern terminus: US 61 near Montrose. On January 14, 1936, the Highway Commission agreed to extend US 161 through Keokuk to the Iowa/Missouri state line; the designation did not continue into Missouri.
    Paving history: At the time of designation, the segment form Marion to Cedar Rapids was paved.
  • 1926: Paved from Cedar Rapids to Iowa City
  • 1928: Paved through Jones County and from New Boston (unincorporated community southeast of Donnellson) to the junction with US 61
  • 1929: Paved from the Linn/Jones county line to Marion and from Olds to New Boston
  • 1930: Paved from US 61 to the Dubuque/Jones county line at Cascade, from Iowa City to the Johnson/Washington county line, and from Ainsworth to Olds
  • 1931: Last segment, from the Johnson/Washington county line to Ainsworth, was paved. (This segment had been realigned on a new gravel road in September 1930, creating IA 181 (I) to serve Riverside.)

    • Replaced by: US 151 between Dubuque and Cedar Rapids, and US 218 south of Cedar Rapids. In mid-1937 the American Association of State Highway Officials recommended the elimination of single-state US highways, and US 161 south of Cedar Rapids became US 218 in order to have a single-numbered highway into Minnesota. US 161 north of Cedar Rapids became US 151 in order to have a single-numbered highway into Wisconsin. Before 1926, US 161 was known as IA 28 (I) (from Dubuque to Cedar Rapids) and IA 40 (I) (from Cedar Rapids southward).
    Former entrance photos
    For alignment changes in Cedar Rapids, see the Highways of Cedar Rapids page.
    For alignment changes in Iowa City, see the Highways of Iowa City page.
    US 163
    Designated: December 1934 (number approved November 20) Decommissioned: July 21, 1937
    Original northern terminus: US 65 in Des Moines
    Original southern terminus: US 63 in Oskaloosa
    Paving history: The entire road was paved at the time of its designation.
    Replaced by: IA 163; US 163 had replaced part of US 63 upon its relocation north of Oskaloosa. US 161 and US 163 were the last two US highways to be decommissioned in Iowa.
    Former terminus photos
    For alignment changes in Des Moines, see the Highways of Des Moines page.
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    © 1997-2013 by Jason Hancock / Last updated February 2, 2013