Iowa commissions/decommissions

[paulthemapguy]

It seems like IowaDOT has roads that change hands pretty often.  I found out today that Iowa 32 was transferred over to local jurisdictions just this month.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iowa_Highway_32

Is there anything else we're missing?  Have there been other inceptions/terminations of Iowa state highways in recent years?  Does this move involving IA-32 surprise anyone?

[mvak36]

It seems like IowaDOT has roads that change hands pretty often.  I found out today that Iowa 32 was transferred over to local jurisdictions just this month.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iowa_Highway_32

Is there anything else we're missing?  Have there been other inceptions/terminations of Iowa state highways in recent years?  Does this move involving IA-32 surprise anyone?

I know this happened last year: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iowa_Highway_192

The biggest decommissioning I can think of happened in 2003: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003_Iowa_highway_jurisdictional_transfer

[dvferyance]

It seems like IowaDOT has roads that change hands pretty often.  I found out today that Iowa 32 was transferred over to local jurisdictions just this month.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iowa_Highway_32

Is there anything else we're missing?  Have there been other inceptions/terminations of Iowa state highways in recent years?  Does this move involving IA-32 surprise anyone?

I know this happened last year: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iowa_Highway_192

The biggest decommissioning I can think of happened in 2003: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003_Iowa_highway_jurisdictional_transfer

Most of the 2003 decommissionings where short useless spurs that never made any sense.

[rarnold]

Most of the 2003 decommissionings where short useless spurs that never made any sense.
[/quote]

Most of them made sense when more people lived in the communities served. When the population declined, some to the point that the town was unincorporated, decommissioning made sense. I think a lot of roads were commissioned when counties were not in the position that the states was to take on construction and maintenance of highways. Times have changed.

[Revive 755]

With the amount being turned over, one would think Iowa had a mileage cap.

Most of the 2003 decommissionings where short useless spurs that never made any sense.

There's a few I disagree with this on:

* IA 103:  Northwesterly connector between Fort Madison and the Avenue of the Saints
* IA 965:  Most of the road is still called 'Highway 965' anyway.
* IA 99

[DandyDan]

Iowa Highway 370 was decommissioned in 2014 when they opened up the current US 34 bridge to Nebraska.

[dvferyance]

With the amount being turned over, one would think Iowa had a mileage cap.

Most of the 2003 decommissionings where short useless spurs that never made any sense.

There's a few I disagree with this on:

* IA 103:  Northwesterly connector between Fort Madison and the Avenue of the Saints
* IA 965:  Most of the road is still called 'Highway 965' anyway.
* IA 99

The only one I disagreed with was IA 91 becasue it leaves MN 91 without a counterpart. IA 91 was like 2 miles long anyways I don't know why they couldn't handle the maintenance of an extra 2 or 3 miles. I am ok with IA 32 going away. The only downfall is it made a nice connector between US 20 and US 52 to bypass downtown. Now that it's been down graded nobody is going to know about this nice dandy shortcut anymore.

[pianocello]

It seems like IowaDOT has roads that change hands pretty often.  I found out today that Iowa 32 was transferred over to local jurisdictions just this month.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iowa_Highway_32

Is there anything else we're missing?  Have there been other inceptions/terminations of Iowa state highways in recent years?  Does this move involving IA-32 surprise anyone?

Looks like they also transferred a section of US 52 to the city of Dubuque (link). Not sure whether that means they'll pull the signs or reroute 52.

[NE2]

Looks like they also transferred a section of US 52 to the city of Dubuque (link). Not sure whether that means they'll pull the signs or reroute 52.

That 0.34 mi piece to the county is probably the northbound side south of IA 32. So state maintenance now begins at the Sageville city limits just north of old IA 32.

[iowahighways]

It seems like IowaDOT has roads that change hands pretty often.  I found out today that Iowa 32 was transferred over to local jurisdictions just this month.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iowa_Highway_32

Is there anything else we're missing?  Have there been other inceptions/terminations of Iowa state highways in recent years?  Does this move involving IA-32 surprise anyone?

Looks like they also transferred a section of US 52 to the city of Dubuque (link). Not sure whether that means they'll pull the signs or reroute 52.

There was a previous thread about what is happening in Dubuque. US 52 is going to be rerouted along IA 136 to Dyersville, share US 20 through most of Dubuque County, and follow the new Southwest Arterial once it opens in 2019. Groundbreaking was done last October (news story).

That said, my understanding is that nothing will happen until the Southwest Arterial opens to traffic. They probably wanted the transfer of jurisdiction agreement finished by then. Plus the Iowa DOT will need to submit their plans for rerouting US 52 to AASHTO, which I don't believe they've done yet.

[mvak36]

It seems like IowaDOT has roads that change hands pretty often.  I found out today that Iowa 32 was transferred over to local jurisdictions just this month.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iowa_Highway_32

Is there anything else we're missing?  Have there been other inceptions/terminations of Iowa state highways in recent years?  Does this move involving IA-32 surprise anyone?

Looks like they also transferred a section of US 52 to the city of Dubuque (link). Not sure whether that means they'll pull the signs or reroute 52.

There was a previous thread about what is happening in Dubuque. US 52 is going to be rerouted along IA 136 to Dyersville, share US 20 through most of Dubuque County, and follow the new Southwest Arterial once it opens in 2019. Groundbreaking was done last October (news story).

That said, my understanding is that nothing will happen until the Southwest Arterial opens to traffic. They probably wanted the transfer of jurisdiction agreement finished by then. Plus the Iowa DOT will need to submit their plans for rerouting US 52 to AASHTO, which I don't believe they've done yet.

So will the part of 52 from Luxemburg to Dubuque remain as IA3?

[sparker]

US 52 is going to be rerouted along IA 136 to Dyersville, share US 20 through most of Dubuque County, and follow the new Southwest Arterial once it opens in 2019. com/content/news/Dubuque-breaks-ground-on-Southwest-Arterial-396721231.html]news story[/url]).

Didn't they do this exact thing (excepting the routing over the new arterial) some 40-odd years ago, only to reinstate US 52 over its original routing some years later? 

[iowahighways]

So will the part of 52 from Luxemburg to Dubuque remain as IA3?

Yes, but it will end at the north city limits of Dubuque.

Didn't they do this exact thing (excepting the routing over the new arterial) some 40-odd years ago, only to reinstate US 52 over its original routing some years later? 

Yes. They rerouted US 52 along that exact same route for a few years in the 1960s, but businesses in northern Dubuque threatened a lawsuit so the reroute didn't last long. I haven't seen news about anything similar this time around.

[DandyDan]

With the amount being turned over, one would think Iowa had a mileage cap.

Most of the 2003 decommissionings where short useless spurs that never made any sense.

There's a few I disagree with this on:

* IA 103:  Northwesterly connector between Fort Madison and the Avenue of the Saints
* IA 965:  Most of the road is still called 'Highway 965' anyway.
* IA 99

The only one I disagreed with was IA 91 becasue it leaves MN 91 without a counterpart. IA 91 was like 2 miles long anyways I don't know why they couldn't handle the maintenance of an extra 2 or 3 miles. I am ok with IA 32 going away. The only downfall is it made a nice connector between US 20 and US 52 to bypass downtown. Now that it's been down graded nobody is going to know about this nice dandy shortcut anymore.

The same logic for IA 91 can also be applied to the southern IA 15, which connected to MO 15.  And yet IA 81 lives.

[iowahighways]

With the amount being turned over, one would think Iowa had a mileage cap.

Most of the 2003 decommissionings where short useless spurs that never made any sense.

There's a few I disagree with this on:

* IA 103:  Northwesterly connector between Fort Madison and the Avenue of the Saints
* IA 965:  Most of the road is still called 'Highway 965' anyway.
* IA 99

IA 965 still exists between I-80 and US 6 in Coralville, but it is no longer signed except for street signage at the intersection with US 6 that was put up around 2012 or so. North Liberty took over its piece of IA 965 in 1994, hence the "local" signage that exists there.

As for IA 103, the state wanted to give IA 16 east of US 218 to Lee County instead, but the county agreed to take IA 103 because the piece of IA 16 in question was in worse condition. Either way, they figured IA 2 was sufficient enough for a connection between Fort Madison and the Avenue of the Saints.

[paulthemapguy]

With the amount being turned over, one would think Iowa had a mileage cap.

Most of the 2003 decommissionings where short useless spurs that never made any sense.

There's a few I disagree with this on:

* IA 103:  Northwesterly connector between Fort Madison and the Avenue of the Saints
* IA 965:  Most of the road is still called 'Highway 965' anyway.
* IA 99

Those are exactly the three I would have chosen as exceptions.

[dvferyance]

I get IA 965 at least the southern part but why keep IA 99 or IA 103? I think IA 32 and IA 91 made more sense.

[WhitePoleRD]

I get IA 965 at least the southern part but why keep IA 99 or IA 103? I think IA 32 and IA 91 made more sense.

99 to me makes sense. It was a pretty long route and to my understanding, well traveled. Locals still call it 99 instead of X99.

I agree though, 32 should have stayed on and been the number for both the NW and SW connectors.

[iowahighways]

Update from Council Bluffs: I was in the area yesterday. US 6 is no longer signed through Council Bluffs. BGS haven't been updated yet but there are US 6 assemblies along I-80 and I-29. IA 192 is no longer signed along North 16th Avenue or Broadway, but is still signed south of there. The segment of old US 6 east of downtown is still under state control for now; OpenStreetMap calls it IA 906 but I haven't seen that designation on anything from the DOT.

[Revive 755]

^ From a recent trip of mine through Council Bluffs, it does appear that US 6 has been removed from some of the overhead BGS's on I-480.

[WhitePoleRD]

Update from Council Bluffs: I was in the area yesterday. US 6 is no longer signed through Council Bluffs. BGS haven't been updated yet but there are US 6 assemblies along I-80 and I-29. IA 192 is no longer signed along North 16th Avenue or Broadway, but is still signed south of there. The segment of old US 6 east of downtown is still under state control for now; OpenStreetMap calls it IA 906 but I haven't seen that designation on anything from the DOT.

As a US 6 enthusiast, I was so sad to hear this. Not surprised, just sad. Kanesville is an important road in CB as it's the main road on the north side and to Iowa Western CC. If they haven't yet (I haven't traversed that span in a few months) I hope they sign Historic US 6 as they have on other parts of the old road in Iowa.

I'm actually surprised that the remaining standalone sections in Iowa (Newton-Coralville especially) haven't been rerouted onto I-80. On that stretch, 6 is never more than 10 miles from 80 and the only people that still use it are local travelers, Sunday afternoon drivers, and highway enthusiasts. It's only a matter of time until US 6 gets taken off the books on Hubbell/Euclid/Hickman in Des Moines/Urbandale. It almost has to remain between Adel and Urbandale because of the nature of the road, but that's it. 

[Revive 755]

It almost has to remain between Adel and Urbandale because of the nature of the road, but that's it.

I could see Iowa pulling US 6 from Adel to I-35/I-80 and either replacing it with a new state route or perhaps a relocation of IA 44.

I also would not be surprised to see the rest of US 6 in Iowa moved onto I-80 and I-74.