Updates December 16-20, 2019 – Iowa

Continuing with Iowa updates on the site, added the rest of the U.S. 34 photos from 2016 and 2018, covering westbound through Burlington and West Burlington. From the same daytrips, also added new pages covering U.S. 61 north from Burlington to Interstate 280 in Davenport.

Construction started in Spring 2018 widens another 10.2 mile section of U.S. 61 from two to four lanes. Costing $17.3 million, grading work along U.S. 61 stretched northward from Memorial Park Road in Burlington to 210th Street in Mediapolis. This work precedes $19.3 million in paving scheduled for 2020.¹

33 miles of U.S. 61 remain with two lanes through Des Moines and Louis Counties.¹ Further north, plans call for a new bypass for U.S. 61 along the west side of Mediapolis as part of four laning the corridor. An interchange will be built at County Road H38 along the new expressway.

Had the opportunity to meet up with long time AARoads contributor Jeff Morrison last year. The two of us got together for lunch and then drove around Cedar Rapids, checking out then-construction of the Iowa 100 expressway along the west side, the three level interchange joining Iowa 100 (Collins Road) with Interstate 380, and a part of the Lincoln Freeway (U.S. 30/151/218) to the south.

Iowa 100 ended at County Road W36 (old Iowa 94) at Covington from the east until December 12, 2018, when the freeway opened south to U.S. 30/218 on the west side of Cedar Rapids. This completed the 17 mile route of Iowa 100, which was initially extended west to Covington by late 2016.

Posted new photos along the Interstate 380 guides northbound at Iowa 100 and southbound from Blairs Ferry Road to U.S. 30/151/218 (Lincoln Freeway).

Also added new guides for Iowa 100 and Iowa 930 / Lincoln Way at Ames.

Expanded coverage of U.S. 30 in Iowa with new pages covering eastbound from Ames to Marshalltown and Benton County, where four lane expansion is underway through 2024. Finished posting 03/25/16 photos with Bill Gatchell along U.S. 30 east through Cedar County, and from 05/26/18 between Stanwood and Clinton County.

12/19/19 Updates:

Created a guide for U.S. 151 Business at Cascade. Added pages for U.S. 30 westbound from Stanwood in Cedar County to the west end of the Lincoln Freeway in Linn County. Updated the pages for U.S. 151 north and south with photos taken 05/26/18.

Construction underway in 2018 repaved the Interstate 380 viaduct spanning 15th and 16th Avenues SW in Cedar Rapids. Maintaining three lanes for each direction of I-380 during the project, a temporary median crossing was utilized to temporarily shift a lane of traffic onto the opposite roadway. The northbound span was similarly redecked during $1.5 million in road work underway from May 8 to October 2017.²

12/20/19 Updates:

New pages added for U.S. 67 south from the Quad Cities to Monmouth, Illinois and County Roads X99, Y24, Y53 and Y60 in Iowa.

Photos from 03/25/16 and 05/26/18 added to Iowa 64 East and Iowa 136 South. Photos of the Great River Bridge were also added to the U.S. 34 Iowa guide.

Sources:

1. “Grading getting underway on US 61 north of Burlington.” The Hawk Eye (Burlington, IA), May 12, 2018.
2. “Interstate 380 roadwork will cause delays this summer.” The Gazette (Cedar Rapids, IA), May 28, 2017.