Interstate 80

Interstate 80 stretches 307 miles across the Hawkeye State, linking the capital city of Des Moines with Omaha and Council Bluffs to the west and Quad Cities to the east. The mostly rural route consists of a busy trucking corridor, especially from Des Moines east to Illinois. Overlaps exist with Interstate 29 (3.00 miles) and 35 (14.29 miles).

Interstate 80 Iowa Highway Guides

• Interstate 80 East - Grinnell to Coralville
• Interstate 80 East - Coralville to Wilton
• Interstate 80 East - Quad Cities Vicinity
• Interstate 80 West - Quad Cities Vicinity
• Interstate 80 East - Iowa Archive
• Interstate 80 West - Iowa Archive

The first stretch of Interstate 80 opened in Iowa was the portion with Interstate 35 between Interstate 235 and Douglas Avenue in western Des Moines on September 21, 1958. The final link was the crossing over the Missouri River from Nebraska east to Interstate 29 on December 15, 1972.

Interstate 680 between Interstates 29 and 80 in Pottawattamie County was designated as Interstate 80N until 1973. I-80 defaulted onto this freeway from the east between December 13, 1966 and December 22, 1969.

Ireland Avenue extends south from Railroad Street in the city of Tiffin to meet Interstate 80 at a diamond interchange just west of I-380. Photo taken 05/23/08.

A shields for I-80 along Ireland Avenue were replaced with small guide signs. This sign for Davenport, listing the distance at 63 miles, was removed and now the city is featured on a guide sign posted at the eastbound on-ramp. The mileage figure is no longer posted. Photo taken 05/23/08.

The eastbound on-ramp for I-80 departs Ireland Avenue south. Ireland Avenue ends just beyond the freeway at 340th Avenue by an industrial park. Photo taken 05/23/08.

Older style guide signs posted at I-80 interchanges include the distances to the respective control cities of the freeway. This photo looks at the eastbound on-ramp from Coral Ridge Avenue in Coralville at Exit 240. Photo taken 05/23/08.

An older guide sign posted along Scott County Y40 (Plainview Road) at Walcott lists Stockton as the westbound destination for Interstate 80 in place of Des Moines. Stockton is the next exit of the freeway. Photo taken 09/04/05.

Interstate 80 and U.S. 6 shield assembly posted at the on-ramp to the freeway west from County Road Y40 south in Walcott. The interchange is home to the Iowa 80 truck stop, a 220-acre site that averages 5,000 visitors a day.1 Photo taken 09/04/05.

Scott County Y40 pentagon posted north of the Plainview Road interchange with Interstate 80 & U.S. 6 at Walcott. Photo taken 09/04/05.

Guide signs for Interstate 80 and U.S. 6 were added to County Road Y40 (Plainview Road) by 2013. U.S. 6 overlaps with I-80 for 19 miles from near Wilton to Davenport. Photo taken 04/08/13.

Passing over I-80, drivers turn from CR Y40 (Plainview Road) onto the freeway eastbound ahead of the split with I-280 at Davenport. Photo taken 04/08/13.

Approaching the parclo A2 interchange (Exit 301) with Interstate 80 on Middle Road north. Prior to the IowaDOT switch to Clearview, junction shield assemblies for Interstates included a placard listing the interchange number. Small guide signs are posted on intersecting roads for Interstates now. Photo taken 06/01/11.

Mileages to the control cities of Interstate 80 were featured on guide signs along Middle Road. This practice is no longer the standard for Iowa Interstates. Photo taken 06/01/11.

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New signs installed along Middle Road in 2013 eliminated all stand along shields for I-80 and replaced them with Clearview-based signs. Photo taken 06/01/11. Second photo taken 04/08/13.

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Lowering to cross Spencer Creek, Middle Road nears the westbound loop ramp for Interstate 80 to Iowa City and Des Moines. Photo taken 05/08/10. Second photo taken 04/08/13.

Interstate 80 ventures west 170 miles to the capital city from Middle Road in north Bettendorf. Photo taken 05/08/10.

Middle Road south approaching Interstate 80 in Bettendorf. No cutout shields for I-80 were retained during the 2013 resigning of this interchange. Photo taken 04/08/13.

	Replacement signs again omitted the distance to Chicago and Des Moines for the Middle Road on-ramps to Interstate 80. Photo taken 04/08/13.

The westbound ramp loops onto Interstate 80 beyond the Middle Road crossing of Spencer Creek. Photo taken 04/08/13.

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Middle Road passes under I-80 through to the eastbound loop ramp for Chicago. Photo taken 10/03/08. Second photo taken 03/31/16.

This distance sign was left in place during the replacement project of 2013. Middle Road arcs southwest through Bettendorf to become Locust Street through Davenport. Downtown Bettendorf is an six mile drive via Middle Road and 18th Street. Photo taken 03/31/16.

Interstate 80 east sees one final interchange beyond Middle Road before it crosses the Mississippi River to Rapids City, Illinois. Photo taken 03/31/16.

Sources:

1. Iowa 80 @ Wikipedia.org.

Connect with:
Interstate 74
Interstate 280
Interstate 380
U.S. 6
U.S. 218
Iowa 27 - Avenue of the Saints

Page Updated 03-09-2017.