Linking the capital city of Des Moines with Omaha, Nebraska and Council Bluffs to the west and Quad Cities to the east, Interstate 80 stretches 307 miles across the Hawkeye State. The mostly rural route is a busy trucking corridor, especially from Des Moines east to Illinois. I-80 overlaps with I-29 for 3.00 miles at Council Bluffs and with I-35 for 14.29 miles between West Des Moines and Ankeny.
Interstate 80 Iowa Guides
East
The first stretch of Interstate 80 opened in Iowa was the section overlapping with I-35 between I-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 I-29 and I-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. I-680 was subsequently renumbered to I-880 in 2019.
scenes |
Madison Avenue west at I-80/U.S. 6 in Council Bluffs. Construction underway from September 2022 to June 2026 reconstructs the diamond interchange. Improvements include longer acceleration lanes and wider bridges. 05/08/22 |
Madison Avenue angles northwest from I-80/U.S. 6 at Exit 5 to S 1st Street in Council Bluffs. I-80 west combines with Interstate 29 north at the succeeding exit. 05/08/22 |
CR L55 (298th Street) heads south from the city of Neola to meet Interstate 80 at a diamond interchange (Exit 23). 02/22/20 |
County Route L55 south from CR G8L (old Iowa 191) in Neola to Interstate 80 was formerly designated Iowa 244. 02/22/20 |
CR L66 (335th Street) heads north from Minden to the diamond interchange with Interstate 80 at Exit 29. 06/17/15 |
Pottawattamie County Route M16 meets I-80 at a diamond interchange (Exit 34) along the south side of Shelby. This confirming marker standards northbound after the exchange. 09/04/05 |
A road side park lines the northwestern quadrant of the interchange joining I-80 with CR M16 in the city of Shelby. Leading north into Downtown Shelby, the Old Stone Arch Natural Trail originates at the park. 09/04/05 |
CR M16 (East Street) south at Interstate 80 west to Council Bluffs. 09/04/05 |
U.S. 59 north of the diamond interchange with Interstate 80 at Avoca. 03/28/16 |
Southbound U.S. 59 crosses into Pottawattamie County just ahead of Interstate 80 in the city of Avoca. 03/28/16 |
Jordan Creek Parkway north at Interstate 80 in the city of West Des Moines. These white overheads were replaced with green signs by 2011. 10/05/08 |
Ireland Avenue extends one mile south from Roberts Ferry Road at U.S. 6 in the city of Tiffin to meet Interstate 80 at a diamond interchange (Exit 237) just west of I-380. 12/29/23 |
Shields for I-80 along Ireland Avenue were replaced with small guide signs. This sign for Davenport, listing the distance at 63 miles, was also removed. 05/23/08 |
Ireland Avenue south at the eastbound entrance ramp Interstate 80 to Coralville and Iowa City . Ireland Avenue concludes 0.25 miles beyond the freeway at 340th Street by an industrial park. 12/29/23 |
Older style guide signs posted at I-80 interchanges included the distances to the respective control cities for the freeway. This assembly referenced the eastbound entrance ramp from Coral Ridge Avenue in Coralville at Exit 240. 05/23/08 |
An older guide sign posted along Scott County Route Y40 (Plainview Road) at Walcott listed Stockton as the westbound destination for Interstate 80 in place of Des Moines. Stockton is the next exit of the freeway. 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 09/04/05 |
Scott County Route Y40 pentagon posted north of the Plainview Road interchange with I-80/U.S. 6 at Walcott. 09/04/05 |
Guide signs for Interstate 80 and U.S. 6 were added to CR Y40 (Plainview Road) by 2013. U.S. 6 overlaps with I-80 for 19 miles from near Wilton to Davenport. 06/19/22 |
CR Y40 (Plainview Road) passes over Interstate 80 ahead of the entrance ramp for eastbound to I-280 in northwest Davenport. 06/19/22 |
Middle Road at - Bettendorf |
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. 05/23/18, 06/01/11 |
Distance 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. 05/23/18, 06/01/11 |
New signs installed along Middle Road in 2013 eliminated all stand alone shields for I-80 and replaced them with Clearview-based signs. 05/23/18, 06/01/11 |
Lowering to cross Spencer Creek, Middle Road nears the westbound loop ramp for Interstate 80 to Iowa City and Des Moines. 05/29/18 |
Interstate 80 ventures west 170 miles to the capital city from Middle Road in north Bettendorf. 05/29/18 |
Middle Road south approaching Interstate 80 in Bettendorf. No cutout shields for I-80 were retained during the 2013 resigning of this interchange. 04/08/13 |
Replacement signs again omitted the distance to Chicago and Des Moines for the Middle Road on-ramps to Interstate 80. 04/08/13 |
The westbound ramp loops onto Interstate 80 beyond the Middle Road crossing of Spencer Creek. 04/08/13 |
Middle Road passes under I-80 to the eastbound loop ramp for Chicago. 10/03/08, 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. 03/31/16 |
Interstate 80 east sees one final interchange beyond Middle Road before it crosses the Mississippi River to Rapids City, Illinois. 03/31/16 |
- Iowa 80. Wikipedia.
Photo Credits:
09/04/05, 05/23/08, 10/03/08, 10/05/08, 06/01/11, 04/08/13, 06/17/15, 03/28/16, 03/31/16, 05/23/18, 05/29/18, 02/22/20, 05/08/22, 06/19/22, 12/29/23 by AARoads
Connect with:
Interstate 29
Interstate 35
Interstate 74
Interstate 235
Interstate 280 Quad Cities
Interstate 380
Interstate 880
U.S. 6
U.S. 61
U.S. 67
U.S. 151
U.S. 218
Highway 27 - Avenue of the Saints
Highway 38
Highway 130
Page Updated 02-27-2024.