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Cedar County
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This junction of an Interstate, US,
and state highway is on Cedar County Road X64 about four miles north of
Wilton. After crossing I-80, the road continues as US 6 and IA 38, and
then just IA 38.
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I-80 and IA 38 stay together for four miles between interchanges. The IA 38
markers on the duplicated segment are larger than regular markers, as are some US 6
markers on segments where it duplexes with I-80 and I-74.
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The first advance sign along westbound I-80 for the Herbert Hoover Museum in West Branch was replaced with a new sign, in Clearview, on March 30, 2006. This was the first spotted sign on I-80 in that font.
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Clinton County
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Exit sign on US 61 south of the IA 136 exit in Clinton County;
the lower-case letters on this sign seem to be smaller than those on most
freeway signs are. A few other signs with this font have popped up here
and there, including every sign on the US 18 bypass of Mason City and a
few signs along US 20 in Dubuque.
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IA 956 — old US 61 south of De Witt — was not normally signed when it was an
active highway (it was decommissioned in early 2003). But in the spring of 2002
it made its way onto orange signs as the result of road work on the Wapsipinicon River bridge. |
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This distance sign is at the intersection of County Roads F12
and Z36 in the Clinton County town of Elvira. Why didn't the county use
the circle for IA 136 when they used a shield for US 61?
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In 2004 new "wayfinding" distance signs —
featuring color-coded squares coordinated to each district —
were put up in Clinton. Similar signs have been put up in
Dubuque. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison)
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Here is an example of a wayfinding sign in Clinton's Lyons District; again, this is similar to the signs in Dubuque.
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Iowa County
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These signs, showing where the Iowa River Valley Scenic Byway and
the Amana Colonies Trail turn onto US 151, are at the east
end of IA 220 in Amana. All of Iowa's state scenic byways have markers
similar to the one shown to the right of the US 151 sign.
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Stand-alone Interstate shields without the state name in them are
rare in Iowa, but there are a few of them out there. This one on Iowa County Road
V66 south of Marengo is an exception, although my guess is that the county made this
marker. This one is also missing a "TO" trailblazer.
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This sign on US 6 is not too far from the sign above. Note that I-80
is represented by a dark green Interstate shield!
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This distance sign is present at County Road V77's junction with US 6. The sign dates back from V77's days as part of IA 149. Note that Iowa City and Cedar Rapids are one mile apart on this sign. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison)
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This signing error was posted where US 151 merges into eastbound US 6 in this 2000 photo. Another IA 151 marker was present on northbound US 151 north of I-80, and by mid-2004 yet another marker was present at this intersection heading west (where 6 and 151 split). By November 2004 all IA 151 markers were replaced with the correct US 151 markers.
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Jefferson County
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Looking west on US 34 at the Fairfield town square, IA 1 joins US 34...
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...but not for long. In a higher-resolution scan from the same photo as the previous
image, IA 1 leaves US 34 after just one block and continues its trek northward. This shares
the title of "shortest multiplex in Iowa" with IA 17 and 210 in Madrid and IA 9 and 15 in Armstrong, which are
also together for only one block.
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This sign on IA 1 north of Fairfield leads drivers toward Iowa's newest incorporated
community, Vedic City. The city, founded by Transcendental Meditation followers from
the Maharishi University in Fairfield, incorporated in 2001 but I didn't spot any signs for it until May 2003. Yet two years later, that sign was replaced by a sign showing the complete name of the community, Maharishi Vedic City. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison)
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The new US 34 bypass, under construction in this May 2008 photo, is seen crossing the existing US 34 west of Fairfield. The segment west of Fairfield opened in October 2008 with the rest of the bypass is scheduled to open in mid-November. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison)
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Lee County
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This brown distance sign points to two historic villages in neighboring Van Buren County.
It's at the junction of US 218 and Lee County Road J40 north of Donnellson.
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This is a Mormon Trail Auto Tour Route marker, on US 218 south of Donnellson. The Mormon
Auto Trail runs through southern Iowa, roughly along the path where Brigham Young led the
Mormons through southern Iowa on their way from Nauvoo, IL, to Utah.
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Lee County places distance signs after each major intersection on its county roads. This example is on County Road J62 west of US 218. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison)
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Freeway-style signage is present where westbound IA 2 splits from US 61. Before the four-lane segment of US 61 between south of IA 2 was completed, there were yellow "LEFT LANE" and "RIGHT LANE" panels in the green space below the control cities.
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Overhead signs in Fort Madison indicate the point where US 61
and IA 2 make a turn eastward (again) after about two blocks running north-south.
This also marked the beginning
of IA 103, which ran for about 16 miles between Fort Madison and US 218 via West Point until it was decommissioned in 2003. After IA 103 was decommissioned, the signs were replaced with new ones showing its replacement, Lee County Road J40. (The old photo can be seen on the terminus photo page.)
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From the north, US 61 joins IA 2 at the foot of the Fort Madison toll
bridge and run through most of the city. This sign, looking south, points to IL 9/96 on the other side of the river; the two route markers are on one wooden sign.
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Northbound drivers encounter these signs as US 61 and 218 go their separate ways north of Keokuk. While larger initial letters in directional markers has become more common in recent years, note how the other letters are vertically aligned in the middle of the first letter rather than on the bottom. Also, it appears that the yellow "LEFT LANE" and "RIGHT LANE" panels may have been tacked onto the sign. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison)
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The three routes that share 7th Street in Keokuk split as it approaches Main Street.
Business US 61 turns left (onto US 218, not shown on this array), the Great River Road remains on 7th, and US 136 makes a right-hand turn toward Illinois. This intersection is also the south
end of US 218. (The mile marker here is numbered 103 because US 136's mile markers begin at 100 instead of zero in order to distinguish them from IA 136.)
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Although it is hard to tell from this photo, street signs in Keokuk feature
the city's logo, which is shaped like the city (as it would appear on a map)
and features the likeness of the city's namesake, Sac and Fox Chief Keokuk.
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"Iowa State Line" markers are rare, but there is one on westbound
US 136 approaching Keokuk. Opposite this is an "Illinois State Line" sign.
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There is no more Iowa left after US 61/136 leave Keokuk; the next three cities
on this distance sign — less than one mile before the state line — are in Missouri.
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