The Iowa Highways Photo Gallery

Odds 'n' Ends (eastern Iowa)

Benton County
	Another signing boo-boo on this distance sign on Benton County Road E68 east of Blairstown (this is looking eastward; other signs at this intersection show US 30 correctly)...
	These arrow signs on a utility pole in Shellsburg give directions the old-fashioned way.
	These two signs in Benton County might be more appropriate if they were on freeways, as is the case in Lincoln in Tama County; again, the "exits" in question are really at-grade intersections.

Buchanan County
	For some reason, just about every gore sign on I-380 between US 20 and Cedar Rapids has tabs like this. While these tabs are common on big green signs, they look redundant when they appear on top of gore signs. These relatively new tabs were first spotted in December 2006.

Cedar County
	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.
	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.
	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.

Clayton County
	IA 3 is also known as the American Veterans Memorial Highway throughout the state; this sign is near Edgewood.

Clinton County
	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.
	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.
	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?
	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)

Dubuque County (See the Dubuque section for photos in and around the city of Dubuque)
	For some reason, this big green sign on the US 151 bypass of Cascade (heading north) has more headroom above the IA 136 marker than most BGS do. Although a Business US 151 was eventually designated through Cascade, it does not follow any part of IA 136.
	The arrow below the US 151 marker at the junction with IA 136 used to point upward; even though it was turned to the right to lead traffic to the Cascade bypass, the bracket was not changed. This is heading south on what used to be US 151 before the bypass opened.

Fayette County
	This sign in Fayette features a black background around the IA 150 marker — unusual for a green directional sign.

Iowa County
	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.
	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.
	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!
	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)
	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.

Jackson County
	An old-style "City Route 61" sign along Main Street in Maquoketa.
	These are the first signs on the Iowa side of the US 52/IA 64 bridge. Although the northern terminus of US 67 is still about four miles away, a "TO US 67" trailblazer is present here. Also, the first "WELCOME TO IOWA" sign isn't visible until the end of the causeway, approaching the entrance to Sabula.

Jefferson County
	Looking west on US 34 at the Fairfield town square, IA 1 joins US 34...
	...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.
	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)

Jones County
	After the US 151 bypass of Monticello opened, the old route became Business US 151. Most of its reassurance markers used existing US 151 shields, but this marker — the first reassurance for southbound traffic on Business US 151— uses a wide-shield marker instead. This sign did not last long; by July of 2005, it was replaced with a standard US 151 marker.

Lee County
	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.
	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.
	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)
	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.)
	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.
	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)
	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.)
	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.
	"Iowa State Line" markers are rare, but there is one on westbound US 136 approaching Keokuk. Opposite this is an "Illinois State Line" sign.
	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.

Louisa County
	Toward the southwest end of County Road G44X in Grandview is this text trailblazer to US 61 and 92. (You'd have to go to Florida if you want to find US 92, though — they mean IA 92.)

Muscatine County
	This sign arrangement at the west end of the former IA 927 in Wilton displays all four cardinal directions, as a north-south route and an east-west route share the same road.
	And here's the photo that graced the top of the Iowa Highways Page for its first two years — the intersection of US 61, Business US 61, IA 22, and IA 38 in Muscatine.
	Overhead signs approaching the same intersection, the north end of Business US 61, from the south.

Van Buren County
	Iowa's "1-2 punch" is in Van Buren County, south of Keosauqua; this intersection serves as the south end of IA 1.

Washington County
	This 55 MPH school zone is on a 65 MPH expressway — US 218 in Washington County, between Riverside and Ainsworth in the vicinity of the Highland Community School.

Winneshiek County
	Although the state line is 16 miles away, the next incorporated city along US 52 north of Decorah is in Minnesota.
	This junction in Calmar marks both the northern terminus of IA 150 and the eastern terminus of IA 24; US 52 turns from one road onto the other. The same situation occurs in northwest Jasper County, where IA 117 and IA 330 both end at US 65, and in Cedar Falls, where IA 57 and IA 58 end at the same interchange with US 218/IA 27. Until 2003 there were two additional occurrences — in New Sharon (IA 146 and the former IA 102 at US 63) and in Sageville (IA 32 and the former IA 386 at US 52/IA 3).
	This sign marks the southern end of the Dvorak Memorial Highway in Calmar. Named after Czech composer and one-time Spillville resident Antonin Dvorak, this highway runs through Calmar, Spillville, Protivin, and Cresco en route to Minnesota.