Iowa Highway 1

Iowa Highway 1
Route information
Maintained by Iowa DOT
Length: 119.268 mi[1] (191.943 km)
Existed: ca. 1926 – present
Major junctions
South end: Iowa 2 near Keosauqua
  US 34 / Iowa 163 at Fairfield
US 218 / Iowa 27 at Iowa City
US 6 in Iowa City
I-80 at Iowa City
US 30 at Mount Vernon
North end: US 151 / CR E34 near Anamosa
Location
Counties: Van Buren, Jefferson, Keokuk, Washington, Johnson, Linn, Jones
Highway system

Iowa Primary Highway System
Interstates • U.S. Highways • State Highways

← Iowa 965 Iowa 2 →

Iowa Highway 1 (Iowa 1 or Highway 1) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Iowa that extends from Keosauqua to Anamosa. Traveling 120 miles (190 km), mainly through rich farmland and small communities, Iowa 1 provides and important link to Iowa City and the University of Iowa as it passes through campus. Portions of the route today date back to the late-1830s, when Martin Van Buren was president, making Iowa Highway 1 one of the oldest routes in the state, pre-dating the current primary highway system by nearly eighty years. In the Iowa flood of 2008, Iowa 1 was seriously damaged by the Cedar River, closing the highway for seven weeks.

Contents

Route description

Iowa Highway 1 begins at a T-intersection with Iowa 2 in rural Van Buren County, south of Keosauqua. It passes through gently rolling farmland for 10 miles (16 km) before entering the Des Moines River valley adjacent to Lacey Keosauqua State Park. The highway crosses the Des Moines River and enters Keosauqua along Main Street. At Broad Street, Iowa 1 turned north and headed out of town. Between Keosauqua and the southern junction with Iowa 16, the highway runs parallel to the Des Moines River, the river's course bending sharply around Keosauqua. South of Birmingham, Iowa 1 briefly overlaps Iowa 16 for 2 miles (3.2 km). The next 7 miles (11 km) run due north passing through Birmingham, before the highway crosses Cedar Creek south of Fairfield.[1]

On the south side of Fairfield, the highway meets the new U.S. Route 34 / Iowa Highway 163 bypass at a partial cloverleaf interchange. Highway 1 enters Fairfield along Main Street. For one block, Iowa 1 overlaps US 34 Business on Burlington Street before turning onto Second Street. Along Second Street, the highway passes under a BNSF Railway / Amtrak viaduct.[2] North of the viaduct, Iowa 1 turns west for two blocks along Merrill Avenue and turns north again onto Fourth Street. On the northern edge of Fairfield, the highway passes next to Maharishi International University.

North of Fairfield, Iowa 1 passes the Fairfield Municipal Airport and Maharishi Vedic City. For the next 9 miles (14 km), the highway continues due north through Jefferson and Keokuk County. Southeast of Richland, Iowa 1 meets Iowa 78 at a T-intersection. Heading east from this intersection, Highways 1 and 78 overlap for 7+1⁄2 miles (12 km) until entering Brighton on Fountain Street. Iowa 1 splits off to the north onto Benton Street while Iowa 78 turns to the south and east. North of Brighton, it crosses the Skunk River and passes through the river's 1-mile (1.6 km) wide valley. For 9 miles (14 km), Iowa 1 passes through southern Washington County heading northeast towards Washington.[1]

At Washington, Iowa 1 intersects Iowa 92 on the southwestern edge of town. The two highways curve around to the north and split 3 miles (4.8 km) later. Highway 1 passes through flat farmland before crossing the English River south of Kalona. Iowa 1 skirts the western edge of Kalona and intersects Iowa Highway 22. It continues north for 7 miles (11 km) before turning northeast for 8 miles (13 km) more towards Iowa City.[1]

Iowa Highway 1 intersects U.S. Route 218 and Iowa Highway 27, the Avenue of the Saints, at a diamond interchange on the southwestern edge of Iowa City. Highway 1 curves to the north of Iowa City Municipal Airport, intersecting U.S. Route 6 at Riverside Drive. For 3⁄4 miles (1.2 km), Iowa 1 overlaps US 6 on Riverside Drive before crossing the Iowa River in downtown Iowa City.[1] On Burlington Street, Iowa 1 passes the University of Iowa library, the old state capitol, and the Ped Mall. Iowa 1 turns north onto the one-way Dodge Street; Governor Street handles the accompanying southbound lanes of traffic. The one-way streets rejoin as Dodge Street before intersecting Interstate 80 at another diamond interchange.

Iowa 1 continues north through Johnson County for 12 miles (19 km), passing through Solon. At Solon, it intersects Johnson County Road F16, which provides access to Lake MacBride State Park, the eponymous reservoir created by damming the Iowa River. 6 miles (9.7 km) southwest of Mount Vernon, Highway 1 turns to the northeast, entering Linn County and crossing the Cedar River before entering Mount Vernon, where it intersects U.S. Route 30. At First Street, Iowa 1 crosses the Lincoln Highway. On the northern edge of Mount Vernon, Highway 1 crosses a major Union Pacific Railroad line.[2] Iowa 1 continues north towards Martelle, where it enters Jones County. 3+1⁄2 miles (5.6 km) northeast of Martelle, Iowa 1 ends at a partial cloverleaf interchange with U.S. Route 151.[1]

History

The current Iowa Highway 1 was designated in the 1920s, extending from Iowa Highway 2 near Keosauqua to Iowa Highway 38 near Rochester.[3] Between Keosauqua and Iowa City, Iowa 1 replaced Primary Road No. 11; and between Iowa City and Rochester, it replaced Primary Road No. 74.[4] In 1962, Iowa 1 was realigned north of Iowa City replacing Iowa Highway 261 from Anamosa to Iowa City.[5] This section approximately follows part of the route of the territorial and military road from Dubuque to Iowa City. This road, authorized by President Martin Van Buren in 1839, was known as Dillon's Furrow, named after the Dubuque merchant Lyman Dillon who surveyed the route and marked it with a furrow.[6] Most of the deviations of the route of Highway 1 from Dillon's original route are the result of road straightening or bypasses around town centers. The leftover section of Iowa 1 from Iowa City to Iowa 38, part of the Herbert Hoover Highway,[7] became the unsigned Iowa Highway 979.

In 1997, it was announced that parts of U.S. Route 151 and Iowa 1 would become the first Super 2 highways in Iowa.[8] A 42-mile (68 km) section between Washington and U.S. Route 30 was likely to be improved in 2002, but because of funding shortages, the project was scratched.

In the Iowa flood of 2008, flood waters of the Cedar River caused the closure of Iowa 1 between Solon and Mount Vernon on June 12, 2008.[9] Once the floods receded, major damage was left behind. Repair work began on July 11th and were completed by July 30th.[10]

Major intersections

County Location Mile[1] Destinations Notes
Van Buren
 Des Moines–Vernon
township line		 0.000 Iowa 2 – Farmington, Cantril
Van Buren Township 10.357 Iowa 16 east South end of Iowa 16 overlap
Lick Creek–Union
township line		 12.571 Iowa 16 west – Eldon North end of Iowa 16 overlap
Jefferson
 Fairfield 22.991 US 34 (Exit 212) / Iowa 163 – Ottumwa, Mount Pleasant New bypass around Fairfield
24.578
US 34 Bus. east (Burlington Avenue)		 South end of US 34 Bus. overlap
24.644
US 34 Bus. west (Burlington Avenue)		 North end of US 34 Bus. overlap
Keokuk
 Richland Township 36.637 Iowa 78 west South end of Iowa 78 overlap
Washington
 Brighton 44.245 Iowa 78 east North end of Iowa 78 overlap
Washington 54.789 Iowa 92 east (Madison Street) South end of Iowa 92 overlap
Cedar–Jackson–
Washington
township line		 57.856 Iowa 92 west / CR G36 North end of Iowa 92 overlap
Kalona 68.114 Iowa 22 (E Avenue)
Johnson
 Iowa City 83.253 US 218 / Iowa 27 (Exit 91)
85.102 US 6 east South end of US 6 overlap
85.842 US 6 west (Riverside Drive) North end of US 6 overlap
89.482 I-80 (Exit 246)
Linn
 Mount Vernon 107.416 US 30
Jones
 Fairview Township 119.268 US 151 / CR E34 – Cedar Rapids, Dubuque
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
     Concurrency terminus •      Closed/Former •      Incomplete access •      Unopened

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g "2010 Volume of Traffic on the Primary Road System of Iowa" (PDF). Iowa Department of Transportation. January 1, 2010. http://www.iowadotmaps.com/trafbook/trafbook2010.pdf. Retrieved March 31, 2010. 
  2. ^ a b Iowa Department of Transportation (1 July 2008). "Iowa State Railroad Map". http://www.iowadotmaps.com/msp/pdf/Rail_Base.pdf. Retrieved February 7, 2010. 
  3. ^ Rand McNally & Company (1947). Road and Reference Atlas (Map). 1:1,077,120. pp. 42–43. 
  4. ^ Rand McNally (1921). Official Auto Trails Map (Map). 1:1,081,344. p. 330-331. 
  5. ^ Iowa State Highway Commission. 1963 Iowa State Highway Map (Map). http://www.iowadotmaps.com/msp/historical/pdf/1963_front.pdf. Retrieved April 1, 2010. 
  6. ^ Iowa Department of Transportation (ca. 1999). "Discovering Historic Iowa Transportation Milestones". p. 5. http://www.dot.state.ia.us/histbook.pdf. Retrieved February 6, 2010. 
  7. ^ "Iowa Registered Highway Routes 1914-1925" (PDF). Iowa Department of Transportation. 1986. http://www.iowadotmaps.com/msp/pdf/historic.pdf. Retrieved November 28, 2009. 
  8. ^ Boshart, Rob (December 17, 1997). "2 roads on 'Super' list". The Gazette (Cedar Rapids). 
  9. ^ Iowa Department of Transportation (June 12, 2008). "Iowa roadways remain closed due to flooding- 2:45 p.m. Update". http://www.news.iowadot.gov/newsandinfo/2008/06/iowa-roadway-16.html. Retrieved February 7, 2010. 
  10. ^ "Busy section of Highway 1 re-opened in Eastern Iowa". Radio Iowa. July 30, 2008. http://www.radioiowa.com/2008/07/30/busy-section-of-highway-1-re-opened-in-eastern-iowa/. Retrieved October 25, 2009.