Iowa Highway 330

Iowa Highway 330
Route information
Maintained by Iowa DOT
Length: 33.293 mi[1] (53.580 km)
Major junctions
West end: US 65 / Iowa 117 near Mingo
  US 30 near Marshalltown
East end: Iowa 14 near Albion
Location
Counties: Jasper, Story, Marshall
Highway system

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

← Iowa 316 Iowa 333 →

A 33-mile-long (53 km) state highway in central Iowa, Iowa Highway 330 runs northeasterly from near Mingo in Jasper County past Albion, to just north of Marshalltown in Marshall County. Originally the two-lane, unpaved Iowa Highway 88 in the 1930s, and later Iowa Highway 64 until 1969, Highway 330 is now a four-lane divided expressway along much of its length. In conjunction with US 65, Iowa Highway 14 and U.S. Route 20, Iowa 330 is commonly used as a connector between Des Moines and the Waterloo/Cedar Falls area.

Contents

Route description

Iowa Highway 330 begins at the intersection of U.S. Route 65 and Iowa Highway 117 north of Mingo. At the intersection, northbound US 65 traffic, which is traveling northeast on an expressway, turns north onto a two-lane highway. The northern end of Iowa 117 is on the opposite side of US 65's two-lane road. Iowa 330 begins on the expressway and does not stop at the US 65 / Iowa 117 intersection.

The expressway portion of Iowa 330 extends for 20 miles (32 km), passing the communities of Rhodes and Melbourne. It intersects U.S. Route 30 at a diamond interchange just west of Marshalltown. 1+1⁄2 miles (2.4 km) later, now on a two-lane road, Iowa 330 turns north of Albion, bypassing Marshalltown to the west.[1] On the way to Albion, Highway 330 crosses the Union Pacific Railroad main line and the Iowa River.[2] North of Albion, Iowa 330 turns east and travels 4 miles (6.4 km) before ending at Iowa Highway 14.[1]

History

As an unusual, and originally underutilized, diagonal highway in a strongly grid-based region, a persistent rumor claims that the highway was originally run through as a pork barrel project for the personal benefit of a Marshall County state legislator who wanted a quicker route to the Iowa General Assembly.

The highway was originally designated as Highway 330 and paved in the late 1940s. Before then, it was called Iowa 88 and was largely unpaved. In 1969 the route was extended southward to its current terminus. In 1989, it was re-routed to bypass Marshalltown. In 2002, the 20 miles (32 km) between US 65 and US 30 were upgraded to expressway status.

Major intersections

County Location Mile[1] Destinations Notes
Jasper
 Clear Creek Township 0.000 US 65 / Iowa 117 south Southbound Iowa 330 becomes southbound US 65
Story
 No major junctions
Marshall
 Washington Township 20.202 US 30
Taylor Township 33.293 Iowa 14
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

  1. ^ a b c d "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 January 15, 2011. 
  2. ^ Iowa Department of Transportation (July 1, 2008). "Iowa State Railroad Map". http://www.iowadotmaps.com/msp/pdf/Rail_Base.pdf. Retrieved March 4, 2010.