Iowa Highway 5

Iowa Highway 5
Iowa 5 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by Iowa DOT
Length:	103.540 mi[1] (166.631 km)
Existed:	January 1, 1969 (1969-01-01)[2] – present
Major junctions
South end:	Route 5 near Cincinnati
	US 34 at Albia US 65 / US 69 at Des Moines
North end:	I-35 at West Des Moines
Location
Counties:	Appanoose Monroe Marion Warren Polk
Highway system
Iowa Primary Highway System Interstate U.S. State Secondary Scenic ← Iowa 4 US 6 →

Iowa Highway 5 is a highway in southern Iowa. It is a north–south highway with a length of 105 miles (169 km). It is the northernmost segment of a three-state "Highway 5" also involving Missouri Route 5 and Arkansas Highway 5. Portions of the highway are freeway and expressway. It had previously been designated Iowa Highway 60. The southern terminus of Iowa Highway 5 is at the Missouri border southwest of Cincinnati. Its northern terminus is at Interstate 35 at West Des Moines.

Route description

Iowa Highway 5 begins at the Missouri border southwest of Cincinnati. It passes through Cincinnati, then turns north to go through Centerville, where it intersects Iowa Highway 2. It continues north through Moravia and intersects U.S. Highway 34 in Albia. Iowa 5 also intersects Iowa Highway 137 in Albia and turns northwest. It goes northwest through Lovilia and Hamilton before intersecting Iowa Highway 92 in Knoxville.

The northern end of Iowa 5 is at Interstate 35 south of West Des Moines

Iowa 5 and Iowa 92 then become a freeway bypass of Knoxville, bypassing Knoxville on its south side, intersecting Iowa Highway 14 on the bypass. After the bypass, Iowa 5 and Iowa 92 become an expressway. Iowa 5 then separates from Iowa 92 near Pleasantville. Iowa 5 then turns north, bypasses Pleasantville, and intersects Iowa Highway 316 northwest of Pleasantville. Iowa 5 continues northwest past Hartford and Carlisle, then intersects U.S. Highway 65. Iowa 5 then goes west as a freeway with U.S. 65 to an interchange with U.S. Highway 69, where U.S. 65 separates in Des Moines. Iowa 5 then continues west as a southeastern freeway bypass of Des Moines, intersecting Iowa Highway 28 at Norwalk and ends in West Des Moines at Interstate 35.

History

Old Iowa 5 dead ends north of the US 65 bypass

Primary Road 5 was designated in 1920 connecting Sioux City and Dubuque. In 1926, this route was truncated at Fort Dodge and at Le Mars and subsequently extended to Akron in 1929. From 1945 through 1962, when Iowa 5 was again truncated near Aurelia, Iowa 5 overlapped Iowa 3 for 60 miles (97 km).^[3] This last section of Iowa 5 is now designated Iowa Highway 7.^[2]

The current Iowa 5 was designated on January 1, 1969, along the southern portion Iowa Highway 60. It was renumbered to provide route number continuity with Missouri Route 5.^[2] In 1978, a bypass of Knoxville was opened carrying Iowa 5 and Iowa Highway 92 around the southern edge of Knoxville.

In the Des Moines area, Iowa 5 had the same route along Army Post Road from 1969 until 1997, when sections of a southern bypass, completed in 2002, were opened.

Major intersections

County	Location	mi[1]	km	Exit[4]	Destinations	Notes
Appanoose	Franklin Township	0.000	0.000		Route 5 south
	Centerville	13.624	21.926		Iowa 2 (Maple Street)
Monroe	Albia	34.122	54.914		US 34
		35.295	56.802		Iowa 137 north
Marion	Knoxville	60.290	97.027	60	Iowa 92 east / Iowa 92 Business – Oskaloosa	South end of IA 92 overlap
		62.242	100.169	62	Iowa 14 – Knoxville, Chariton
		64.549	103.882	64	Iowa 92 Business east – Knoxville
	Pleasant Grove Township	71.348	114.823		Iowa 92 west / CR S45 south	North end of IA 92 overlap
Warren	Richland Township	78.304	126.018		Iowa 316 north
Polk	Allen Township	89.873	144.637	72	US 65 north – Altoona	South end of US 65 overlap
Warren	Des Moines	92.501	148.866	70	US 65 south / US 69 – Des Moines, Indianola	Signed as exits 70A (south) and 70B (north); north end of US 65 overlap
		95.387	153.510	96	CR R63 (SW 9th Street)
		96.555	155.390	97	CR R57 (Fleur Drive) – Des Moines International Airport
Polk	West Des Moines	98.582	158.652	99	Iowa 28 – Norwalk, Martensdale
		100.809	162.236	101	Southwest Connector
		102.261	164.573	102	South 35th Street, Walnut Woods State Park
		103.540	166.631	—	I-35 – Kansas City, Minneapolis
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus

References

External links

Route map: Bing / Google

• The Iowa Highways Page by Jason Hancock