November 6, 2009: The left exit for US 65 north in Altoona was part of the original interstate construction. It made a lot of sense since the road underneath was not perpendicular to I-80 but at an angle. This enabled traffic to exit and merge without stopping.
However, after the beltway opened in 1994, it became problematic: Traffic merging from US 65 onto I-80 had to shift across three lanes of traffic within a mile to get to the exit. Increased traffic and increased dislike of left exits meant this ramp’s time was numbered. It was closed and removed in 2010. Now all traffic exits to an intersection with Hubbell Avenue.
There is a five (or so)-year plan in place to rebuild I-80 in this area, including a new interchange, expanding the mainline to six or eight lanes.