Because IA 86 north of IA 9 wasn’t state-maintained until 1980, it has a lot of characteristics of a county road, including a lack of shoulders. The road was taken by the state as its importance as a connector to I-90 grew.
Next year the DOT plans to shut down and rebuild the whole road north of IA 9. The Spencer Daily Reporter notes that this will include leaving some of the old road behind to create a straighter connection to Minnesota.