Category Archives: Highway Miscellaneous

Dec 31

Fort Madison Toll Bridge cashless

October 4, 2015: The Fort Madison Toll Bridge is seen in the background of this image. Until the Fort Madison bypass opened, the bridge was the east end of IA 2. As of Dec. 1, you can’t pay cash to … Continue reading

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Aug 13

Breakdown of 2026-30 highway plan

It’s moderately confusing to have the Iowa DOT release its five-year programs on the fiscal year, but that’s been the case since it formed in 1975. That means that the contracts for 2026 started July 1. I waited until the … Continue reading

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Apr 07

A note on toll roads

The Gazette’s centerpiece last Monday was “Why doesn’t Iowa have toll roads?”. It starts out: “Thirty-six U.S. states have toll roads, including Iowa’s neighbors Minnesota, Nebraska, Missouri and Illinois.” Nebraska and Missouri do not have toll roads. Nebraska has two … Continue reading

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Jul 08

Interstate 11 extended through Las Vegas

This isn’t an Iowa story, obviously, but it’s important for the interstate system as a whole. The Nevada DOT is replacing Interstate 515, which ran southeast from Las Vegas toward the Hoover Dam area, with Interstate 11. The I-11 designation … Continue reading

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Jun 17

Lincoln Highway double feature

A Model T Ford crossing the country for the anniversary of the “10 millionth” car doing the same in 1924 was delayed in coming to Iowa. That meant that not only could I check it out last Wednesday, but I … Continue reading

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Jun 10

An extended correction to the IA 39 page

Good news! I was wrong … mostly. On the page for IA 39, I said that present-day US 30 west of the west edge of Denison, following the railroad, was never part of the Lincoln Highway. Well, in the course … Continue reading

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May 03

ISU and the Lincoln Highway

Here’s my investigation into the Lincoln Highway’s history as it relates to the Iowa State campus in Ames. (whoops, forgot to set a draft to live)

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Apr 03

A TV show about road tripping in Iowa!

At the Iowa State Fair last year, Iowa Public Television Iowa PBS teased a “Road Trip Iowa” series coming in 2024. Well, it’s here! Sadly, I was not asked to be a consultant. The press release has one very important … Continue reading

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Mar 14

Hamburg intersection to become 4-way stop

October 2, 2015: On southbound US 275 at IA 333 in Hamburg, you can see “Traffic from left does not stop” in yellow under the stop sign. Hamburg’s key highway intersection is getting a change. The intersection of US 275 … Continue reading

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Feb 14

One legislative step toward I-435?

In 2016, I mentioned that Arkansas wrangled an exception into a federal highway bill that enabled a newly built four-lane road from Jonesboro to I-55 to be designated an interstate. The provision was to allow farm traffic to use a … Continue reading

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