(January 20, 1931-July 1, 2003)

WEST End: I-29 exit 20, Fremont County

Facing west on 145 (4/19/17)

Facing west on 145 (4/20/02)

Photo by Neil Bratney

In the four hundred feet west (ahead) of the spot this picture was taken, 145 end(ed), L31 intersects, and the road goes (went) from state highway to dirt. The yellow sign in the far background is one of those "Class B Minimum Maintenance Road - Enter At Your Own Risk" signs. The official end of 145 was the west ramps (SB on/off) for I-29.

Facing west on 145 (4/19/17)

L31 is an interesting county road. Between IA 2 and the Pottawattamie/Mills line, it weaves in and out with I-29 (heading north), crossing it:

Facing east (4/20/02)

Photo by Neil Bratney

Something to ponder: Who is this sign for? The only way to get here is by coming from the dirt road or L31, which crosses just behind you. How many L31 travelers head to Kansas City? (Well, there are those who live along the road, of course...) The first 145 sign is across from the "End" sign in the top picture.

Facing east on 145, the sign in the above picture (4/20/02)

Photo by Neil Bratney

Usually, the bottom sign ("Interchange No.") is with the "Jct" sign, but there wasn't room for one between L31 and the intersection. Neil says, however, that this is not an exception: it's actually the norm for all five interchanges in Fremont County.

Facing east, 2009 equivalents of Neil's photos (4/15/09)

Facing south on 29 (4/20/02)

Photo by Neil Bratney

This BGS is the only one in Iowa that lists a town that's not on the Iowa map! Other BGSs list unincorporated places (Honey Creek and Plain View, for example), but McPaul isn't even on the map. Also note the centered exit tab and the lack of an "East" tag. The latter, it would appear, is the norm for I-29. Those wacky western Iowans. ;-)

Facing south on 29, post-decommissioning (6/12/06)

The exit tabs, centered as they usually are in southwest Iowa, look older than the BGSs themselves and also don't look like "20" was the original number placed on them - or on the northbound signs, below.

Facing north on 29, post-decommissioning (4/6/08)

Old WEST End: Main St., Thurman, Fremont County

Facing west on 145 (4/19/17)

This is a block before the spur end of 145, at the intersection with L44, but it's the only intersection nearby with signs. Perhaps counterintuitively, Main is the cross street instead of the one carrying 145 through most of town.

Facing west on 145 (4/19/17)

You can see the pavement change where the different jurisdiction eras were. The state didn't take over the segment from Thurman to I-29 until 1980.

Facing east on 145 (4/19/17)

Thurman got something in 2017 that very few Iowa towns do nowadays: A replacement post office. The post office building at the intersection of Main and Filmore was closed for safety concerns; a new post office is planned for the west side.

EAST End: Stop sign/T intersection, US 275, Fremont County

Facing east on 145, leaving Thurman (4/15/09)

Facing east on 145 (4/20/02)

Photo by Neil Bratney

Facing east on 145 (4/20/02)

Photos by Neil Bratney

Facing east on 145 (4/15/09)

LGS in above pictures (4/15/09)

Facing south on 275 / Closeup / Southbound LGS (4/20/02 and 6/16/03 and 4/15/09)

Left photo by Neil Bratney

The first sign heading west can be seen in the left picture.

Facing north on 275 (6/16/03)

Facing north on 275 (6/16/03)

Last seen: 2003

Page created 5/22/02; last updated 12/11/17

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