Highway Chronology of Tama and Benton counties

These maps show the highway evolution in Tama and Benton counties and the immediate surrounding area. State spur highways are in light blue, state highways in purple, US highways in red, and interstates in green.

October 16, 1926: US 30 replaces IA 6; US 218 replaces IA 40 to Youngstown Station. IA 13 and 58 truncated; IA 150 and IA 8 replace them. April 18, 1927: US 30 rerouted in Belle Plaine to use 13th Street from 8th Avenue westward. The change will cause George Preston to move his later-famous gas station. 1928: IA 146 extended north from Grinnell to US 30 1929: IA 146 changed to enter Tama County instead of go south from Gilman January 7, 1930 (signs don't change until March): IA 149 replaces IA 150 Summer 1930: Paving of IA 59 realigns route west of Traer December 1, 1930: IA 96 extended west to IA 14. Article in Tama Northern (Gladbrook) mentions west end same as current end, but maps show 96 one mile south of present alignment until late 1930s. Also December 1, 1930: IA 198, 199, 200, 201, and 202 created in Benton County January 8, 1931: IA 212 created between Belle Plaine and Dysart; IA 229 created Spring 1931: IA 73's north end moved from 8th Ave. at 13th St. in Belle Plaine to 7th Ave. at 13th St., which will later be IA 21/131 intersection July 1931: "Chelsea cutoff" on US 30 bypasses town; IA 247 created August 5 for Chelsea August 1931: US 30 realigned between IA 59 and east edge of Tama, taking it out of downtown Tama and off the Lincoln Highway bridge

December 5, 1933: IA 73 extended northward to Dysart, replacing all of 212 May 22, 1934: New IA 212 created to replace 73, because of a new IA 73 in western Iowa. However, signs will not be put up for months. July 18, 1934: "212" straightened northwest of Belle Plaine to follow county line September 15, 1934: IA 212 signs replace IA 73 (Marengo Pioneer-Republican, Sept. 20: "Road Between Belle Plaine, Marengo Is Now No. 212") September 25, 1934: IA 21 replaces IA 212 between Dysart and a point south of Belle Plaine; signs put up two weeks or so afterward (Belle Plaine Union, Oct. 4: "Victor, B. P., Dysart Road Now No. 21") December 1, 1934: IA 59 replaced by US 63 (Toledo Chronicle, Dec. 13: "Primary road No. 59 will become a federal highway" - shown on state maps dated Dec. 1) 1935: IA 171, 279, 280, 283 and 318 created; IA 149 diagonalized northeast of Walford Late 1930s: IA 8 alignment between Traer and Dysart finalized October 26, 1937: US 30 straightened; IA 212, 131 replace it to west, east of Belle Plaine January 1, 1938: US 218 extended southward; goes east with 30 to Cedar Rapids February 1, 1939: IA 363 replaces 92 July 1939: IA 64 routed along US 30

1941: IA 150 replaces IA 11; IA 74 created 1942 or 1943: IA 101 straightened north of Vinton 1948: IA 96 paved west of Gladbrook, skirting Gladbrook on the south 1953: Paving of IA 146 shifts part of road one mile east September 1, 1954: New US 30 opens between 63 in Toledo and east edge of Tama September 25, 1954: US 30 realigned between Le Grand and Tama; IA 146 extended north two miles; first IA 135 decommissioned October 8, 1954: Stop signs added to 30 at new 63 intersection (for two weeks, only traffic on 63 stopped; two accidents occurred in 36 hours Oct. 4-5) Mid-October 1954: New IA 135 commissioned for Montour

1956: Paving of IA 74 causes IA 399 to be created to serve downtown Palo; route of IA 283 probably straightened with paving 1958: Entire route of IA 201 shifted one mile east with paving Early 1960s: US 218 realigned around Vinton; IA 202 straightened 1962: IA 135 realigned in paving; goes northwest from Montour instead of northeast 1963: IA 247 decommissioned 1964: IA 399 decommissioned 1966: IA 280 becomes IA 287; IA 74 becomes IA 94 1967: IA 202 decommissioned January 1, 1969: New road between Waterloo and IA 8 becomes part of IA 21; IA 64 leaves

May 27, 1980: Tama County Supervisors accept IA 135, 212, and 318. Article in Traer Star-Clipper neglects to mention 171, but it is also turned over. 1980: Benton County spurs trimmed to the city limits of towns they serve August 14, 1984: I-380 completed to IA 150; IA 150 rerouted; IA 363 extended; IA 101 decommissioned; IA 920 created September 12, 1985: Remainder of I-380 in Benton County opens September 19, 1985: US 151 replaces IA 149 between US 30 and US 6 1985: US 30/218 freeway completed around Cedar Rapids 1992: US 30/218 four-laned between IA 201 and freeway November 1999: US 30/218 four-laned between US 218 and IA 201

2001: East-west segment of IA 131 turned over July 1, 2003: All Benton County spurs, IA 94, IA 229, IA 283, IA 363, IA 920, rest of IA 131, and IA 940 decommissioned November 2004: Le Grand bypass opens; four lanes to IA 146 in June 2005 November 1, 2010: New 30 opens to four lanes between US 63 and the east end of the Tama bypass, creating a tiny duplex with US 63 that lasts three weeks November 23, 2010: New 30 opens as two lanes from casino to US 63 2011: Future alignment plans for US 30 between Tama and US 218 shift four-lane route either above or below the section line

This map shows the near-future state of highways in Tama and Benton counties and their immediate surroundings. Notice how bare it seems compared to some of the years above.

Maps on this page © Jeff Morrison 2005-06

Page created 6/26/05; last updated 7/21/11