EAST
and 
NORTH
at 
(and 
)
NORTH End of 58/EAST End of 57: Interchange, US 218/IA 27, Cedar Falls, Black Hawk County
Four intersections in Iowa in 2002 (and, for a time, five) were more than your normal end. (Two have since lost that status.) These four include termini for not one, but two state highways. This is the one interchange of the bunch, and it gets the new IA 27 thrown in for good measure. In 2007, all the signage on US 218 was replaced with Clearview, but I've kept the older pictures for comparison. Clockwise from the interchange's six o'clock, pictures 7/15/07 unless noted:
End 58
Facing north on 58
Although it is brown in all other places, the sign for George Wyth State Park on 58 north (visible by the car in the deep background) is green.
Facing north on 58
Facing north on 58
"Cedar Falls" is in smaller type than usual. The "End 58" actually appears after the "218/27 north" above. Technically, the four-lane portion of 58 is now a redundant multiplex with IA 27, but since the project was referred to for 20 years before construction as "Relocated Highway 58" and 27 is relatively new, it's easier to keep 58 up to this point.
End 57
Facing east on 57
This bent 57 shield is the last one but doesn't have any "End" or anything. Three and a half months later, there was a new shield, but still no "End" - and BOTH wide 218 shields have been replaced.
Facing east on 57
The northbound and southbound bridges are separated somewhat here; the sign at right is on the southbound bridge, in the background of the picture with the shields. Notice the wide three-digit sign (until 2014, the only two in Iowa!), the fact that the straight arrow shield is shorter than the diagonal one, and the shrunk 218/27 on the top right sign because of the addition of the latter.
Facing east on 57 (6/28/02)
The Clearview replacements for these signs are below.
Facing east on 57
218 South
Facing south on 218
This sign illustrates the small difference between the uppercase and lowercase letters in Clearview. (In fact, the "d" and "l" look taller.)
Facing south on 218 (6/28/02)
Some strange signage here: "WEST" and "UNI-Dome" (and "EXIT") are extended and "Cedar Falls" is compressed on the sign for 57. As for 58, the exit for the highway is NOT 3 miles away as the sign implies; University Avenue, used as the UNI campus exit, is, however. (The "O" usually isn't capitalized - and the mistake was duplicated in the replacement.)
Facing south on 218
Better wording for the right sign would have been "University of Northern Iowa / Follow 58 South".
Facing south on 218 (6/28/02)
In case you can't make it out (this is the original size), the "exit tab" for 218 says "Airport", and the far left sign reads "South 58/27 Straight Ahead". Notice the different sizes of the numbers for 58 and 27, whose positions were reversed later.
Facing south on 218
Facing south on 218
The good news with the sign replacement is that no exit tabs were added so 218 doesn't exit from itself. On the left side, "UNI" should probably be before "Hudson" since it comes first. The cities are listed on top on northbound 218's new signs, too.
218 North
Facing west, but heading north, on 218 (12/24/06 and 7/15/07)
Left photo by Jason Hancock
Facing west, but heading north, on 218 (12/24/06)
Photo by Jason Hancock
There's no exit mile marker here, but UNI and the UNI-Dome are signed on top of the signs. (UNI-Dome traffic is directed on 57 and Hudson Road.) Notice the difference in the 58 and 27 shields, and also the small 218/27 shields because of space. Like 58 north, "Cedar Falls" is in small print on the 57 sign.
Facing west, but heading north, on 218
Facing northwest (12/24/06)
Photo by Jason Hancock
All traffic not heading west on 57 takes the exit. This gantry is to the left of the "Merge right" sign in the above picture. On the ramp, southbound traffic keeps left as northbound goes right. (A similar arrangement is at the US 20/I-380/US 218 interchange.)
Facing northwest
Facing west on 57 (7/3/02)
And coming full circle, this sign is the first 57 sign actually on 57, at the foot of the offramp from 218 south. (As indicated on 57's page, a few leftovers still stand east of here.)
To the IA 58 South end / To IA 58's old north ends / To the IA 57 West ends / To the IA 57 East ends
*Inaugural Highway End*
Page created 5/17/02; last updated 1/14/15