Clinton highway chronology
Clinton, like many other medium-size cities in Iowa, has an early highway history that is difficult to pin down. The most important part of that is the Lincoln Highway. We know three things for sure: It crossed the Mississippi River on the original Lyons-Fulton Bridge, the first alignment went west to Elvira (the intersection of F12 and Z36), and it used 5th Avenue for a significant time. Here's a rundown of the 1910s:
- Huebinger's Map and Guide for Official Iowa Transcontinental Route (1912) uses Z40 and Hart's Mill Road to come in from the west, then follows Bluff Boulevard, 7th Avenue, 4th Street, and 6th Avenue to get to 2nd Street, which goes north to the bridge.
- In November 1913, just as the Lincoln Highway had been announced, the Iowa Highway Commission, following a suggestion from the Clinton County Board of Supervisors, favored the Elvira road to get from Clinton to Low Moor. This created a situation where the Lincoln Highway went south along the Mississippi River, went through downtown Clinton, and turned back north. This route was documented by Gregory Franzwa in 1995. The 2011 Lincoln Highway Heritage Byway sticks to 13th Avenue North instead, but in the 1910s, there was no way the Lincoln wasn't going to go through downtown.
- "The Lincoln Highway route through the city of Clinton, from the bridge to Fifth avenue and Second street, and west on Fifth avenue to Ninth street, has been fixed for all time, according to W.C. Coan," the Clinton Advertiser said in mid-1916, giving Coan the wrong middle initial. But, then, "on Ninth street following the street car tracks to Second avenue." There are multiple weird things with this: It's turning back north, there is no intersection of 9th Street and 2nd Avenue, and the route following 2nd out of town is unclear and not mentioned anywhere.
- By mid-1918, the LH used Bluff Boulevard and Hart's Mill Road to the west. The straight line between Low Moor and Clinton wasn't added to the primary system until the beginning of 1919. (However, "in the primary system" and "on a major auto trail" did not always overlap.) But after that, and especially after the 1921 paving on Bluff Boulevard, all the changes can be mapped out.
| NOTE: The
Clinton and Illinois High Bridge was a lesser-known bridge that
crossed the Mississippi by also crossing the railroad at Little
Rock Island (not shown). IA 6, W-E: Lincoln Way, Harrison Dr, 19th St, Bluff Blvd, 5th Ave S, 2nd St, Main Ave, Lyons-Fulton Bridge End 99: 5th Avenue at 2nd Street January 6, 1925: IA 99 truncated to IA 6 at the southwest intersection August 5, 1925: Monument dedicated to W.F. Coan, a good-roads booster, at what's now the southwest junction of US 30 and 67 October 16, 1926: IA 6 becomes US 30; IA 61 becomes IA 136 March 1927: IA 99 extended along Camanche Avenue to downtown Clinton ca. 1927: IA 99 put on Washington Boulevard in Camanche with paving (just off bottom of map). Its previous route is not easily discernible. March 4, 1930: Extension of IA 99 from Clinton to Dubuque approved, but there's a catch — the road north of Sabula won't exist for another two years. August 1931: US 55 replaces IA 99 1931: US 30 diagonal on Bluff Boulevard extended from about 17th Street southwestward. A paved but unsigned connector links 30 and 55 where the old Target (now Hobby Lobby) is today. |
| February 15, 1935 (approved November
20, 1934): US 67 replaces US 55 Also 1935?: US 30 may have been put on the 27th and Camanche alignment at this time, because a small line disappears from the state maps after this year. ca. 1940: US 67 straightened between the current 30/67 junction and 14th Street; US 30 is put on this route and Camanche Avenue no later than this. The 1929 paving left behind on 27th Avenue and a short part of Harrison Drive remained active until a project in 2019 rebuilt Harrison and cut off 27th west of 19th Street. (The concrete on 27th between 14th and 19th remains intact and in use as of 2020.) NOTE: Ironically, this means a big part of US 30 with the street name of Lincoln Way, from 14th Street to Mill Creek, was never part of the Lincoln Highway. |
| NOTE: For
some time, the old route of US 30 was formally or informally known
as a cutoff/bypass route. June 30, 1956: Gateway Bridge opens; US 30 routed onto it; old route becomes US 30A |
| 1964: IL 80 renumbered IL 84 December 7, 1966: IA 136 extended across Lyons-Fulton Bridge into Illinois. Illinois keeps the number, creating a second 136 in the state. 1970: Four-lane US 30 from west end of Clinton to Z24 opens January 20, 1975: New IA 136 bridge opens (officially named Mark Morris Memorial Bridge) |
|
June
17, 1982: Bypass of Camanche opens, probably with four-lane
between the bypass and US 30 at the same time December
17, 1982: Tolls removed from both bridges 2009:
Liberty Square project completed, turning 30/67 duplex into a
separated long parkway with mostly empty land in between |
Sources:
- "Add road strip to primary system." Clinton Advertiser, March 28, 1927: 3.
- "Changes in Lincoln Way through the city named." Clinton Advertiser, July 22, 1918: 3.
- Franzwa, Gregory M. The Lincoln Highway: Iowa. Tucson AZ, Patrice Press, 1995.
- "Highway Commission inspects congested roads in the county." Clinton Daily Advertiser, November 20, 1913: 3.
- Huebinger, Melchior. Huebinger's Map and Guide for Official Iowa Transcontinental Route. Des Moines IA, Iowa Publishing Co., 1912.
- Iowa State Highway Commission construction documents (various)
- "Lincoln Way to lead over Fifth Avenue." Clinton Advertiser, April 9, 1916: 10.
- "Mr. Coan in highway talk Friday night." Clinton Advertiser, August 26, 1916: 7.
- "New detour signs go up here today." Clinton Advertiser, July 19, 1921: 5.
- "To dedicate Coan Memorial Wednesday; public invited to enjoy interesting program." Clinton Advertiser, August 3, 1925: 5.
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