Iowa Highway 1

"IA 1" redirects here. For the congressional district, see Iowa's 1st congressional district.

Iowa Highway 1
Route information
Maintained by Iowa DOT
Length:	119.268 mi (191.943 km)
Existed:	ca. 1926 – present
Major junctions
South end:	Iowa 2 near Keosauqua
	US 34 / Iowa 163 at Fairfield US 218 / Iowa 27 at Iowa City US 6 in Iowa City I-80 at Iowa City US 30 at Mount Vernon
North end:	US 151 / CR E34 near Anamosa
Location
Counties:	Van Buren, Jefferson, Keokuk, Washington, Johnson, Linn, Jones
Highway system
Iowa Primary Highway System Interstates • U.S. Highways • State Highways ← Iowa 965 Iowa 2 →

Iowa Highway 1 (Iowa 1 or Highway 1) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Iowa that extends from Keosauqua to Anamosa. Traveling 120 miles (190 km), mainly through rich farmland and small communities, Iowa 1 provides and important link to Iowa City and the University of Iowa as it passes through campus. Portions of the route today date back to the late-1830s, when Martin Van Buren was president, making Iowa Highway 1 one of the oldest routes in the state, pre-dating the current primary highway system by nearly eighty years. In the Iowa flood of 2008, Iowa 1 was seriously damaged by the Cedar River, closing the highway for seven weeks.

Route description

Iowa Highway 1 begins at a T-intersection with Iowa 2 in rural Van Buren County, south of Keosauqua. It passes through gently rolling farmland for 10 miles (16 km) before entering the Des Moines River valley adjacent to Lacey Keosauqua State Park. The highway crosses the Des Moines River and enters Keosauqua along Main Street. At Broad Street, Iowa 1 turned north and headed out of town. Between Keosauqua and the southern junction with Iowa 16, the highway runs parallel to the Des Moines River, the river's course bending sharply around Keosauqua. South of Birmingham, Iowa 1 briefly overlaps Iowa 16 for 2 miles (3.2 km). The next 7 miles (11 km) run due north passing through Birmingham, before the highway crosses Cedar Creek south of Fairfield.

On the south side of Fairfield, the highway meets the new U.S. Route 34 / Iowa Highway 163 bypass at a partial cloverleaf interchange. Highway 1 enters Fairfield along Main Street. For one block, Iowa 1 overlaps US 34 Business on Burlington Street before turning onto Second Street. Along Second Street, the highway passes under a BNSF Railway / Amtrak viaduct. North of the viaduct, Iowa 1 turns west for two blocks along Merrill Avenue and turns north again onto Fourth Street. On the northern edge of Fairfield, the highway passes next to Maharishi International University.

North of Fairfield, Iowa 1 passes the Fairfield Municipal Airport and Maharishi Vedic City. For the next 9 miles (14 km), the highway continues due north through Jefferson and Keokuk County. Southeast of Richland, Iowa 1 meets Iowa 78 at a T-intersection. Heading east from this intersection, Highways 1 and 78 overlap for 7+¹⁄₂ miles (12 km) until entering Brighton on Fountain Street. Iowa 1 splits off to the north onto Benton Street while Iowa 78 turns to the south and east. North of Brighton, it crosses the Skunk River and passes through the river's 1-mile (1.6 km) wide valley. For 9 miles (14 km), Iowa 1 passes through southern Washington County heading northeast towards Washington.

At Washington, Iowa 1 intersects Iowa 92 on the southwestern edge of town. The two highways curve around to the north and split 3 miles (4.8 km) later. Highway 1 passes through flat farmland before crossing the English River south of Kalona. Iowa 1 skirts the western edge of Kalona and intersects Iowa Highway 22. It continues north for 7 miles (11 km) before turning northeast for 8 miles (13 km) more towards Iowa City.

Iowa Highway 1 intersects U.S. Route 218 and Iowa Highway 27, the Avenue of the Saints, at a diamond interchange on the southwestern edge of Iowa City. Highway 1 curves to the north of Iowa City Municipal Airport, intersecting U.S. Route 6 at Riverside Drive. For ³⁄₄ miles (1.2 km), Iowa 1 overlaps US 6 on Riverside Drive before crossing the Iowa River in downtown Iowa City. On Burlington Street, Iowa 1 passes the University of Iowa library, the old state capitol, and the Ped Mall. Iowa 1 turns north onto the one-way Dodge Street; Governor Street handles the accompanying southbound lanes of traffic. The one-way streets rejoin as Dodge Street before intersecting Interstate 80 at another diamond interchange.

Iowa 1 continues north through Johnson County for 12 miles (19 km), passing through Solon. At Solon, it intersects Johnson County Road F16, which provides access to Lake MacBride State Park, the eponymous reservoir created by damming the Iowa River. 6 miles (9.7 km) southwest of Mount Vernon, Highway 1 turns to the northeast, entering Linn County and crossing the Cedar River before entering Mount Vernon, where it intersects U.S. Route 30. At First Street, Iowa 1 crosses the Lincoln Highway. On the northern edge of Mount Vernon, Highway 1 crosses a major Union Pacific Railroad line. Iowa 1 continues north towards Martelle, where it enters Jones County. 3+¹⁄₂ miles (5.6 km) northeast of Martelle, Iowa 1 ends at a partial cloverleaf interchange with U.S. Route 151.

History

The current Iowa Highway 1 was designated in the 1920s, extending from Iowa Highway 2 near Keosauqua to Iowa Highway 38 near Rochester. Between Keosauqua and Iowa City, Iowa 1 replaced Primary Road No. 11; and between Iowa City and Rochester, it replaced Primary Road No. 74. In 1962, Iowa 1 was realigned north of Iowa City replacing Iowa Highway 261 from Anamosa to Iowa City. This section approximately follows part of the route of the territorial and military road from Dubuque to Iowa City. This road, authorized by President Martin Van Buren in 1839, was known as Dillon's Furrow, named after the Dubuque merchant Lyman Dillon who surveyed the route and marked it with a furrow. Most of the deviations of the route of Highway 1 from Dillon's original route are the result of road straightening or bypasses around town centers. The leftover section of Iowa 1 from Iowa City to Iowa 38, part of the Herbert Hoover Highway, became the unsigned Iowa Highway 979.

In 1997, it was announced that parts of U.S. Route 151 and Iowa 1 would become the first Super 2 highways in Iowa. A 42-mile (68 km) section between Washington and U.S. Route 30 was likely to be improved in 2002, but because of funding shortages, the project was scratched.

In the Iowa flood of 2008, flood waters of the Cedar River caused the closure of Iowa 1 between Solon and Mount Vernon on June 12, 2008. Once the floods receded, major damage was left behind. Repair work began on July 11th and were completed by July 30th.

Major intersections

County	Location	Mile	Destinations	Notes
Van Buren	Des Moines–Vernon township line	0.000	Iowa 2 – Farmington, Cantril
	Van Buren Township	10.357	Iowa 16 east	South end of Iowa 16 overlap
	Lick Creek–Union township line	12.571	Iowa 16 west – Eldon	North end of Iowa 16 overlap
Jefferson	Fairfield	22.991	US 34 (Exit 212) / Iowa 163 – Ottumwa, Mount Pleasant	New bypass around Fairfield
		24.578	US 34 Bus. east (Burlington Avenue)	South end of US 34 Bus. overlap
		24.644	US 34 Bus. west (Burlington Avenue)	North end of US 34 Bus. overlap
Keokuk	Richland Township	36.637	Iowa 78 west	South end of Iowa 78 overlap
Washington	Brighton	44.245	Iowa 78 east	North end of Iowa 78 overlap
	Washington	54.789	Iowa 92 east (Madison Street)	South end of Iowa 92 overlap
	Cedar–Jackson– Washington township line	57.856	Iowa 92 west / CR G36	North end of Iowa 92 overlap
	Kalona	68.114	Iowa 22 (E Avenue)
Johnson	Iowa City	83.253	US 218 / Iowa 27 (Exit 91)
		85.102	US 6 east	South end of US 6 overlap
		85.842	US 6 west (Riverside Drive)	North end of US 6 overlap
		89.482	I-80 (Exit 246)
Linn	Mount Vernon	107.416	US 30
Jones	Fairview Township	119.268	US 151 / CR E34 – Cedar Rapids, Dubuque
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi      Concurrency terminus •      Closed/former •      Incomplete access •      Unopened

External links

• The Iowa Highways Page by Jason Hancock