Iowa Highway 3
 Iowa Highway 3 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Veterans Memorial Highway | ||||
 Iowa 3 highlighted in red | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by Iowa DOT | ||||
| Length | 326.163 mi[1] (524.908 km) | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| West end |  SD 50 west of Westfield | |||
| East end |    US 52 / US 61 / US 151 at Dubuque | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | Iowa | |||
| Counties | ||||
| Highway system | ||||
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Iowa Highway 3 is a state highway that runs from east to west across the state of Iowa. Highway 3 is the longest state highway in Iowa, at 327.81 miles (527.56 km) long. Iowa 3 begins at the South Dakota state line where it continues as South Dakota Highway 50 and ends at an interchange with U.S. Route 61 / U.S. Route 151. It is designated the American Veterans Memorial Highway for its entirety. It is located approximately halfway between Interstate 80 and Interstate 90.
Route description
Iowa Highway 3 begins at the Big Sioux River where it continues west into South Dakota as South Dakota Highway 50. 1.5 miles (2.4 km) into Iowa, Iowa 3 intersects and overlaps Iowa Highway 12 for 5 miles (8.0 km). At Akron, Iowa 3 turns east towards Le Mars. At Le Mars, Iowa 3 intersects U.S. Route 75 and, for 1 mile (1.6 km), is overlapped by U.S. Route 75 Business. Iowa 3 continues east towards Remsen and Marcus meeting Iowa Highway 140 and Iowa Highway 143 in each respective town. At Cherokee, Iowa 3 intersects U.S. Route 59 and skirts the northeastern edge of town. East of Cherokee, Iowa 3 formerly intersected the unsigned Iowa Highway 977, which served as a shortcut to southbound US 59 for westbound Iowa 3 traffic. North of Aurelia, Iowa 3 meets Iowa Highway 7. Northeast of Truesdale, Iowa 3 intersects U.S. Route 71. 25 miles (40 km) east of Truesdale, Iowa 3 intersects Iowa Highway 4 in Pocahontas. Between Pocahontas and Gilmore City, Iowa 3 meets Iowa Highway 15. Iowa 3 intersects U.S. Route 169 in Humboldt.[2]
East of Humboldt, Iowa Highway 3 is overlapped for 3 miles (4.8 km) by Iowa Highway 17 near Goldfield. Iowa 3 overlaps U.S. Route 69 for 2 miles (3.2 km) east of Clarion. Near Latimer and Coulter, Iowa 3 meets Interstate 35 at a diamond interchange. 10 miles (16 km) east of the I-35 interchange, Iowa 3 intersects U.S. Route 65 in Hampton. At Allison, Iowa 3 is briefly overlapped by Iowa Highway 14. Iowa 3 meets Iowa Highway 188 south of Clarksville. West of Waverly, Iowa 3 intersects U.S. Route 218 / Iowa Highway 27, the Avenue of the Saints, at an interchange. For 1 mile (1.6 km), Iowa 3 is overlapped by U.S. Route 218 Business before US 218 Bus. turns south as the unsigned Iowa Highway 116. 7 miles (11 km) to the east, Iowa 3 intersects U.S. Route 63. At Oelwein, Iowa 3 overlaps Iowa Highway 150 for 3 miles (4.8 km) before continuing east towards Iowa Highway 187. From Strawberry Point to near Edgewood, Iowa 3 overlaps Iowa Highway 13.[2]
East of Edgewood, Iowa Higwhay 3 enters the Driftless Area, where the terrain changes markedly from gently rolling farmland to steep bluffs. Iowa 3 meets Iowa Highway 38 on the edge of the Driftless Area. At Luxemburg, Iowa 3 meets U.S. Route 52, with which Iowa 3 continues for the rest of its length, and Iowa Highway 136. The next 22 miles (35 km), from Luxemburg to Sageville, are particularly curvy because the routes enter completely into the Driftless Area. At Sageville, US 52 / Iowa 3 meet Iowa Highway 32, Dubuque's Northwest Arterial. US 52 / Iowa 3 enter Dubuque along Central Avenue, which becomes a one-way street paired with White Street near downtown. US 52 and Iowa 3 turn onto another pair of one-way streets, East 9th Street and East 11th Street for a few blocks before meeting U.S. Route 61 / U.S. Route 151. US 52 continues south with US 61 / US 151, while Iowa 3 ends at this interchange.[2]
History
This is the second state highway to be designated Iowa Highway 3. The first Iowa Highway 3 existed from 1920 to 1941, and was an east–west route across the southern part of Iowa, beginning at Fort Madison and ending at the western border of Iowa near Nebraska City, Nebraska. The current Iowa Highway 3 route was designated in 1945.
Originally extending from Iowa Highway 12 in Akron to Dubuque, Iowa 3 was co-signed with Iowa Highway 5 from Akron to near Aurelia.[3] In 1949, Iowa 3 was extended along Iowa 12 from Akron to its current western end at the Big Sioux River.[4]
Prior to the building of a four lane U.S. Route 61 / U.S. Route 151, the eastern terminus of Iowa Highway 3 was at the intersection of Bluff Street and U.S. Route 20, Dodge Street.
Major intersections
| County | Location | mi[1] | km | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Union | |  SD 50 west | Continuation into South Dakota | ||
| Big Sioux River | 0.000 | 0.000 | Iowa–South Dakota state line | ||
| Plymouth | Westfield Township | 1.476 | 2.375 |   Iowa 12 south (Portland Street) | West end of Iowa 12 overlap |
| Akron | 6.211 | 9.996 |  Iowa 12 north (Loess Hills Scenic Byway) | East end of Iowa 12 overlap | |
| America Township | 26.164 | 42.107 |    US 75 / US 75 Bus. | West end of US 75 Bus. overlap. | |
| Le Mars | 27.617 | 44.445 | US 75 Bus. (5th Avenue West) | East end of US 75 Bus. overlap. | |
| Remsen | 38.985 | 62.740 |    Iowa 140 south / CR L14 north | ||
| Cherokee | Marcus | 47.009 | 75.654 |    Iowa 143 north (Ames Avenue) / CR L36 south (D Avenue) | |
| Cherokee Township | 60.432 | 97.256 |  US 59 (2nd Street) | ||
| Afton Township | 66.477 | 106.984 |   Iowa 7 east | ||
| Buena Vista | Scott–Lincoln township line | 81.506 | 131.171 |  US 71 | |
| Pocahontas | Pocahontas | 106.203 | 170.917 |  Iowa 4 (West 7th Street) | |
| Garfield–Lake township line | 113.202 | 182.181 |   Iowa 15 north / CR N65 south | ||
| Humboldt | Humboldt | 129.201 | 207.929 |  US 169 (13th Street) | |
| Humboldt–Wright county line | Lake–Liberty township line | 142.211 | 228.866 |  Iowa 17 north | West end of Iowa 17 overlap |
| Wright | Goldfield | 145.068 | 233.464 | Iowa 17 south (Locust Street) | East end of Iowa 17 overlap |
| Grant–Lincoln township line | 159.222 | 256.243 |  US 69 south | West end of US 69 overlap | |
| Grant–Iowa township line | 161.112 | 259.285 | US 69 north | East end of US 69 overlap | |
| Franklin | Scott Township | 172.297 | 277.285 |  I-35 | |
| Hampton | 182.290 | 293.367 |  US 65 (4th Street East) | ||
| Butler | Allison | 202.526 | 325.934 |  Iowa 14 north | West end of Iowa 14 overlap |
| 203.531 | 327.551 | Iowa 14 south | East end of Iowa 14 overlap | ||
| Butler Township | 210.021 | 337.996 |  Iowa 188 north | ||
| Bremer | Washington Township | 217.393 | 349.860 |   US 218 / Iowa 27 | |
| Waverly | 219.887 | 353.874 |  US 218 Bus. north (20th Street West) | West end of US 218 Bus. overlap | |
| 220.878 | 355.469 | US 218 Bus. south (Easton Avenue) | East end of US 218 Bus. overlap | ||
| Jefferson Township | 228.174 | 367.210 |  US 63 | ||
| Fayette | Jefferson Township | 249.741 | 401.919 |  Iowa 150 north | West end of Iowa 150 overlap |
| Oelwein | 252.270 | 405.989 | Iowa 150 south (1st Avenue East) | East end of Iowa 150 overlap | |
| Putnam Township | 266.114 | 428.269 |  Iowa 187 | Roundabout, installed in 2009[5] | |
| Clayton | Strawberry Point | 272.846 | 439.103 |  Iowa 13 north (Elkader Street) | West end of Iowa 13 overlap |
| Clayton–Dubuque county line | Lodomillo–Honey Creek township line | 277.588 | 446.735 | Iowa 13 south | East end of Iowa 13 overlap |
| Delaware | Elk Township | 284.178 | 457.340 |  Iowa 38 south | |
| Dubuque | Luxemburg | 300.420 | 483.479 |  US 52 north / Iowa 136 south (Andre Street) | West end of US 52 overlap |
| Dubuque | 323.102 | 519.982 |  Iowa 32 south (Northwest Arterial) | ||
| 326.163 | 524.908 | US 52 south / US 61 / US 151 | Eastern terminus; east end of US 52 overlap | ||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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References
- ^ a b 2009 Volume of Traffic on the Primary Road System of Iowa (PDF) (Report). Iowa Department of Transportation. January 1, 2009. Retrieved January 10, 2011.
- ^ a b c Iowa Department of Transportation (2009). State of Iowa Transportation Map (PDF) (Map). Ames: Iowa Department of Transportation. Retrieved December 6, 2009.
- ^ Road and Reference Atlas (Map) (1947 ed.). 1:1,077,120. Rand McNally & Company. 1947. pp. 42–43.
- ^ Hancock, Jason (August 30, 2009). "Iowa Highways: 1 to 9". The Iowa Highways Page. Retrieved December 6, 2009.
- ^ "Roundabouts". Iowa Department of Transportation. Retrieved February 17, 2012.
External links
- The Iowa Highways Page by Jason Hancock