Eisspeedway

Iowa Highway 38

Iowa Highway 38 marker
Iowa Highway 38
Map
Iowa 38 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by Iowa DOT
Length98.941 mi[1] (159.230 km)
Existed1920[2]–present
Major junctions
South end Iowa 92 / Great River Road in Muscatine
Major intersections
North end Iowa 3 near Greeley
Location
CountryUnited States
StateIowa
Counties
Highway system
Iowa 37 Iowa 39

Iowa Highway 38 (Iowa 38) is a 98-mile-long (158 km) state highway that runs through eastern Iowa. Iowa 38 begins at Iowa Highway 92 in Muscatine and ends at Iowa Highway 3 near Greeley.

Route description

Iowa 38 begins in Muscatine at an intersection with Iowa 92 at the foot of the Norbert F. Beckey Bridge. Southwest of the junction, U.S. Highway 61 Business (US 61 Business) heads into the downtown and riverfront areas, while northeast of the junction, US 61 Business, Iowa 38, and Iowa 92 run together through a residential area. Shortly thereafter, Iowa 22 joins the two routes from the east. The intersection with U.S. Highway 61 (US 61) in northern Muscatine marks the end of US 61 Bus. Iowa 22 and Iowa 92 turn to the west along southbound US 61.[3]

From Muscatine, Iowa 38 continues north eight miles (13 km) to the southern intersection with US 6 south of Wilton. Just north of Wilton, US 6 / Iowa 38 cross into Cedar County. Shortly thereafter, they intersect Interstate 80 (I-80) and split in opposite directions; US 6 splits to the east and Iowa 38 to the west. Iowa 38 overlaps I-80 from exit 267 to exit 271. From I-80, the highway continues north towards Tipton where it meets the western end of Iowa 130. North of Tipton, Iowa 38 overlaps US 30 for one mile (1.6 km), ending in Stanwood where Iowa 38 continues north.

Iowa 38 enters Jones County south of Olin and crosses the Wapsipinicon River on Olin's northern edge. Four miles (6.4 km) later, Iowa 38 intersects Iowa 64, which Iowa 38 overlaps for two miles (3.2 km) before heading north towards Monticello passing through Center Junction and Scotch Grove. Next to the Monticello Regional Airport, Iowa 38 meets US 151. Three-quarters mile (1.2 km) later, Iowa 38 meets and overlaps the former alignment of US 151, now US 151 Business. At First Street, it leaves US 151 Bus to the west for a few blocks before turning north again towards Hopkinton and crossing the Maquoketa River.

Just north of Sand Springs, Iowa 38 intersects County Road X47 (CR X47), which is a cutoff to eastbound US 20. From Hopkinton to Delhi, the highway is roughly parallel to the Maquoketa River. At Delaware, Iowa 38 intersects US 20. Iowa 38 briefly overlaps US 20's former routing, now CR D22, north of Delaware. Iowa 38 continues north through Greeley and ends three miles (4.8 km) north of Greeley at Iowa 3.

History

Iowa 38 (No. 38) is an original state highway when the system was created in 1920. It extended from Primary Road No. 2 and No. 20 in Muscatine north to No. 61 between Anamosa and Wyoming.[2] When the U.S. Highway System was created in 1926, the terminal roads of Iowa 38 were renumbered to Iowa 22 at Muscatine and Iowa 117 in Jones County.[4] Throughout the 1930s, the highway was extended several times. Firstly, in 1932, it was extended over Iowa 117 for a couple miles and then north as a stub route to Center Junction.[5] Three years later, it was again extended north to U.S. Highway 151 in Monticello.[6] Finally on May 11, 1938, it absorbed all of Iowa 113, which had connected Monticello to Iowa 10 near Edgewood.[7]

Major intersections

CountyLocationmi[1]kmDestinationsNotes
MuscatineMuscatine0.0000.000
US 61 Bus. / Great River Road (2nd Street)

Iowa 92 east – Illinois
Southern end of US 61 Business and Iowa 92 overlaps
0.7171.154
Iowa 22 / Great River Road east (Washington Street) – Buffalo, Davenport
Southern end of Iowa 22 overlap
1.9853.195

US 61 / Iowa 22 west / Iowa 92 west – Blue Grass, Wapello
End of US 61 Business; northern end of Iowa 22 and Iowa 92 overlaps
MoscowWilton
township line
9.85115.854
US 6 west – West Liberty
Southern end of US 6 overlap
CedarSugar Creek Township14.75323.743

I-80 east (Exit 271) / US 6 east – Davenport
Northern end of US 6 overlap; southern end of I-80 overlap
Rochester Township18.89230.404
I-80 west (Exit 267) – Des Moines
Northern end of I-80 overlap
Tipton28.16945.334
Iowa 130 east (7th Street) – Bennett
FremontDayton
township line
36.27158.373
US 30 east – De Witt
Southern end of US 30 overlap
Stanwood37.28760.008
US 30 west (Front Street) – Mechanicsville, Cedar Rapids
Northern end of US 30 overlap
JonesJackson Township50.04680.541
Iowa 64 west – Anamosa
Southern end of Iowa 64 overlap
Madison Township52.05383.771
Iowa 64 east – Wyoming
Northern end of Iowa 64 overlap
Monticello65.030104.656 US 151 – Cedar Rapids, Dubuque
65.820105.927

US 151 Bus. south (Main Street)
Southern end of US 151 Business overlap
66.098106.374

US 151 Bus. north (Main Street)
Northern end of US 151 Business overlap
DelawareDelaware87.387140.636 US 20 – Waterloo, Dubuque
Elk Township98.941159.230 Iowa 3 – Edgewood, Colesburg
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

  1. ^ a b 2010 Volume of Traffic on the Primary Road System of Iowa (PDF) (Report). Iowa Department of Transportation. January 1, 2010. Retrieved January 21, 2011.
  2. ^ a b Iowa State Highway Commission (1919). State of Iowa Transportation Map (PDF) (Map). Ames: Iowa State Highway Commission. Retrieved July 31, 2013.
  3. ^ Iowa Department of Transportation (2013). State of Iowa Transportation Map (PDF) (Map). Ames: Iowa Department of Transportation. Muscatine inset. Retrieved July 13, 2013.
  4. ^ "Iowa primary roads soon to be renumbered and remarked to conform to U.S. System of Interstate Highways". Service Bulletin Oct–Nov–Dec 1925. XIII (10–11–12). Iowa State Highway Commission: 10–12. 1925.
  5. ^ Iowa State Highway Commission (June 1932). State of Iowa Transportation Map (PDF) (Map). Ames: Iowa State Highway Commission. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  6. ^ Iowa State Highway Commission (1935). State of Iowa Transportation Map (PDF) (Map). Ames: Iowa State Highway Commission. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  7. ^ "Primary Route Descriptions – Iowa 38". Iowa Department of Transportation. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
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