Iowa Highway 122 (Iowa 122) is an east–west route in

Cerro Gordo County Cerro Gordo County (; ) is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 43,127. Its county seat is Mason City. The county is named for the Battle of Cerro Gordo, which took place during the Mexican–Am ...

which connects the county's two largest cities, Clear Lake and Mason City. The length of the highway is . Much of the route is constructed as a four-lane

expressway Expressway may refer to: * Controlled-access highway, the highest-grade type of highway with access ramps, lane markings, etc., for high-speed traffic. * Limited-access road, a lower grade of highway or arterial road. *Expressway, the fictional s ...

with at-grade intersections. It was designated in 1999 after US 18 was rerouted onto a four-lane bypass around Mason City.

Route description

Iowa 122 begins at a

diamond interchange A diamond interchange is a common type of road junction, used where a controlled-access highway crosses a minor road. Design The freeway itself is grade-separated from the minor road, one crossing the other over a bridge. Approaching the ...

with

Interstate 35 Interstate 35 (I-35) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route. It stretches from Laredo, Texas, near the Mexican border ...

on the eastern edge of Clear Lake. The route, overlapped by U.S. Highway 18 Business, begins as a four-lane divided highway, serving the Mason City Municipal Airport before entering Mason City proper. Between Eisenhower and Jefferson Avenues in Mason City the highway is undivided. This road is the primary east–west artery through Mason City. At Jefferson Avenue, Iowa 122 separates into a pair of one-way streets, remaining in this configuration through the downtown area where the

Park Inn Hotel The Historic Park Inn Hotel and City National Bank are two adjacent commercial buildings located in downtown Mason City, Iowa, United States which were designed in the Prairie School style by the renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Completed ...

, one of

Frank Lloyd Wright Frank Lloyd Wright (June 8, 1867 – April 9, 1959) was an American architect, designer, writer, and educator. He designed more than 1,000 structures over a creative period of 70 years. Wright played a key role in the architectural movements o ...

's few commercial buildings, resides. Iowa 122 intersects

U.S. Highway 65 U.S. Route 65 (US 65) is a north–south United States highway in the southern and midwestern United States. The southern terminus of the route is at U.S. Route 425 in Clayton, Louisiana. The northern terminus is at Interstate 35 just south of In ...

at Federal Avenue. US 18 Business turns to the south to follow US 65. The one-way streets rejoin at Massachusetts Avenue forming an undivided four-lane road. The Iowa 122 designation ends at the eastern city limits of Mason City, just beyond

North Iowa Area Community College North Iowa Area Community College (NIACC) is a public community college in Mason City, Iowa. History NIACC began as Mason City Junior College in 1918, becoming the first public two-year college in Iowa. The college was located in the high school ...

History

Prior to December 1999, the road currently designated as Iowa 122 was a segment of

U.S. Highway 18 U.S. Route 18 (US 18) is an east–west U.S. highway in the Midwestern United States. The western terminus is in Orin, Wyoming at an interchange with Interstate 25. Its eastern terminus is in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin. However, US 18 ru ...

. In that year, the state completed work on a new freeway segment of US 18, bypassing Mason City to the south. This bypass was part of the Avenue of the Saints project. The bypassed segment of US 18 was designated as Iowa Highway 122. Iowa 122 originally incorporated all of the bypassed segment of US 18. Its original eastern end was at

Rudd ''Scardinius'' is a genus of ray-finned fish in the family Cyprinidae commonly called rudds. Locally, the name "rudd" without any further qualifiers is also used for individual species, particularly the common rudd (''S. erythrophthalmus''). Th ...

, at the junction with Floyd County Road T26. In 2000, a new segment of Iowa 122 opened east of Rudd, connecting 122 with 18 directly. In 2001, the segment between Nora Springs and Rudd was turned over to Floyd County. In 2003, the segment between Mason City and Nora Springs was turned over to Cerro Gordo County.

Major intersections

References

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122 122 may refer to: *122 (number), a natural number * AD 122, a year in the 2nd century AD * 122 BC, a year in the 2nd century BC * ''122'' (film), a 2019 Egyptian psychological horror film *"One Twenty Two", a 2022 single by the American rock band Bo ...

Transportation in Cerro Gordo County, Iowa U.S. Route 18