Iowa Highway 78 (Iowa 78) is a

state highway A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either ''numbered'' or ''maintained'' by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered by a ...

which runs from east to west in southeastern

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...

. The route begins east of Martinsburg at

Iowa Highway 149 Iowa Highway 149 is a highway which runs from south to north in Iowa. It has a length of . Iowa 149 begins at U.S. Highway 34 in Ottumwa and ends at Williamsburg at Interstate 80. The first of Iowa 149 are overlapped by U.S. Highway 63 Bu ...

, and ends at

U.S. Highway 61 U.S. Route 61 or U.S. Highway 61 (U.S. 61) is a major United States highway that extends between New Orleans, Louisiana and the city of Wyoming, Minnesota. The highway generally follows the course of the Mississippi River and is designated ...

east of Morning Sun. The route has existed since the 1920s, when it was a short

spur route A spur route is a short road forming a branch from a longer, more important road such as a freeway, Interstate Highway, or motorway. A bypass or beltway should not be considered a true spur route as it typically reconnects with another or the s ...

between

Olds Olds may refer to: People * The olds, a jocular and irreverent online nickname for older adults * Bert Olds (1891–1953), Australian rules footballer * Carl D. Olds (1912–1979), New Zealand-born American mathematician * Chauncey N. Olds (181 ...

and Winfield. By the 1950s, the route reached its current extents.

Route description

IA78 West IA1 South - Keokuk County Signs (44320380361)

Iowa Highway 78 begins two miles (3.2 km) east of Martinsburg in Keokuk County at an intersection with

Iowa 149 Iowa Highway 149 is a highway which runs from south to north in Iowa. It has a length of . Iowa 149 begins at U.S. Highway 34 in Ottumwa and ends at Williamsburg at Interstate 80. The first of Iowa 149 are overlapped by U.S. Highway 63 Busi ...

. Iowa 78 heads east, serving the communities of Pekin,

Ollie Ollie is a given name and a nickname, often as a shortened form of Oliver, Olive, Olympia, Olga or Olivia. Variants include Olie, Oli, Oly and Olly. People Given name * Ollie Marie Adams (1925–1998), American gospel and R&B singer * Olli ...

, and Richland. East of Richland, it intersects

Iowa 1 Iowa Highway 1 (Iowa 1) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Iowa that extends from Keosauqua to Anamosa. It travels nearly , mainly through rich farmland and small communities. Iowa 1 provides an important link to Iowa City and ...

; the two routes cross into Washington County, running together for . At

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

, the two routes split – Iowa 1 to the north and Iowa 78 to the south. It briefly ducks into Jefferson County before entering Henry County near Coppock. Olds, Iowa

Between Wayland and Winfield, Iowa 78 has a stairstep route, with short sections of north–south road followed by longer stretches of east–west road. Through

, Iowa 78 runs parallel to the US /

Iowa 27 The Avenue of the Saints is a highway in the Midwestern United States that connects St. Louis, Missouri and St. Paul, Minnesota. Route description Missouri The southern end of the Avenue of the Saints is at exit 28A of Interstate 64 (I‑64) ...

expressway to the east before intersecting it south of town. South of Winfield, it again becomes an east–west route, where it passes through Morning Sun. Four miles (6.4 km) east of Morning Sun, the route ends at US 61.

History

Primary Road No. 78 was created in the 1920s as a

which connected Winfield to Primary Road No. 40 at

. By 1947, the route had been extended in both directions. It began at Iowa 77 in Richland in the west, and ended at

in the east. The original section from Olds to just south of Winfield was the only fully paved road at the time. The short segment from Iowa 78 to Winfield was designated Iowa 249. That segment was turned over to Henry County on July 1, 2003. By 1952, the route had been extended west to

near Martinsburg, absorbing most of Iowa 304, which served

. The section from Iowa 78 to Ollie remained as Iowa 304 until 1980. Before the US 218 / Iowa 27 freeway was built, Iowa 78 overlapped US 218 through Olds. After the expressway opened in 1999, US 218 was placed onto the new road while Iowa 78 stayed on the old two-lane alignment.

Major intersections

References

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