Iowa Highway 212 is a state highway in
Iowa County, Iowa. It runs from
Iowa Highway 21
Iowa Highway 21 (Iowa 21) is a state highway that runs from north to south in central Iowa. It has a length of . Iowa 21 begins at Iowa 149 west of Hedrick and ends at a freeway interchange with U.S. Highway 20 (US 20) in Wa ...
south of
Belle Plaine to
U.S. Highway 6
U.S. Route 6 (US 6), also called the Grand Army of the Republic Highway, honoring the American Civil War Grand Army of the Republic, veterans association, is a main route of the U.S. Highway system. While it currently runs east-northeast fr ...
in
Marengo. Iowa 212 was once a much longer highway, nearly , covering parts of the
Lincoln Highway
The Lincoln Highway is the first transcontinental highway in the United States and one of the first highways designed expressly for automobiles. Conceived in 1912 by Indiana entrepreneur Carl G. Fisher, and formally dedicated October 31, 1913 ...
.
Route description
Iowa Highway 212 begins at an intersection with
Iowa Highway 21
Iowa Highway 21 (Iowa 21) is a state highway that runs from north to south in central Iowa. It has a length of . Iowa 21 begins at Iowa 149 west of Hedrick and ends at a freeway interchange with U.S. Highway 20 (US 20) in Wa ...
(Iowa 21) south of
Belle Plaine.
The intersection features a dominant curve from southbound Iowa 21 to eastbound Iowa 212. A short connector road allows westbound Iowa 212 traffic to reach southbound Iowa 21. Northbound Iowa 21 traffic must stop at the curve in order to continue north on Iowa 21.
Heading east, Iowa 212 runs roughly parallel to the
Iowa River for its entire length. It crosses Bear Creek before entering
Marengo along South Street. At Western Avenue, Iowa 212 turns south towards
U.S. Highway 6
U.S. Route 6 (US 6), also called the Grand Army of the Republic Highway, honoring the American Civil War Grand Army of the Republic, veterans association, is a main route of the U.S. Highway system. While it currently runs east-northeast fr ...
. Just from its eastern end, Iowa 212 crosses a single line of the
Iowa Interstate Railroad. The route ends at US 6 on the southwestern edge of Marengo.
History
The route which is now Iowa 212 was originally designated as Primary Road No. 73 (PR No. 73) in 1920. PR No. 73 was a route which began at the
Lincoln Highway
The Lincoln Highway is the first transcontinental highway in the United States and one of the first highways designed expressly for automobiles. Conceived in 1912 by Indiana entrepreneur Carl G. Fisher, and formally dedicated October 31, 1913 ...
(PR No. 6) in
Belle Plaine and ended at the
River to River Road (PR No. 7) in
Marengo.
By 1947, Iowa 73 had been renumbered Iowa 212. The Lincoln Highway, now
U.S. Highway 30
U.S. Route 30 or U.S. Highway 30 (US 30) is an east–west main route in the system of the United States Numbered Highways, with the highway traveling across the northern tier of the country. With a length of , it is the third longest ...
(US 30), had been relocated north of Belle Plaine. Iowa 212 was extended west through
Chelsea along the western leg of the abandoned section of US 30.
In 1980, the Lincoln Highway section of Iowa 212 was turned over to
Tama County and became County Road E66. Iowa 212 was truncated at its intersection with Iowa 21.
Major intersections
References
External links
{{Attached KML
212
Year 212 (Roman numerals, CCXII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Asper and Camilius (or, less frequently, year 965 '' ...
Iowa County, Iowa