US 34 (IA)

U.S. Highway 34 (US 34) is a United States Highway that runs across the southern third of Iowa. It begins on a bridge over the Missouri River west of Glenwood and travels east where it meets Interstate 29 (I-29) and US 275. Through southwestern Iowa, the highway is, for the most part, a two-lane rural road with at-grade intersections; there are interchanges with US 59 near Emerson and US 71 near Stanton and Villisca. At Osceola, the highway intersects I-35 and US 69. Just east of Ottumwa, where the road meets US 63, the road joins the four-lane Iowa 163 for the remainder of its trek through the state. At Mount Pleasant, it overlaps US 218 and Iowa 27, the Avenue of the Saints Highway. From there, the road heads to the southeast where it crosses the Mississippi River on the Great River Bridge at Burlington.

US 34 was one of the original U.S. Highways when the system was created in 1926, though it was preceded by the Blue Grass Route, a auto trail that connected Council Bluffs and Burlington. In 1920, the Iowa State Highway Commission (ISHC) assigned route numbers to roads in order to improve wayfinding for travelers. The Blue Grass Route was assigned Primary Road No. 8 in its entirety. Six years later, No. 8 was renamed U.S. Highway 34. In 1930, the highway became the first road to be fully paved across the state. By the 1950s, increased traffic and larger automobiles proved the original pavement inadequate. The highway was straightened and widened to accommodate modern vehicles.

Starting in the 1960s, parts of the route were expanded to four lanes; a section of controlled-access highway was built in Burlington and limited-access highway in Glenwood. During construction of the four-lane road in Glenwood, Native American remains were discovered. Their subsequent lab analysis and delayed reburial created a controversy that eventually led to the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act. In the 1990s and 2000s, the highway between Ottumwa and West Burlington was widened to four lanes as part of a project to improve the corridor between Des Moines and Burlington. Since the early 1990s, narrow toll bridges at both the eastern and western state lines were replaced by modern, toll-free bridges that can handle high volumes of high-speed traffic.

Route description

U.S. Highway 34 extends across Iowa from west to east through the southern third of the state. It enters the state by crossing the Missouri River near Glenwood and exits over the Mississippi River on the Great River Bridge in Burlington. The majority of the highway follows a two-lane road over the southern Iowa drift plain. The eastern third of the route is a four-lane expressway; part of a corridor between Des Moines and Burlington. In the early 1990s, the Iowa Department of Transportation (Iowa DOT) designated the entire length of US 34 as the Red Bull Highway, in honor of the 34th Infantry Division.

Western Iowa

US 34 enters Iowa on a bridge over the Missouri River near the mouth of the Platte River. It follows a four-lane expressway that shortly intersects Interstate 29 (I-29) and US 275. The latter highway joins US 34 from the north and the two highways travel together through Glenwood. The County Road L35 (CR L35) exit in southern Glenwood was, prior to 2003, the western end of the concurrency with US 275. A few miles east of town, the highway reduces to two lanes and US 275 diverges to the south. Continuing east, US 34 briefly curves to the north and passes over the BNSF Railway line that carries the ''California Zephyr''.

The highway heads due east past the towns of Malvern and Hastings before reaching Emerson. There, a one-quadrant interchange provides a direct connection to US 59, which passes overhead. As the highway approaches Red Oak, it eases to the south-southeast. It intersects Iowa 48 near the East Nishnabotna River at the northwestern corner of the town. East of there, the highway heads southeast toward Stanton; it straightens out easterly again near Viking Lake State Park. US 34 crosses the West Nodaway River shortly before a folded diamond interchange with US 71.

East of the US 71 junction, US 34 begins another section of highway that travels due east. Several miles pass between crossings of the middle and eastern branches of the Nodaway River, the latter crossing is on the southwestern outskirts of Corning. At Corning, there lies an intersection with Iowa 148. Still heading due east, the highway passes a cemetery at the junction with CR N46. At the end of the straight section, Iowa 25 meets the highway and the two routes head northeast toward Creston. There, the highways diverge on the western side of town and US 34 again heads to the east. The highway intersects US 169 as it enters Afton. East of Afton, US 34 and US 169 run concurrently east; the road curves to avoid crossing the BNSF Railway line. Some distance comes between the road and the rails and the highway straightens. US 169 turns off to the north and US 34 continues east toward Thayer.

Central Iowa

East of Thayer, it passes Murray and then turns to the southeast in order to enter the sprawling commercial area on the western edge of Osceola. There the highway meets the entrance and exit ramps of I-35. Closer to downtown Osceola is the intersection with US 69. As it exits Osceola, US 34 passes a county park and again crosses the railroad. Rolling hills and truck lanes mark the road until just before Lucas. There, US 65 joins from the north and the two roads curve to the east and toward Lucas. The two roads split; US 65 turns to the south while US 34 curves to the northeast and then back to the southeast. On the outskirts of Chariton, US 34 Business continues along the same vector while the mainline US 34 bypasses the city to the south. On the southern side of Chariton, there is a diamond interchange with Iowa 14. Near Red Haw State Park, the Chariton business route rejoins the mainline highway.

US 34 heads due east again. It passes the small towns of Russell and Melrose, both of which lie along the curving railroad to the south, so access to the towns is provided by short connector roads. Just north of the highway is the unincorporated town of Georgetown, which is home to the historic St. Patrick's Catholic Church. The railroad passes beneath the highway before both the road and rails enter Albia. It intersects Iowa 5 on the southern end of town. The highway curves through southern Iowa farmland as it heads towards Ottumwa.

Eastern Iowa

As US 34 approaches Ottumwa, an intersection with Albia Road leads traffic towards the southern half of the city. This section of Albia Road is a former section of US 34 and until recently, a section of US 34 Business. The mainline highway widens to four lanes and intersects the present endpoint of the business route at Quincy Avenue. It curves to the southeast along the bank of the Des Moines River and intersects Wapello Street, which carries both US 63 Business and Iowa 149. The junction is the southern end of Iowa 149. After a pair of interchanges, US 34 meets US 63 at a roundabout. The two highways cross the river and head generally northeast. The Roemer Avenue intersection marks the eastern end of the Ottumwa business route. Upon reaching the expressway on the eastern side of town, US 34 and US 63 head in opposite directions.

For the rest of its trek through Iowa, US 34 is routed along a four-lane expressway. It uses the eastern leg of the Des Moines to Burlington Highway, which since 2009 has carried the Iowa 163 designation when it was extended from Oskaloosa to Burlington. Prior to 2009, Iowa 163 ran from Des Moines to Oskaloosa. The application of the 163 route number gave the Des Moines to Burlington corridor a single route number. The highway bypasses Agency and Batavia to the north. Between those towns, an interchange with Iowa 16 directs traffic to Eldon and the house that served as the backdrop to Grant Wood's painting ''American Gothic''.

West of Fairfield, the highway curves to the southeast to begin a freeway bypass of the city. It passes over the BNSF Railway and the former routing of US 34, which becomes a business route. Iowa 1 intersects the freeway south of downtown. At-grade intersections resume past the eastern end of the Fairfield business route. The expressway gradually moves to the south as it goes by Lockridge and Rome. Near Westwood, the highway abruptly curves to the northeast as the Mount Pleasant business route begins.

On the northern side of Mount Pleasant, three adjacent interchanges complete all movements between US 34 / Iowa 163 and US 218 / Iowa 27, the Avenue of the Saints Highway. The four routes briefly travel together along the eastern edge of the city. As the business route rejoins the mainline, US 34 / Iowa 163 exit and head to the southeast towards New London.

The bypasses of New London and Danville keep the expressway west and south of each community. As it approaches Middletown, home of the Iowa Army Ammunition Plant, the highway takes a 90-degree turn to the east and becomes a freeway. Between Beaverdale and West Burlington, the highway crosses Mount Pleasant Street, which formerly carried US 34. It then winds south of the main residential area of West Burlington and meets US 61. The freeway continues east and descends into the Mississippi River valley. Two exits provide access to downtown Burlington. The interchange for CR X99 sits at the foot of the Great River Bridge. The highway crosses the bridge and enters Illinois. The Iowa 163 designation ends on the bridge at the state line.

History

What is now the US 34 corridor has been used, under various names, for over 100 years. The route was first organized as the Blue Grass Route in 1910 during the height of the Good Roads Movement. Then, the road was maintained by the Iowa Blue Grass Road Association, which solicited donations from people who lived along the route. Ten years later, the Iowa General Assembly passed a primary road bill which shifted the responsibility of road maintenance from associations to Iowa's 99 counties. At the same time, route numbers were applied to the new primary highway system; the Blue Grass Route was designated Primary Road No. 8. In 1925, confusion between route associations and nascent state highway systems led to the creation of the U.S. Highway System. Primary Road No. 8 was replaced by U.S. Highway 34 the next year. Paving of the highway was completed in 1930; US 34 was the first road in Iowa to be paved in its entirety.

Work on modernizing Iowa's highway system began in the 1950s, mostly by straightening and widening the original highways built in the 1930s. By the end of the 1950s and into the 1960s, sections of US 34 were identified as parts of important corridors that required expansion to four lanes. Construction on the eastern and western sides of the state, in Burlington and Glenwood, respectively, did result in parts of the highway becoming four lanes; other highway projects were cut back during the 1970s recession. At Glenwood, the discovery and handling of Native American remains led to the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act. In the mid-1990s, the Iowa Department of Transportation began an ambitious project to expand seven important corridors, one of which connected Des Moines to Burlington. The portion of US 34 between Ottumwa and Burlington was finished in 2008 when the bypass of Fairfield opened. At both state line crossings, modern bridges capable of handling four-lane, high-speed traffic were built to replace old and obsolete truss bridges. The Great River Bridge over the Mississippi River opened in Burlington in 1994 and the US 34 Missouri River Bridge replaced the Plattsmouth Bridge in 2014.

Blue Grass Route

The Blue Grass Route, also called the Blue Grass Road, connected Council Bluffs and Burlington. The road closely followed the mainline of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad (CB&Q). Charles H. Thomas of Kent suggested the road's name because it traversed through, as he saw it, "the finest blue grass region of the country". The route was first organized in 1910 by Joe Long, a newspaper man from Osceola started to publicize the road's new moniker. Long organized the first committee meeting of residents along the route who were interested in promoting their highway and in good roads in general. In official trips along the route, the Iowa Blue Grass Road Association spoke to at least 10,000 people about the goals of the group and collected $40,000 (equivalent to $ in ) for the purpose of improving the road.

In 1913, shortly after the Iowa General Assembly passed legislation allowing road associations to officially register their route with the Iowa State Highway Commission, the Blue Grass Road Association sent the highway commission a check for $5 () with the intent of becoming the first route registered by the state. Three years later, it was determined that the association had not completed its registration application. This meant that the road was not the first to be registered in Iowa. After communication resumed between Thomas, then the association president and state senator, and the state highway commission, the Blue Grass Road became an official registered route on December 1, 1917.

Primary highway

In 1919, the Iowa General Assembly passed a bill that created a fund for improving and hard-surfacing nearly of primary roads in the state. The primary road system was to connect every city and town with at least 1000 inhabitants. The bill gave Iowa's 99 counties the responsibility for maintaining the roads, which had previously fallen upon road associations that sponsored their respective highways. The new primary roads were assigned route numbers, a trend seen in other Midwestern states. Route numbers were painted onto telegraph and telephone poles in order to guide travelers without the need for maps. The Blue Grass Route was designated Primary Road No. 8 for the entirety of its route.

No. 8 followed a path through southern Iowa that resembles the path of US 34 today. It began on Main Street in downtown Council Bluffs at an intersection with Broadway, which carried No. 6, better known as the Lincoln Highway. No. 8 headed south and east out of town and into the Loess Hills until Glenwood. Between Hillsdale and Hastings, the highway overlapped No. 4. It then turned south so it could pass through Emerson and downtown Red Oak. There was a short overlap of No. 18 after which the highway briefly turned south and then east. No. 8 entered Corning from the northwest and exited to the southeast. From Corning to Creston, No. 8 followed the current path of US 34. East of Creston, it curved toward Afton, where it intersected No. 16. From No. 16 to Chariton, No. 8 largely followed the current routing of US 34. The road passed through downtown Chariton and then to the southeast. From Albia to Ottumwa, it followed a curvy road located north of the present highway. Through Ottumwa, the road followed the southern bank of the Des Moines River and then crossed into downtown at sharp bend in the river. It passed through Agency, Batavia, and Fairfield. At Mount Pleasant, it met No. 40. From Mount Pleasant, No. 8 headed to the southeast through New London and Danville then turned sharply east at Middletown. The route ended at Burlington.

U.S. Highway origins

In the mid-1920s, automobile associations continued to sponsor their named routes—of which there were 64 in Iowa—on top of the route numbers given by the state highway commission. This was more confusing than helpful to the casual traveler, so in 1924, the American Association of State Highway Officials (AASHO, later AASHTO) called for a national system of interstate highways. Of the proposed by AASHO, nearly were allocated to Iowa. Support for the system was nearly unanimous among state highway officials across the country and the new national routings and route numbers were assigned in 1925. The Iowa State Highway Commission chose to renumber a few highways so important routes did not have conflicting route numbers. U.S. Highway 34 was designated along the entirety of Primary Road No. 8, which was the Blue Grass Route. Once the U.S. Highway System was established, the automobile association-sponsored roads gradually disappeared.

Originally, US 34's national western end was the corner of Main Street and Broadway in Council Bluffs, the same as Primary Road No. 8. Just a few blocks away was the national western end of U.S. Highway 32. US 275, which was designated in the latter half of 1931 as a shorter route between Omaha, Nebraska, and St. Joseph, Missouri, joined US 34 near Glenwood and ended in downtown Council Bluffs. However, the two highways would only share an endpoint for a few years. An automobile club in Nebraska sought to have US 34 extended through their state. In 1935, AASHO consented and the highway was rerouted west at Glenwood to cross the Missouri River at Plattsmouth and end at Grand Island, Nebraska. The relocated highway replaced Iowa 134, which had been designated five years prior.

Paving of the highway was completed in 1930 and US 34 was recognized as the first highway to be completed across the state. A celebration marking the occasion was held at the Iowana Hotel in Creston attended by over 5,000 guests, including Governor John Hammill. The Glenwood-to-Plattsmouth section, which became part of US 34 in 1935, was paved in 1946 and 1947. The original pavement was wide, which was sufficient for the automobiles and traffic levels of the 1930s. By the 1950s, increased traffic and wider vehicles took their toll on highways. In some parts of the state, highways were widened to withstand modern vehicles. In 1951, road widening cost around (equivalent to $/mi or $/km in ). A statewide project began in 1955 to widen roads on each side to a total width of . In some instances, it was more cost effective to build a new road than to improve the older road. Between Emerson and Corning, a new road was going to be $2 million cheaper (equivalent to $ in ) than rebuilding the existing road. Between Albia and Ottumwa, an section of new highway to the south of the older road cost just over $1.8 million (equivalent to $ in ).

After two floods inundated Ottumwa in 1947, the city created an ambitious public works project beginning in 1955. The main part of the project was the straightening and widening of the Des Moines River through the city. The main channel of the river was an oxbow that curved into the southern half of the city; a smaller channel bordered the northern half. The smaller northern channel was to be widened to accommodate the full river. Dirt excavated for the new channel was to be used to build levees and to provide fill dirt

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