U.S. Highway 20 (US 20) in

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 ...

is a major east–west artery which runs across the state, separating the northern third of Iowa from the southern two-thirds. It enters Iowa from

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...

, concurrent with

Interstate 129 Interstate 129 (I-129) is an auxiliary Interstate Highway which connects South Sioux City to I-29 in Sioux City, Iowa. Opened in 1976, I-129 is a route, running in Nebraska. At , I-129 is the shortest highway in the state of Iowa. All of ...

and U.S Route 75, crossing the Missouri River at

Sioux City Sioux City () is a city in Woodbury and Plymouth counties in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 85,797 in the 2020 census, making it the fourth-largest city in Iowa. The bulk of the city is in Woodbury County, ...

. US 20 runs in a more-or-less straight line across Iowa, paralleling 42° 27' N. It leaves Iowa in

Dubuque Dubuque (, ) is the county seat of Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, located along the Mississippi River. At the time of the 2020 census, the population of Dubuque was 59,667. The city lies at the junction of Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin, a r ...

by crossing the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...

into

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

. Since October 2018, US 20 is a four-lane divided highway for its entire length in Iowa.

Route description

US 20 enters Iowa on the Sergeant Floyd Memorial Bridge, which also carries

I-129 I129 or I-129 may refer to: *Interstate 129, an auxiliary Interstate Highway which connects South Sioux City, Nebraska to Interstate 29 in Sioux City, Iowa *Iodine-129 (I-129 or 129I), a radioactive isotope of iodine *Form I-129 (Petition for a Non ...

and US 75, over the Missouri River. Almost immediately upon landing in Iowa, there is an interchange with

I-29 Interstate 29 (I-29) is an Interstate Highway in the Midwestern United States. I-29 runs from Kansas City, Missouri, at a junction with I-35 and I-70, to the Canada–US border near Pembina, North Dakota, where it connects with Manitoba P ...

, at which I-129 ends. Continuing east, US 20 and US 75 run together around the southern and eastern sides of Sioux City. The two routes split at the Gordon Drive interchange as US 20 exits to the east from

. The expressway is an older section that goes through Lawton and comes to a stop sign at

Moville Moville (; ) is a coastal town located on the Inishowen Peninsula of County Donegal, Ireland, close to the northern tip of the island of Ireland. It is the first coastal town of the Wild Atlantic Way when starting on the northern end. Location ...

. About two miles further east, the newest four-lane stretch (except for a short expressway segment just south of

Holstein Holstein (; nds, label=Northern Low Saxon, Holsteen; da, Holsten; Latin and historical en, Holsatia, italic=yes) is the region between the rivers Elbe and Eider. It is the southern half of Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost state of German ...

that is briefly concurrent with

U.S. Route 59 U.S. Route 59 (US 59) is a north–south United States highway (though it was signed east–west in parts of Texas). A latecomer to the U.S. numbered route system, US 59 is now a border-to-border route, part of the NAFTA Corridor Highway Sy ...

) starts and goes to about one mile west of an interchange with

U.S. Route 71 U.S. Route 71 or U.S. Highway 71 (US 71) is a major north–south United States highway that extends for over 1500 miles (2500 km) in the central United States. This original 1926 route has remained largely unchanged by encroaching Interstat ...

and

Iowa Highway 471 Iowa Highway 471 (Iowa 471) is a state highway that is located entirely within Sac County. It was designated in November 2015 when a portion of U.S. Highway 71 (US 71) was rerouted over Iowa 196 and onto US 20. Route desc ...

, just north of

Early Early may refer to: History * The beginning or oldest part of a defined historical period, as opposed to middle or late periods, e.g.: ** Early Christianity ** Early modern Europe Places in the United States * Early, Iowa * Early, Texas * Early ...

. From this point until an interchange with

Iowa Highway 4 Iowa Highway 4 (Iowa 4) is a state highway which runs from north to south across the state of Iowa. It is long, beginning at an intersection with Iowa Highway 44 in Panora and ending at the Minnesota state line north of Estherville. It continu ...

northwest of Rockwell City is the second newest section of four-lane, which opened in November 2012. This new roadway passes to the north of Sac City and Lytton, and has another interchange with the realigned route of

northeast of Sac City, but mostly has at-grade intersections, including County M54 into Sac City and N28 into Lytton. East of Iowa 4, and extending to the former beginning of the four-lane expressway northeast of

Moorland Moorland or moor is a type of habitat found in upland areas in temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands and montane grasslands and shrublands biomes, characterised by low-growing vegetation on acidic soils. Moorland, nowadays, generally ...

(now an interchange with County D36), is a 4-lane section which opened in December 2010, and bypasses Rockwell City to the north. US 20 continues until just south of Highview, when it becomes a full interstate-standard freeway. The expressway south of

Fort Dodge Fort Dodge is a city in, and the county seat of, Webster County, Iowa, United States, along the Des Moines River. The population was 24,871 in the 2020 census, a decrease from 25,136 in 2000. Fort Dodge is a major commercial center for North Cen ...

has interchanges with

U.S. Route 169 U.S. Route 169 (US 169) is a north-south U.S highway that currently runs for 966 miles (1,555 km) from the city of Virginia, Minnesota to Tulsa, Oklahoma at Memorial Drive. Route description Oklahoma US 169 is a major north–south ...

and Webster County Route P59. East of Fort Dodge, US 20 overlaps with

Iowa Highway 17 Iowa Highway 17 (Iowa 17) is a north–south state highway that traverses primarily rural areas in central and north-central Iowa. Iowa 17's southern end is near Granger in Dallas County at a freeway interchange with Iowa Highway 141, and its nor ...

for , ending at Webster City. Near Williams, US 20 intersects

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 ...

. Beginning at the interchange with

U.S. Route 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 ...

is a section of four-lane freeway which, when completed, shaved nearly off of US 20's length. Prior to 2003, US 20 joined

north through

Iowa Falls Iowa Falls is a city in Hardin County, Iowa, United States. Iowa Falls is the home of Ellsworth Community College. It is also a regional transportation center, located along U.S. Routes 20 and 65 and the Canadian National and Union Pacific Rai ...

and then east towards

Ackley Ackley may refer to: * Ackley (surname) * Ackley, Iowa * Ackley, Wisconsin * ''Ackley Bridge ''Ackley Bridge'' is a British comedy-drama series set in a multicultural academy school of the same name. The series is filmed in Halifax, West Yor ...

and

Parkersburg Parkersburg is a city in and the county seat of Wood County, West Virginia. Located at the confluence of the Ohio and Little Kanawha rivers, it is the state's fourth-largest city and the largest city in the Parkersburg-Marietta-Vienna metro ...

before heading south again to the freeway with

Iowa Highway 14 Iowa Highway 14 (Iowa 14) is a state highway that runs from north to south across the state of Iowa for . The begins in Corydon at an intersection with Iowa 2 and ends in Charles City at an intersection with U.S. Highway 18 (US ...

. The bridge crossing the

Iowa River The Iowa River is a tributary of the Mississippi River in the state of Iowa in the United States. It is about longU.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed May 13, 2011 and is ...

near Steamboat Rock is a ''launched steel I-girder'' bridge, the first of its kind in the United States. The bridge was designed to cross the old-growth woodland of the Iowa River valley with minimal impact. U.S. Highway 20 continues east towards Cedar Falls where it overlaps

Iowa Highway 58 Iowa Highway 58 (Iowa 58) is a state highway that runs from north to south in northeast Iowa. A portion of the highway is overlapped by the Avenue of the Saints. Iowa 58 begins at U.S. Highway 63 (US 63) in Hudson and ends at an interch ...

for just over . The western junction of Iowa 58 (Hudson Road) connects traffic to the

University of Northern Iowa The University of Northern Iowa (UNI) is a public university in Cedar Falls, Iowa. UNI offers more than 90 majors across the colleges of Business Administration, Education, Humanities, Arts, and Sciences, Social and Behavioral Sciences and grad ...

while the eastern junction of Iowa 58 is also the western junction of

Iowa Highway 27 O scale (or O gauge) is a scale commonly used for toy trains and rail transport modelling. Introduced by German toy manufacturer Märklin around 1900, by the 1930s three-rail alternating current O gauge was the most common model railroad scal ...

, the

Avenue of the Saints The Avenue of the Saints is a highway in the Midwestern United States that connects St. Louis, Missouri and St. Paul, Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota. Route description Missouri The southern end of the Avenue of the Saints is at exit 28A of In ...

. Another mile east, in Waterloo, US 20 intersects

U.S. Route 63 U.S. Route 63 (US 63) is a , north–south United States Highway primarily in the Midwestern and Southern United States. The southern terminus of the route is at Interstate 20 (I-20) in Ruston, Louisiana; the northern terminus is at US ...

(Sergeant Road). On the southeast side of Waterloo, Interstate 380 joins US 20/IA 27 for before exiting with Iowa 27 south towards

Cedar Rapids Cedar Rapids () is the second-largest city in Iowa, United States and is the county seat of Linn County. The city lies on both banks of the Cedar River, north of Iowa City and northeast of Des Moines, the state's capital and largest city. ...

. U.S. 20 continues as a freeway east of Waterloo. It intersects

Iowa Highway 150 Iowa Highway 150 (Iowa 150) is an state highway in eastern and northeastern Iowa. It begins at U.S. Route 218 (US 218) in Vinton and ends at US 52 and Iowa 24 in Calmar. From Vinton, it heads north and east towards Urba ...

Independence Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...

and

Iowa Highway 13 Iowa Highway 13 (Iowa 13) is a north–south highway in eastern Iowa. It has a length of . The southern terminus of Iowa Highway 13 is at U.S. Highway 30 (US 30) south of Bertram and southeast of Cedar Rapids. The northern terminus is ...

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

, as well as junctioning a number of county roads serving smaller communities. Approximately between Independence and Manchester go over a

terminal moraine A terminal moraine, also called end moraine, is a type of moraine that forms at the terminal (edge) of a glacier, marking its maximum advance. At this point, debris that has accumulated by plucking and abrasion, has been pushed by the front edge ...

and enter the

Driftless Area The Driftless Area, a topographical and cultural region in the American Midwest, comprises southwestern Wisconsin, southeastern Minnesota, northeastern Iowa, and the extreme northwestern corner of Illinois. Never covered by ice during the last ...

, a region it will not exit until reaching

Stockton, Illinois Stockton is a village in Jo Daviess County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,862 at the 2010 census, down from 1,926 at the 2000 census. History The village of Stockton is the youngest village in Jo Daviess County. It was established ...

At Delaware, US 20 changes from a freeway to an

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; however, there are many interchanges where US 20 meets major roads, mostly at the villages and towns along US 20's route. US 20 serves Earlville,

Dyersville Dyersville is a city in eastern Delaware County and western Dubuque County in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is part of the Dubuque, Iowa, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 4,477 at the time of the 2020 census, up from 4,035 in 200 ...

(where US 52 joins the route and passing near the

Field of Dreams ''Field of Dreams'' is a 1989 American sports fantasy drama film written and directed by Phil Alden Robinson, based on Canadian novelist W. P. Kinsella's 1982 novel '' Shoeless Joe''. The film stars Kevin Costner as a farmer who builds a ...

filming site),

Farley Farley may refer to: People * Farley (name), a list of people with the given name or surname Places Antarctica * Mount Farley * Farley Massif Australia * Farley, New South Wales * Farley railway station England * Farley, Derbyshire * Farle ...

, Epworth, and Peosta before entering Dubuque. On the western edge of Dubuque, an interchange onto the

Southwest Arterial U.S. Highway 52 (US 52) is a United States Numbered Highway in northeast Iowa. The route begins at the Dale Gardner Veterans Memorial Bridge over the Mississippi River between Sabula and Savanna, Illinois. From Sabula, it heads north along th ...

routes US 52 around the southern outskirts of the city, connecting to

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 ...

and

U.S. Highway 151 U.S. Highway 151 (US 151) is a United States Numbered Highway that runs through the states of Iowa and Wisconsin. The southern terminus for US 151 is at a junction with Interstate 80 (I-80) in Iowa County, Iowa, and its northern terminu ...

. US 20 remains at least four lanes through Dubuque, but there are 9 stoplights along the route, particularly on the western edge of the city. There is a brief controlled-access section where the highway descends into the

valley. Near the river,

Locust Street Locust Street is a major historic street in Center City, Philadelphia, Center City Philadelphia. The street is the location of several prominent Philadelphia-based buildings, historic sights, and Tower block, high-rise residential locations. It ...

connects US 20 with

and

, which have entered the city from the south as an expressway and continue northward as a freeway. US 20 crosses from Iowa into

via the

Julien Dubuque Bridge The Julien Dubuque Bridge is a bridge over the Mississippi River that connects Dubuque, Iowa and East Dubuque, Illinois. The bridge is part of U.S. Route 20 (US 20). It is one of two automobile bridges over the Mississippi in the area (the ...

History

U.S. Highway 20 was designated in Iowa on October 16, 1926. The designation created a single route number for drivers to follow across the state from Sioux City to Dubuque; previously, three route numbers were used. It is possible to drive most of US 20's former two-lane alignment from Early to Dubuque. Most of this routing (with the exception of

Iowa Highway 57 Iowa Highway 57 is a state highway that runs from west to east in northern Iowa. Its western terminus is at U.S. Route 65 northeast of Iowa Falls. Its eastern terminus is at an intersection with U.S. Highway 218, Iowa Highway 27, and Iowa High ...

from US 65 to Cedar Falls) is now under city and county control, but most of the guide signs remain from when US 20 followed this route. From Moorland, the highway's former alignment is U.S. Highway 20 Business through Fort Dodge. At Webster County Route P59, it continues on Webster County Route D20. The road changes designations several times between this point and Iowa Falls, but its route is very clear. It follows US 65 north out of Iowa Falls to the junction of Iowa 57, then follows 57 to Cedar Falls. At Cedar Falls, the former alignment continues on US 218 to Broadway Street; through Waterloo, it follows Broadway to Franklin Street to Dubuque Road. Beyond Waterloo, the designation of the road again changes several times, but the route to follow remains clear. Between Dyersville and Farley, US 20 follows its historic alignment. At Farley, the former alignment follows Old Highway Road into Dubuque.

Expansion project

The first segment of US 20 in Iowa to become four lanes was a short expressway segment east of Moville, which opened in 1958. Another short expressway segment in the Dubuque area opened in 1959. The rest of the expressway from Sioux City to Moville opened in 1964. By 1979 the Sioux City bypass was complete, as well as the section from Iowa 17 to Interstate 35, and the section from Independence to Delaware. By the end of the 1980s, the four-lane portions of US 20 ran from Coalville (near Fort Dodge) to Interstate 35 and from Waterloo to Dubuque. During the 1990s little work was done to the route. It was extended westward to US 169 in 1991, and eastward to US 65 the same year, though initially the section from I-35 to US 65 was only two lanes. The new, semi-controlled section in Dubuque opened in 1996. Work began to accelerate in 2000, with the section between Interstate 35 and U.S. Highway 65 becoming four lanes that year. The segment from Iowa 14 to Cedar Falls also opened in 2000. By 2003, the highway was complete from Fort Dodge to Dubuque. Paving work between Iowa Highway 4 and Moorland was completed in 2010 and the stretch was opened in December 2010. In November 2012, the 4-lane highway opened between Iowa 4 near Rockwell City and US 71 at Early, Iowa.Local leaders to lobby for Highway 20 funding
Sioux City Journal. January 26, 2014. As of January 2014, around of US 20 remained two lane, between Early and Moville. Local leaders were lobbying for the remaining estimated cost of $375 million to complete the project. In November 2015, it was announced that the final forty miles of US 20 between

and

will be upgraded to four lanes at an estimated cost of $240 million. The funding came from the state's gas tax increase. The final segment was completed in October, 2018.

Exit list

Related route

Iowa Highway 946's short route begins at a partial trumpet interchange along the US 61 / US 151 expressway. Northbound traffic passes beneath the expressway and joins southbound traffic on Locust Street. In the half-mile () between US 61 / US 151 and US 20, Iowa 946 passes a light industrial area containing a

Hy-Vee Hy-Vee, Inc. () is an employee-owned chain of supermarkets in the Midwestern and Southern United States, with more than 280 locations in Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and soon Indiana, Kentucky, ...

grocery store. Iowa 946 intersects U.S. Highway 20, known locally as Dodge Street, at a signal-controlled intersection. Immediately east of this intersection is the approach to the

, which carries US 20 across the Mississippi River into

East Dubuque, Illinois East Dubuque is a city in Jo Daviess County, Illinois, Jo Daviess County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,505 at the 2020 census, down from 1,704 in 2010. East Dubuque is located alongside the Mississippi River. Across the river is t ...

. Iowa 946 continues north on Locust for through another light industrial area. At the edge of downtown Dubuque, Highway 946 turns east for where it meets US 61 / US 151 just west of Dubuque's Ice Harbor. Iowa 946 was created along Locust Street upon the staggered completion of an expressway starting in 1991 which relocated

U.S. Highway 52 U.S. Route 52 (US 52) is a major United States highway in the central United States that extends from the northern to southeastern region of the United States. Contrary to most other even-numbered U.S. Highways, US 52 primarily follows ...

, and

away from Locust Street and closer to the

. The new expressway carried the three routes beneath the approach to the Julien Dubuque Bridge, making a direct intersection impossible. Since all four routes are

U.S. Highway The United States Numbered Highway System (often called U.S. Routes or U.S. Highways) is an integrated network of roads and highways numbered within a nationwide grid in the contiguous United States. As the designation and numbering of these h ...

s and come from all directions, it was imperative to keep the routes connected. With the completion of the Southwest Arterial around the southern edge of Dubuque, US 52 has been rerouted away from the Downtown area.

References

External links