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U.S. Highway 6 (US 6) is an east–west
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 ...
which runs across the U.S. state of
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 is signed in places as the Grand Army of the Republic Highway. Like all
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 ...
s in Iowa, it is maintained by the Iowa Department of Transportation. The route begins at the Missouri River crossing at Council Bluffs. From there, it travels east through
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and Atlantic. North of Atlantic, the highway overlaps
Interstate 80 Interstate 80 (I-80) is an east–west transcontinental freeway that crosses the United States from downtown San Francisco, California, to Teaneck, New Jersey, in the New York metropolitan area. The highway was designated in 1956 as one o ...
(I-80) until De Soto. Between De Soto and Adel, the highway overlaps US 169 before splitting off to the east towards Des Moines. Through the Des Moines area, the highway runs about one mile (1.6 km) north or south of the
I-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 ...
 / I-80 corridor. At Altoona, the route again overlaps I-80 until Newton, where it splits away from I-80. The highway passes near or through the cities of Kellogg, Grinnell, Victor, Marengo, the Amana Colonies, and Tiffin before entering the
Coralville Coralville is a city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States. It is a suburb of Iowa City and part of the Iowa City Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 22,318 at the 2020 census. History Coralville is the location of the Edgewat ...
/
Iowa City Iowa City, offically the City of Iowa City is a city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States. It is the home of the University of Iowa and county seat of Johnson County, at the center of the Iowa City Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the time ...
area. Through Coralville and Iowa City, US 6 has no direct access to I-80, I-380, or
US 218 U.S. Highway 218 (US 218) is an original United States Highway that was created in 1926. Although technically a spur of US 18, US 218 neither begins nor ends at US 18, but overlaps US 18 for near Charles City, Iowa. US ...
; other routes like
Iowa Highway 1 Iowa Highway 1 (Iowa 1) is a state highway (Iowa), state highway in the U.S. state of Iowa that extends from Keosauqua, Iowa, Keosauqua to Anamosa, Iowa, Anamosa. It travels nearly , mainly through rich farmland and small communities. Iowa ...
(Iowa 1) and Iowa 965 provide direct access. From Iowa City, the highway heads to the east-southeast through West Liberty and Atalissa. Near Wilton, the route heads north to I-80 where it again overlaps to Davenport. At Davenport, US 6 then follows I-280 and US 61 before entering the city. On the eastern side of Davenport, it joins
I-74 } Interstate 74 (I-74) is an Interstate Highway in the Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Its western end is at an interchange with I-80 in Davenport, Iowa (Quad Cities); the eastern end of its Midwest segment is at an interchange ...
and enters Bettendorf before leaving Iowa for
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 ...
. Dating back to 1910, the route US 6 follows was originally the Great White Way and River-to-River Road. Both were
auto trail The system of auto trails was an informal network of marked routes that existed in the United States and Canada in the early part of the 20th century. Marked with colored bands on utility poles, the trails were intended to help travellers in ...
s which connected Council Bluffs and Davenport. When the
U.S. Highway System 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 hi ...
was created in 1926, the highway was designated U.S. Highway 32. US 32 was renumbered in 1931 as US 6 was extended to the west coast. As the
Interstate Highway System The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Highway System in the United States. Th ...
expanded in the 1950–1970s, US 6's importance as a cross-state route was diminished by I-80. As a result, the least-traveled sections of the route were moved onto I-80 and control of the vacated sections of highway was given to local jurisdictions.


Route description

US 6 is a cross-state route that connects Council Bluffs and Davenport by way of Des Moines and Iowa City. The route parallels I-80 for most of its length; however nearly one-third of the route overlaps the Interstate Highway. While the route is away from I-80, US 6 is a two-lane highway with a rural speed limit of . However, between Adel and Waukee, the roadway is a four-lane
divided highway A dual carriageway ( BE) or divided highway ( AE) is a class of highway with carriageways for traffic travelling in opposite directions separated by a central reservation (BrE) or median (AmE). Roads with two or more carriageways which are ...
that has a speed limit of .


Western Iowa

US 6 crosses the Missouri River via the
Grenville Dodge Grenville Mellen Dodge (April 12, 1831 – January 3, 1916) was a Union Army officer on the frontier and a pioneering figure in military intelligence during the Civil War, who served as Ulysses S. Grant's intelligence chief in the Western Thea ...
Memorial Bridge into Council Bluffs with I-480. Just into the state, I-480 ends at an interchange with I-29. US 6 heads east along I-29 south on the western side of Council Bluffs, then it overlaps I-80 and continues due east. On the east side of Council Bluffs, I-80 and US 6 split. Near Oakland, the highway follows the north–south US 59 for . Near Lewis, the road turns to the north-northeast until it reaches Atlantic. In Atlantic, the route turns back to the east and heads towards downtown where it meets
Iowa 83 Iowa Highway 83 (Iowa 83) is a state highway that runs from east to west in western Iowa. The highway parallels Interstate 80 its entire length. Its western terminus is at U.S. Highway 59 in Avoca. The eastern terminus is in Anita at an interse ...
. US 6 / Iowa 83 travel together to the eastern side of Atlantic where they meet US 71. The three routes run together for , when US 6 / US 71 split away from Iowa 83 and continue north to I-80. At I-80, US 6 leaves US 71 and joins I-80. At this point, US 6 begins the first of three instances when its traffic is routed along I-80. In the eastern part of Cass County, the two routes meet the northern end of Iowa 148. As I-80 and US 6 approach Adair, and the highways curve slightly to the south to bypass the community. There are two interchanges in Adair; both of the intersecting roads, at one time or another, carried US 6. County Road G30 (CR G30), the White Pole Road, was the original alignment of US 6, while CR N54 has not carried US 6 since 1980. Further east is an interchange with Iowa 25. About south of the interchange is
Freedom Rock The Freedom Rock (also known as the Patriotic Rock) is a boulder located along Iowa Highway 25 at 2301-2319 120th Street — in Adair County and southwest of Menlo in western Iowa approximately south of exit 86 ( Iowa 25 – Guthrie ...
. Each year for Memorial Day, the rock is repainted with a patriotic scene by local artist Ray "Bubba" Sorenson II. Near
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, I-80 and US 6 graze the northwestern corner of Madison County. After , the routes enter Dallas County and meet CR F60, another former alignment of US 6. Near the CR F90 / CR P58 interchange, they start heading northeast towards Des Moines. At De Soto, US 6 splits away from I-80 at the interchange with US 169.


Central Iowa

At De Soto, US 6 turns to the north, overlapping US 169 for to Adel. East of Adel, US 6 is a four-lane
divided highway A dual carriageway ( BE) or divided highway ( AE) is a class of highway with carriageways for traffic travelling in opposite directions separated by a central reservation (BrE) or median (AmE). Roads with two or more carriageways which are ...
for , during which, it passes through
Waukee Waukee is a city in Dallas County, Iowa, United States. The population was 23,940 at the time of the 2020 U.S. Census. It is part of the Des Moines – West Des Moines Metropolitan Statistical Area. In 2017, Apple Inc. chose Waukee as the loc ...
, Clive, and Urbandale along Hickman Road, and intersects I-35 / I-80. Over the next , it serves as the border between Urbandale and Windsor Heights. At 63rd Street in Des Moines, US 6 intersects Iowa 28. For , US 6 / Iowa 28 run together on Hickman Road. Turning north, they run together for another mile (1.6 km) along Merle Hay Road. At Douglas Avenue, US 6 splits away from Iowa 28 and continues east, becoming Euclid Avenue just west of the Des Moines River. In north-central Des Moines, it intersects US 69 and I-235. In northeast Des Moines, it turns to the northeast along Hubbell Avenue, which takes US 6 to Altoona. West of Altoona, it intersects US 65 and continues northeast passing Adventureland theme park and
Prairie Meadows Prairie Meadows is a Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racetrack casino located in Altoona, Iowa, United States. History and information In 1984, Prairie Meadows received a license from the Iowa Racing and Gaming commission to operate a horse racing ...
casino. In northwest Altoona, US 6 intersects I-80 and US 65. Here, US 6 rejoins I-80 for the second time. After a third exit for Altoona, the interstate resumes its rural limit. Near Colfax, the highways cross the South Skunk River. After an interchange with Iowa 117, the highway is forced to the north to avoid crossing the river multiple times. As the roadway returns south to its original line, it meets CR F48, which was another former alignment of US 6. At Newton, US 6 splits away from I-80 at the Iowa 14 interchange. US 6 overlaps Iowa 14 for . It turns off of Iowa 14 and enters the western side of Newton where it passes the Jasper County courthouse located in the downtown area. Between Newton and Grinnell, the route has more hills and curves. The highway crosses the North Skunk River near Kellogg. At Grinnell, it intersects Iowa 146 southwest of the Grinnell College campus. East of Grinnell, the route straightens out and is overlapped by US 63 for and by Iowa 21 for . Near
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, US 6 takes a northeasterly course through Ladora towards Marengo. At Marengo, it intersects the eastern end of
Iowa 212 Iowa Highway 212 is a state highway in Iowa County, Iowa. It runs from Iowa Highway 21 south of Belle Plaine to U.S. Highway 6 in Marengo. Iowa 212 was once a much longer highway, nearly , covering parts of the Lincoln Highway. Route descript ...
. east of Marengo is the western end of Iowa 20. Here, US 6 forms the southern leg of the Amana Colonies Trail. later, it's joined by US 151 for . US 6 heads to the southeast towards Tiffin and passes underneath I-380, but does not have direct access.


Eastern Iowa

At Coralville, US 6 passes underneath I-80, but to the east, Coral Ridge Avenue provides direct access to I-80. Entering Iowa City, the highway passes the campus of the
University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is org ...
, its main hospital, and
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. US 6 curves to the south to be adjacent to the Iowa River, where it meets and overlaps Iowa 1 for . US 6 and Iowa 1 go in separate directions at a signal controlled intersection, where, less than away, US 6 crosses the Iowa River. From Iowa City, it heads in an east-southeast direction towards West Liberty. The highway enters West Liberty from the northwest corner and curves southward. At the northern end of Iowa 70, it turns to the east again towards Atalissa and Wilton. southwest of Wilton, the road crosses the Cedar River. south of Wilton, the highway overlaps Iowa 38 and the two routes head towards I-80. At the Wilton interchange along I-80, Iowa 38 turns west and US 6 turns east onto the interstate, respectively. As I-80 and US 6 approach the
Quad Cities metropolitan area The Quad Cities metropolitan area, more formally known as the Davenport–Moline–Rock Island Metropolitan Statistical Area, is the metropolitan area associated with the Quad Cities in the U.S. states of Iowa and Illinois. The area consists of t ...
, the speed limit drops again to . Just within the city limits of Davenport is the I-280 interchange. US 6 exits to the south to join I-280. US 61 also joins I-280 at this interchange, but from the opposite direction. US 6 only overlaps I-280 / US 61 for before exiting onto Kimberly Road. Heading southeast into Davenport, US 6 is a two-lane highway for . At Fairmount Street, it becomes a four-lane divided highway and straightens out to head due east. Near NorthPark Mall, it intersects Northwest Boulevard, which becomes Iowa 130 at I-80, and both one-way legs, Welcome Way southbound and Brady Street northbound, of US 61 Business, which prior to 2010 was US 61. US 6 briefly dips to the southeast and straightens out again towards I-74. The highway joins I-74 and heads to the south towards Moline, Illinois. For about one mile (1.6 km), I-74 / US 6 forms the boundary of Davenport and Bettendorf. The two routes completely enter Bettendorf and descend into the Mississippi River valley, where they meet US 67 at a complex series of exit and entrance ramps. They then ascend the Iowa-Illinois Memorial Bridge, known locally as the I-74 Bridge, and cross the Mississippi River into Illinois.


History

Before the U.S. Highway System came into being in 1926, roads in Iowa were maintained and promoted by local organizations which sought to drive traffic into their communities. Two such organizations created virtually parallel routes connecting Council Bluffs and Davenport via Des Moines. The routes, the southern Great White Way and northern River-to-River Road, eventually merged into the Whiteway-7-Highway. The new route followed the Great White Way from Council Bluffs to Des Moines and the River-to-River Road from Des Moines to Davenport. In 1926, the Whiteway-7-Highway became US 32, which itself became US 6 in 1931. For a time, US 6 was the busiest highway in the state. After I-80 was built near US 6, portions of the U.S. Highway were moved onto the Interstate Highway. Interest in the original US 6 corridor has grown in the 21st century by people who seek to drive traffic back into their communities.


Great White Way/White Pole Road

The Great White Way was formed in 1910 by the White Pole Auto Club. The route was built along the
Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad (CRI&P RW, sometimes called ''Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway'') was an American Class I railroad. It was also known as the Rock Island Line, or, in its final years, The Rock. At the end ...
between Council Bluffs and Des Moines. Members of the auto club painted poles along the route white, which lead the route to be known as the White Pole Road. The Great White Way passed through Oakland, Atlantic, Adair, De Soto, and Valley Junction. In late 1912, the Great White Way was extended east to Davenport, passing through Pella, Oskaloosa,
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, and Muscatine. In 1913, when the Iowa State Highway Commission began registering named trails longer than , the Great White Way Association paid the $5.00 fee ($ in dollars) to become the first official registered highway route on July 30, 1914. When the primary highway system was created, the Great White Way was assigned Primary Road No. 2. In 2002, a group of residents from Adair, Casey, Menlo, Stuart, and Dexter formed a new group to promote the White Pole Road. Their intention was to bring visitors to their towns by diverting some traffic from the nearby I-80 / US 6 corridor to the south and onto the historic road. Poles were painted white up to high line along the drive. White Pole Road logo signs in each town give a short history of the town and their founders.


River-to-River Road

The River-to-River Road (RRR) was also created in 1910 and also connected Council Bluffs and Davenport via Des Moines. This route, however, traveled a more northern route than the Great White Way. The route passed through Neola, Elk Horn, Guthrie Center, Adel, Des Moines, Newton, Marengo, Iowa City, and Wilton. The route's origins trace back to the 1909–10 winter season which brought, on average, of snow more than the previous year, which was followed by an unusually dry spring. Coupled with the advent of the
Ford Model T The Ford Model T is an automobile that was produced by Ford Motor Company from October 1, 1908, to May 26, 1927. It is generally regarded as the first affordable automobile, which made car travel available to middle-class Americans. The relati ...
, many Iowans complained about the lack of good roads in the state. Governor B.F. Carroll convened a Good Roads convention on March 8–9, 1910, to discuss the condition of roads in his state. It was then that the route of the RRR was decided among the convention delegates. Further influencing the River-to-River corridor was an announcement from the
American Automobile Association American Automobile Association (AAA – commonly pronounced as "Triple A") is a federation of motor clubs throughout North America. AAA is a privately held not-for-profit national member association and service organization with over 60 m ...
that the annual
Glidden Tour The Glidden Tours, also known as the National Reliability Runs, were promotional events held during the automotive Brass Era by the American Automobile Association (AAA) and organized by the group's chairman, Augustus Post. The AAA, a proponent ...
would pass through Iowa. Gov. Carroll arranged for farmers who lived along the route to drag all of the road on the Saturday prior to the tour's arrival at precisely 9 am. Work was finished in one hour. When the highway commission started accepting registered routes, the RRR association planned to register their route as soon as possible. But miscommunication between association members and with the highway commission delayed the actual registration for years. The route became official on April 16, 1918. When the primary highway system was created, the River-to-River Road was assigned Primary Road No. 7.


Whiteway-7-Highway

In 1922, the Whiteway-7-Highway Association filed an application to register the Whiteway-7-Highway with the Iowa State Highway Commission. The commission was concerned with the Whiteway-7's similarity to the Great White Way's name and route markings. The Great White Way was marked with a stripe, while the Whiteway-7 would be marked with a stripe with a black circle containing a white seven. Another concern with the new route was since its name contained the number seven, the route would be assigned along Primary Road Nos. 2 and 7. On September 25, 1922, the highway commission gave the Great White Way from Des Moines to Council Bluffs, which would become part of the Whiteway-7-Highway, the number 7 and gave the River-to-River Road's western half number 2. Eight months later, the Iowa State Highway Commission reversed course and restored Primary Road Nos. 2 and 7 to their original roadways. Although disappointed, the Whiteway-7-Highway Association responded by removing the number from their name. On November 27, 1925, the route officially became the Whiteway Highway.


U.S. Numbered Highways

On November 11, 1926, members of the
American Association of State Highway Officials The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) is a standards setting body which publishes specifications, test protocols, and guidelines that are used in highway design and construction throughout the United St ...
approved the plan to create a system of interstate highways across the country. Iowa's Whiteway Highway would take on the designation of US 32. For four-and-a-half years, US 32 spanned from Chicago to Council Bluffs. Meanwhile, Roosevelt Highway Association was pushing to have US 6 extended westward. On June 8, 1931, all of the Iowa portion of US 32 was absorbed into a newly extended US 6, which had previously connected
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, and
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. The new US 6 also replaced US 38 in Nebraska and Colorado. By the end of 1937, US 6 extended from coast to coast. At the time, it and US 30 were the only cross country highways to bear a single route number across the country. When the last segment of highway between Adel and Des Moines was paved in 1931, US 6 became the fourth paved road to cross the state. In the early 1940s, US 6 was the most heavily traveled route in the state. The state highway commission recorded that on average, over 1900 vehicles used the road per day at any rural point. That compares to nearly 3000 vehicles using US 6 daily in 2012. On April 29, 1947, the
Iowa General Assembly The Iowa General Assembly is the legislative branch of the state government of Iowa. Like the federal United States Congress, the General Assembly is a bicameral body, composed of the upper house Iowa Senate and the lower Iowa House of Repres ...
approved an act designating US 6 as the Grand Army of the Republic Highway, a distinction the route shares in other states. Governor Robert D. Blue dedicated the G.A.R. Highway at the Old Capitol on September 28, 1947. In attendance were the last two surviving Iowa veterans of the
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. In the 1950s, the Iowa State Highway Commission began to straighten the route. A section of the highway between Grinnell and Ladora was straightened, which resulted in
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and Victor being bypassed. Between Dexter and
West Des Moines West Des Moines is a city in Polk, Dallas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the ...
, US 6 swapped alignments with Iowa 90 in 1958. In 1961, US 6 was routed onto the new Interstate 80 from the Iowa 90 interchange to the Baxter exit, currently exit 159. Iowa 90 was extended onto the old US 6 alignment. However, in 1967, those changes were reversed and US 6 was taken off I-80 and put back on the road which had been Iowa 90. Iowa 90 was assigned the section of US 6 between what's now exit 106 along I-80 and exit 69 along I-35.


Abandoned sections

Since the 1970s, portions of US 6 have been moved permanently onto I-80. The first section, between US 71 and Adair, was rerouted in 1972. The abandoned section became an extended Iowa 83 and CR G30 in Adair County. In 1980, three lengthy sections were moved onto the Interstate: in western Iowa between Adair and Dexter, in central Iowa between Altoona and Newton, and in eastern Iowa between Wilton and Davenport. All three sections were originally kept as state highways, but in 1991, when the Iowa Department of Transportation first showed the new state highways' designations on the state highway map, the central section already had been turned over to Polk and Jasper counties. The western segment was numbered Iowa 925 and the eastern segment Iowa 927. On July 1, 2003, between Dexter and Adel were turned over to Dallas County. US 6, which had previously split away from I-80 at the Dexter exit, was continued along I-80 to the US 169 interchange at De Soto, and then along US 169 to Adel. The former segments, Iowa 925 and Iowa 927, were turned over to their respective counties as well.


Major intersections


References


External links


Iowa division of the U.S. Route 6 Tour AssociationThe White Pole RoadRiver to River: Iowa's Forgotten Highway 6
{{good article Iowa 06 Transportation in Pottawattamie County, Iowa Transportation in Cass County, Iowa Transportation in Adair County, Iowa Transportation in Madison County, Iowa Transportation in Dallas County, Iowa Transportation in Polk County, Iowa Transportation in Jasper County, Iowa Transportation in Poweshiek County, Iowa Transportation in Iowa County, Iowa Transportation in Johnson County, Iowa Transportation in Muscatine County, Iowa Transportation in Cedar County, Iowa Transportation in Scott County, Iowa