U.S. Route 20 in Iowa

This article is about the section of U.S. Route 20 in Iowa. For the entire route, see U.S. Route 20.

U.S. Highway 20
Route information
Maintained by Iowa DOT
Length:	301.429 mi (485.103 km)
Existed:	1926 – present
Major junctions
West end:	I-129 / US 20 / US 75 at South Sioux City, NE
	I‑29 in Sioux City US 75 at Sioux City US 71 near Early US 169 near Fort Dodge I‑35 near Williams US 69 near Iowa Falls I‑380 / US 218 in Waterloo US 52 / US 61 / US 151 in Dubuque
East end:	US 20 at East Dubuque, IL
Location
Counties:	Woodbury Ida Sac Calhoun Webster Hamilton Hardin Grundy Black Hawk Buchanan Delaware Dubuque
Highway system
United States Numbered Highways List Bannered Divided Replaced Iowa Primary Highway System Interstate U.S. State Secondary Scenic ← US 18 Iowa 21 →

U.S. Highway 20 in Iowa 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, concurrent with Interstate 129 and U.S Route 75, crossing the Missouri River at Sioux City. US 20 runs in a more-or-less straight line across Iowa, paralleling 42° 27' N. It leaves Iowa in Dubuque by crossing the Mississippi River into Illinois. The state of Iowa is in the process of upgrading US 20 into a four-lane, limited-access highway for its entire length in Iowa.

Route description

U.S. Highway 20 enters Iowa concurrent with Interstate 129 and U.S. Route 75 on a freeway which bypasses Sioux City to the south and east. Immediately after crossing the Missouri River into Iowa, Interstate 129 ends and US 20/US 75 intersect Interstate 29 and US 75 Business. On the east side of Sioux City at Gordon Drive, US 20 exits the US 75 freeway, which continues towards Le Mars.

East of Sioux City, U.S. Highway 20 continues as an expressway until Moville. From there, it is a rural, two-lane highway with only a short expressway segment just south of Holstein, that is briefly concurrent with U.S. Route 59. From US 59, it is about 18 miles (29 km) until US 20 has another four-lane segment, starting about one mile west of an interchange with U.S. Route 71 just north of Early. This final stretch of two-lane road will be upgraded to four-lane between 2016 and 2018. From here until an interchange with Iowa Highway 4 northwest of Rockwell City, this is the newest section of 4-lane, which opened in November 2012. This new roadway passes to the north of Sac City and Lytton, and has another interchange with Iowa Highway 196 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 (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 has interchanges with U.S. Route 169 and Webster County Route P59. East of Fort Dodge, US 20 overlaps with Iowa Highway 17 for 4.5 miles (7.2 km), ending at Webster City. Near Williams, US 20 intersects Interstate 35. Beginning at the interchange with U.S. Route 65 is a section of four-lane freeway which, when completed, shaved nearly 16 miles (26 km) off of US 20's length. Prior to 2003, US 20 joined U.S. Route 65 north through Iowa Falls and then east towards Ackley and Parkersburg before heading south again to the freeway with Iowa Highway 14. The bridge crossing the Iowa River 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 for just over 1 mile (1.6 km). The western junction of Iowa 58 (Hudson Road) connects traffic to the University of Northern Iowa while the eastern junction of Iowa 58 is also the western junction of Iowa Highway 27, the Avenue of the Saints. Another mile east, in Waterloo, US 20 intersects U.S. Route 63 (Sergeant Road). On the southeast side of Waterloo, Interstate 380 joins US 20/IA 27 for 6 miles (9.7 km) before exiting with Iowa 27 south towards Cedar Rapids.

U.S. 20 continues as a freeway east of Waterloo. It intersects Iowa Highway 150 at Independence and Iowa Highway 13 at Manchester, as well as junctioning a number of county roads serving smaller communities. Approximately 21 miles (34 km) between Independence and Manchester go over a terminal moraine and enter the Driftless Area, a region it will not exit until reaching Stockton, Illinois.

U.S. Highway 20 crosses the Mississippi River at Dubuque using the Julien Dubuque Bridge.

At Delaware, US 20 changes from a freeway to an expressway 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 (passing near the Field of Dreams filming site), Farley, Epworth, and Peosta before entering Dubuque. US 20 remains at least four lanes through Dubuque, but there are several 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 Mississippi River valley. Near the river, Locust Street connects US 20 with U.S. Highway 52, U.S. Highway 61, and U.S. Highway 151, which have entered the city from the south as an expressway and continue northward as a freeway. US 20 crosses from Iowa into Illinois via the Julien Dubuque Bridge.

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 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.

In 2006, the state of Iowa was acquiring right of way to extend the US 20 expressway westward from Moorland to a point 1.5 miles (2.4 km) west of the current north junction with US 71. 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.

Future

As of January 2014, around 40 miles (64 km) 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.

West of US 71, the remaining length of US 20 faces an uncertain future. In 2006, the state had stated its intention to finish the project, but had not formally committed to a completion date. Community leaders in the northwestern Iowa communities which would be served by a four-lane U.S. 20 continue to advocate for its completion, and impact studies are under way.

In November 2015, it was announced that the final forty miles of US 20 between Early, IA and Moville, IA will be upgraded to four lanes at an estimated cost of $240 million. The funding came from the state's gas tax increase. Construction on the final piece should be done by 2018.

Exit list

County	Location	mi	km	Exit	Destinations	Notes
Dakota	South Sioux City				I-129 west / US 20 west / US 75 south – South Sioux City	Continuation into Nebraska
Missouri River		0.000	0.000	Nebraska–Iowa state line
Woodbury	Sioux City	0.286	0.460	1	I‑29 / I‑129 ends / US 75 Business north – Sioux City, Council Bluffs, South Sioux City	Eastern end of I-129 overlap; signed as exits 1A (north) and 1B (south); no exit number westbound
		1.741	2.802	1	Lakeport Road
		2.859	4.601	2	Sunnybrook Drive
		3.407	5.483	3	Morningside Avenue
	Woodbury Township	4.529	7.289	4	US 75 north / US 20 Business west (Gordon Drive) – Le Mars	Eastern end of US 75 overlap
	Moville	17.393	27.991		Iowa 140 north / CR K64 south – Kingsley, Climbing Hill
	Correctionville	32.212	51.840		Iowa 31 – Correctionville, Washta
Ida	Holstein	44.682	71.909		US 59 north – Holstein	Western end of US 59 overlap
		46.093	74.179		US 59 south – Ida Grove	Eastern end of US 59 overlap
Sac	Eureka Township	57.769	92.970		Iowa 110 north – Schaller, Storm Lake
	Boyer Valley Township	65.250	105.010	71	US 71 north / Iowa 471 south – Storm Lake, Lake View	Western end of US 71 overlap
	Cedar Township	75.765	121.932	82	US 71 south / CR N14 north – Sac City	Eastern end of US 71 overlap
Calhoun	Twin Lakes Township	90.977	146.413	96	Iowa 4 – Rockwell City, Pocahontas
Webster	Fulton Township	110.599	177.992	116	US 20 Business east / CR D36 – Moorland, Fort Dodge	US 20 Business only signed eastbound
	Elkhorn Township	115.882	186.494	121	US 169 – Fort Dodge, Humboldt	Access to Trinity Regional Medical Center
	Pleasant Valley Township	119.032	191.563	124	US 20 Business west / CR P59 – Fort Dodge, Coalville	US 20 Business only signed westbound
Hamilton	Freedom Township	130.247	209.612	136	Iowa 17 north / CR R21 – Eagle Grove, Stratford	Western end of Iowa 17 overlap
	Webster City	134.795	216.932	140	Iowa 17 south – Webster City, Stanhope	Eastern end of Iowa 17 overlap, access to Van Diest Medical Center
	Independence Township	139.761	224.924	145	CR R38 – Kamrar
	Liberty Township	143.770	231.375	149	US 69 – Jewell, Belmond
	Rose Grove Township	147.405	237.225	153	I‑35 – Des Moines, Mason City	Signed as exit 153A (south) and 153B (north)
		149.858	241.173	155	CR R77 – Williams
Hardin	Buckeye Township	156.774	252.303	162	CR S27 – Alden, Buckeye
	Ellis Township	163.114	262.507	168	US 65 – Iowa Falls, Hubbard	Access to Ellsworth Municipal Hospital
	Jackson Township	176.270	283.679	175	CR D35 – Eldora, Owasa, Steamboat Rock
	Clay Township	181.933	292.793	181	CR S56 – Ackley, Eldora
Grundy	Shiloh Township	182.017	292.928	187	CR T19 – Wellsburg
	Colfax–Lincoln township line	190.026	305.817	208	Iowa 14 – Parkersburg, Grundy Center
	Dike	197.041	317.107	215	CR T55 – Dike, New Hartford
Grundy–Black Hawk county line	Grant–Black Hawk township line	202.089	325.231	220	CR D18 – Cedar Falls
Black Hawk	Cedar Falls–Hudson city line	205.593	330.870	224	Iowa 58 south (Hudson Road) – Hudson, University of Northern Iowa, UNI-Dome	Western end of Iowa 58 overlap
		206.684	332.626	225	Iowa 27 north (Avenue of the Saints) / Iowa 58 north – Cedar Falls, Airport	Eastern end of Iowa 58 overlap; western end of Iowa 27 overlap
	Waterloo	208.744	335.941	227	US 63 (Sergeant Road) – Hudson
		210.276	338.406	229	Ansborough Avenue
		211.784	340.833	230	Iowa 21 south (Hawkeye Road) – Dysart
		213.566	343.701	232 71	I‑380 north / US 218 – Waterloo, La Porte City	Western end of I-380 overlap; exit numbers follow I-380
	Evansdale	214.374	345.002	70	River Forest Road
		216.642	348.652	68	Evansdale Drive – Elk Run Heights
	Poyner Township	218.550	351.722	66	CR V49 – Raymond, Gilbertville
		219.985	354.032	65	I‑380 south / Iowa 27 south (Avenue of the Saints)	Eastern end of I-380 and Iowa 27 overlaps; exit numbers follow US 20
	Fox Township	221.496	356.463	240	CR V51 – Dunkerton, La Porte City
Buchanan	Westburg Township	226.927	365.204	245	CR V65 – Jesup
	Independence	233.918	376.455	252	Independence
		235.417	378.867	254	Iowa 150 – Independence, Vinton
	Winthrop	242.511	390.284	261	CR W40 – Quasqueton, Winthrop
	Middlefield Township	247.952	399.040	266	Iowa 187 north – Masonville, Lamont
Delaware	Prairie–Milo township line	256.449	412.715	275	Iowa 13 – Manchester, Central City
	Manchester	258.394	415.845	277	CR D5X – Manchester
	Delaware	263.459	423.996	282	Iowa 38 – Delaware, Monticello
	Oneida–Delhi township line	267.176	429.978	285	CR X35 – Earlville
	Dyersville			292	CR X49 – Dyersville	Interchange to open in 2016
Dubuque		275.273	443.009	294	Iowa 136 – Dyersville, Cascade
	Farley	281.439	452.932	300
	Epworth	285.250	459.065	304
	Peosta	289.425	465.784	308
	Dubuque	297.044	478.046		Iowa 32 north (Northwest Arterial) – Asbury
		299.665– 299.970	482.264– 482.755	—	Grandview Avenue, Fremont Avenue
		300.236	483.183	—	Hill Street, Bryant Street
		300.929	484.298		Locust Street (Iowa 946) to US 52 / US 61 / US 151
Mississippi River		301.429	485.103	Julien Dubuque Bridge; Iowa–Illinois state line
Jo Daviess	East Dubuque				US 20 east – Rockford	Continuation into Illinois
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus       Unopened

External links

• US 20 at the Iowa Highways Page
• U.S. 20 Corridor Association (group advocating completion of the four-lane expressway in western Iowa)

U.S. Route 20
Previous state: Nebraska	Iowa	Next state: Illinois