U.S. Route 161
Route information | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Auxiliary route of US 61 | ||||
Maintained by Iowa DOT | ||||
Length | 185 mi[1] (298 km) | |||
Existed | July 1, 1926[2]–January 1938[3] | |||
Major junctions | ||||
South end | Missouri state line south of Keokuk | |||
| ||||
North end | US 61 at Key West | |||
Location | ||||
Country | United States | |||
State | Iowa | |||
Counties | Lee, Henry, Washington, Johnson, Linn, Jones, Dubuque | |||
Highway system | ||||
| ||||
|
U.S. Highway 161 (US 161) was a
The route changed very little while it was in service. It was paved from end to end by the summer of 1932. In January 1938, it was removed from the US Highway System. From Keokuk to Cedar Rapids, it was replaced by US 218, which was extended southward. From Cedar Rapids to Key West it was replaced by US 151, which was extended westward.
Route description
US 161 began on the
After the US 61 split, US 161 continued northeast towards Donnellson along Main Street where it met Iowa Highway 3 (Iowa 3). North of Donnellson, the highway diverted away from the Keokuk and Northwestern Railroad, which the highway had theretofore closely paralleled the railway.[5] As the highway headed due north towards Mount Pleasant, it passed many small communities, but did not enter any of them. West of West Point, it intersected Iowa 103, which served as a shortcut to Fort Madison until 2003. Iowa 16 intersected the highway in northern Lee County.[4]
Shortly after it entered
In
US 161 continued to the northwest before turning north at its last Iowa River crossing. It passed through
Southwest of Anamosa, the two routes met the northern end of Iowa 261. Closer to Anamosa, they crossed the Wapsipinicon River before Iowa 64 split away to the east. Now heading northeast, US 161 traversed the farmland of Jones County. In Monticello, it met the ends of Iowa 38 and Iowa 113. It crossed the South Fork Maquoketa River and headed towards Cascade, where it crossed the north fork of the river. At Cascade, US 161 met the ends of Iowa 136 and Iowa 188. Now in Dubuque County, the highway continued northeast past the New Melleray Abbey. The route ended at an intersection with US 61 in Key West, a few miles west of Dubuque.[4]
History
US 161 was an original
Upon designation, only a small portion of US 161 was paved, all of which was located in and around Cedar Rapids. A short section in Keokuk and the remainder of the route north of Cedar Rapids was graveled, but not paved.[8] A $100 million bond bill ($1.77 billion in 2023 dollars[9]) passed and approved by a plebiscite in 1928 allowed paving to commence in earnest. The entire routing of US 161 was to be completed within six years.[10] Paving work progressed faster in some counties than it did in others. By 1930, a hard-surfaced road existed from the Missouri state line to Olds in Henry County (55 mi or 89 km) and from Iowa City to northeast of Cascade in Dubuque County (75 mi or 121 km).[11] All 185 miles (298 km) of the route were paved by June 1932.[12]
In January 1938, US 161 was removed from the
Major intersections
County | Location | mi[1] | km | Destinations | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Des Moines River | 0 | 0.0 | US 161 began at the Des Moines River | ||
Lee | Montrose Township | 10 | 16 | US 61 north | Northern end of US 61 overlap |
Donnellson | 22 | 35 | Iowa 3 | ||
Franklin–Marion township line | 28 | 45 | Iowa 103 east | ||
Marion Township | 32 | 51 | Iowa 16 | ||
Henry | Jackson Township | 36 | 58 | Iowa 125 west | |
Mount Pleasant | 44 | 71 | US 34 / Iowa 133 south | ||
Wayne Township | 56 | 90 | Iowa 78 east | Southern end of Iowa 78 overlap | |
57 | 92 | Iowa 78 west | Northern end of Iowa 78 overlap | ||
Washington | Oregon Township | 68 | 109 | Iowa 2 | |
Iowa Township | 82 | 132 | Iowa 22 | ||
Johnson | Iowa City | 94 | 151 | Iowa 1 | |
US 6 | |||||
Iowa 261 north | |||||
North Liberty | 101 | 163 | Iowa 153 south | ||
Linn | Cedar Rapids | 119 | 192 | US 30 west / Iowa 64 west | Southern end of US 30 and Iowa 64 overlaps |
120 | 190 | US 30 east | Northern end of US 30 overlap | ||
121 | 195 | Iowa 11 north | |||
Marion | 125 | 201 | Iowa 94 south | ||
127 | 204 | Iowa 13 | |||
Iowa 261 south | |||||
Anamosa | 143 | 230 | Iowa 64 east | Northern end of Iowa 64 overlap | |
Iowa 113 north | |||||
Dubuque | Cascade | 164 | 264 | Iowa 136 south / Iowa 188 north | |
Key West | 185 | 298 | US 61 | ||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi |
References
- ^ a b Iowa State Highway Map (PDF) (Map). Iowa State Highway Commission. September 1937. Retrieved November 18, 2011.
- ^ Iowa State Highway Commission(October–December 1925). Service Bulletin. Nos. 10-11-12. Vol. XIII. p. 5.
- ^ a b Iowa State Highway Map (PDF) (Map). Iowa State Highway Commission. January 1938. Retrieved March 24, 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f Road Map of Iowa and the United States (Map). 1:1,267,200. Cartography by Gallup Map & Supply Co. Mid-Continent Petroleum Company. 1933.
- ^ Lee County, Iowa (Map). Cartography by M. Huebinger. Iowa Publishing Company. 1912.
- ^ Iowa Registered Highway Routes 1914–1925 (PDF) (Map). Iowa Department of Transportation. 1986. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 2, 2012. Retrieved March 23, 2012.
- ^ Iowa Department of Transportation (c. 1999). "Discovering Historic Iowa Transportation Milestones" (PDF). p. 5. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
- ^ Iowa State Highway Map (PDF) (Map). Iowa State Highway Commission. 1927. Retrieved March 24, 2012.
- ^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
- ^ "Iowa Approves Road Bond Issue". Telegraph Herald. Dubuque, Iowa. U.P. November 7, 1928. pp. 1–2. Retrieved May 23, 2012.
- ^ Iowa State Highway Map (PDF) (Map). Iowa State Highway Commission. 1930. Retrieved March 24, 2012.
- ^ Iowa State Highway Map (PDF) (Map). Iowa State Highway Commission. June 1932. Retrieved March 24, 2012.
- ^ Iowa State Highway Map (PDF) (Map). Iowa State Highway Commission. 1938. Retrieved March 24, 2012.
- Rand McNally & Company. 1947. pp. 84–85.