Interstate 35 in Iowa

Interstate 35 (I-35) is a north–south Interstate Highway in the United States that runs from Laredo, Texas, to Duluth, Minnesota. In Iowa, the highway runs from south to north through the center of the state, roughly parallel to U.S. Highway 69 (US 69) and US 65. It enters the state near Lamoni from Missouri and continues north through the southern Iowa drift plain. In the Des Moines area, I-35 is overlapped by I-80 and the two routes bypass Des Moines to the west and north. I-235, the only auxiliary route of I-35, serves the suburbs and downtown Des Moines; it begins and ends at the two interchanges where I-35 and I-80 meet. Near Mason City and Clear Lake, US 18 and Iowa Highway 27 (Iowa 27) overlap with I-35. Shortly after, US 18 splits off to the west in Clear Lake, while Iowa 27 runs with I-35 until they reach the Minnesota state line.

This article is about the section of Interstate 35 in Iowa. For the entire route, see Interstate 35.

Interstate 35
I-35 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by Iowa DOT
Length	219.225 mi[1] (352.808 km)
Existed	ca. September 21, 1958[2]–present
History	Under construction 1958–1975
Major junctions
South end	I-35 near Lamoni, Iowa
	US 34 at Osceola Iowa 5 at West Des Moines I-80 / I-235 near Des Moines US 30 at Ames US 20 near Williams US 18 / Iowa 27 near Clear Lake
North end	I-35 towards Minneapolis-St. Paul
Location
Counties	Decatur Clarke Warren Polk Story Hamilton Wright Franklin Cerro Gordo Worth
Highway system
Interstate Highway System Main Auxiliary Suffixed Business Future Iowa Primary Highway System Interstate U.S. State Secondary Scenic ← US 34 Iowa 37 →

Construction of I-35 in Iowa took place over 17 years. The first 10-mile-long (16 km) section of the route that stretched from Cumming to Urbandale was opened on September 21, 1958. In the next 14 years, new sections of the route opened regularly, only leaving the section between Mason City and US 20 uncompleted. On November 14, 1975, the last 50-mile-long (80 km) section of the route was completed and connected the two non-contiguous sections of I-35.

Route description

Southern Iowa

I-35 enters Iowa at the Missouri state line near the town of Lamoni. An interchange that provides access to the adjacent US 69 is situated over the state border. The highway travels to the north-northeast for four miles (6.4 km) until it again meets US 69 on the eastern edge of Lamoni. North of Lamoni is a rest area which overlooks the Grand River and provides pedestrian access to Decatur County's Slip Bluff County Park.[3] North of the Grand River, the interstate straightens to a north–south alignment. Near Decatur City, it intersects Iowa Highway 2 (Iowa 2) at a diamond interchange. Continuing north, the interstate slightly eases to the east. Two rural interchanges and another in Van Wert dot the 21 miles (34 km) separating Decatur City and Osceola.[1]

The Osceola area is served by three interchanges for 1I-35. The first is a partial cloverleaf interchange with US 34. This junction is so configured because of US 34's proximity to the BNSF Railway line which carries Amtrak's California Zephyr.[4] The next exit serves a casino and western Osceola. Northwest of Osceola is the western end of Iowa 152, which connects I-35 and US 69 at a narrow point between the two routes. Further north, the small towns of New Virginia, Truro, and St. Charles are each served by an interchange. The Iowa 92 exit just east of Bevington connects I-35 to the larger communities of Winterset and Indianola, to the west and east, respectively. The interchange for Cumming is the last before the interstate enters the Des Moines metropolitan area.[1]

Central Iowa

Exit 68 along I-35 is the northern end of Iowa Highway 5

I-35 continues north, enters the Des Moines metropolitan area and meets the Iowa Highway 5 freeway at West Des Moines. Further on in West Des Moines, at the West Mixmaster Interchange, I-35 meets Interstates 80 and 235. I-235 serves downtown Des Moines, while I-35 and I-80 overlap and serve the Des Moines' western and northern suburbs. On the Clive/Urbandale city border, I-35 and I-80 meet U.S. Highway 6. Further north in Urbandale, they meet Iowa Highway 141 and turn eastward. They also meet U.S. Highway 69 north of Des Moines. Between Des Moines and Ankeny, at the East Mixmaster interchange, I-35 and I-80 separate at an interchange where they also meet I-235.

Interstate 35 then turns north to go through Ankeny. It continues north and at Ames meets U.S. Highway 30. Ames is also served by Business Loop 35. I-35 continues north and meets Iowa Highway 175 near Ellsworth and meets the U.S. Highway 20 freeway near the community of Williams. It continues north until the Wright County line, where it turns northeast. On this northeasterly alignment, I-35 meets Iowa Highway 3.

Northern Iowa

Interstate 35 in Cerro Gordo county, near Exit 182. Swaledale is about one mile to the east.

Shortly after meeting Iowa Highway 3, I-35 turns north again and meets both U.S. Highway 18 and Iowa Highway 27 near Clear Lake. I-35 overlaps U.S. 18 and Iowa Highway 27 through the Clear Lake area, which is also served with Business Loop 35. U.S. 18 separates in Clear Lake and I-35 and Iowa 27, which serves as the designation in Iowa for the Avenue of the Saints, overlap for the rest of the way to the Minnesota border, meeting Iowa Highway 9 near Hanlontown.

Services

"Top of Iowa" traveler information center, located off Exit 214

The Iowa DOT operates 37 rest areas and one scenic overlook in 20 locations along its 780 miles (1,260 km) of interstate highway. Along I-35, there are five locations that have facilities accessible to each direction of traffic. A sixth is under construction in northern Polk County. Parking areas are divided so passenger automobiles are separated from large trucks. Common among all of the rest stops are separate men's and women's restrooms, payphones with TDD capabilities, weather reporting kiosks, vending machines, and free wireless Internet. Many stations have family restrooms and dump stations for recreational vehicles.[5]

The first rest areas along Iowa's interstates were built in the 1960s. They were modest facilities; separate buildings housed the restrooms and vending machines. A few rest stops had another building with local tourist information.[6] The newer facilities feature one large building housing as many as 28 more toilets than the older buildings, in addition to all the other common rest area amenities. They also feature artwork by local Iowa artists.[7] Each new rest area is designed around a theme.[8][9] For instance, the facility near Story City celebrates the history of transportation in the state. Story County is the home of the Iowa Department of Transportation and the location where the historic Lincoln Highway and I-35 intersect.[10]

History

The first section of I-35, a 10-mile-long (16 km) stretch from Cumming to Urbandale opened around September 21, 1958. Within five years, the interstate had grown to 55 miles (89 km), extending from U.S. Route 34 (US 34) Osceola to the eastern interchange with I-80 and I-235. The next two sections of I-35, 25 miles (40 km) from Ankeny to US 30 near Ames and 30 miles (48 km) from Ames to US 20 near Williams.[2]

By 1972, I-35 was completed at the Missouri and Minnesota state lines. In southern Iowa, the last section, from Iowa 2 near Decatur City to the state line, was completed on December 2, 1970. In northern Iowa, the section from Iowa 9 near Hanlontown to the state line opened on December 12, 1972. The last section of I-35 to open, from US 20 to Mason City, opened on November 14, 1975.[2]

Exit list

County	Location	mi[1]	km	Exit[11]	Destinations	Notes
Missouri–Iowa state line		0.000	0.000		I-35 south – Kansas City	Continuation into Missouri
				114	US 69 – Lamoni	Exit number follows Missouri numbering; interchange is on the state line
Decatur	Lamoni	4.169	6.709	4	US 69 – Lamoni, Davis City
	Decatur City	12.804	20.606	12	Iowa 2 – Leon, Mount Ayr
	Long Creek Township	17.928	28.852	18	CR J20 – Grand River, Garden Grove
	Van Wert	22.272	35.843	22	CR J14 – Van Wert
Clarke	Knox Township	29.348	47.231	29	CR H45
	Osceola	33.165	53.374	33	US 34 – Creston, Osceola
		34.625	55.724	34	Clay Street – Osceola
	Osceola Township	36.307	58.430	36	CR R35	Formerly Iowa 152
Warren	Virginia Township	43.850	70.570	43	CR G76 – New Virginia
		47.414	76.305	47	CR G64 – Truro
	Jackson Township	51.949	83.604	52	CR G50 – St. Marys, St. Charles
	Bevington	56.759	91.345	56	Iowa 92 – Indianola, Winterset
	Cumming	65.045	104.680	65	CR G14 – Norwalk, Cumming
Polk	West Des Moines	68.006	109.445	68	Iowa 5 south – Des Moines International Airport, West Des Moines, Norwalk
		69.155	111.294	69	Grand Avenue – West Des Moines, DMACC West Campus
		70.398	113.295	70	Mills Civic Parkway
		72.680	116.967	72A	I-235 east – West Des Moines, Des Moines	I-235 exits 123A-B
				72B	I-80 west – Council Bluffs, Omaha	Southern end of I-80 overlap; no exit number southbound; I-80 east exit 123B
		72.734	117.054	72C	University Avenue – Clive	Signed as exit 124 southbound; serves Iowa Methodist Medical Center
	Clive	74.245	119.486	125	US 6 (Hickman Road) – Adel	Exit numbers follow I-80
	Urbandale	75.252	121.106	126	Douglas Avenue – Urbandale
					Meredith Drive	Future half diamond interchange[12]
		76.649	123.355	127	Iowa 141 west – Urbandale, Grimes
				128	100th Street	Opened in 2018
		78.625	126.535	129	Northwest 86th Street – Camp Dodge
		80.633	129.766	131	Iowa 28 south (Merle Hay Road) – Saylorville Lake
	Saylor Township	84.424	135.867	135	Iowa 415 (2nd Avenue) – Polk City
		85.672	137.876	136	US 69 (E. 14th Street) – Ankeny
	Ankeny	86.963	139.953	137	I-80 east / I-235 west – Des Moines, Davenport	Northern end of I-80 overlap; northbound exits signed as 137A (I-235) and 137B (I-80), northbound exits signed as 137A (I-80) and 137B (I-235)
		88.922	143.106	89	Corporate Woods Drive	Exit numbers follow I-35
		90.484	145.620	90	Iowa 160 west (Oralabor Road) – Bondurant
		92.486	148.842	92	1st Street	Future diverging diamond interchange[13]
		94.856	152.656	94	NE 36th Street	Opened November 20, 2012[14]
	Elkhart Township	97.474	156.869	96	Polk City, Elkhart
Story	Huxley	103.437	166.466	102	Iowa 210 – Huxley, Maxwell, Slater, Cambridge
	Ames	112.401	180.892	111	I-35 Business Loop north / US 30 – Nevada, Ames, Iowa State University	Signed as exits 111A (east) and 111B (west/north)
		114.255	183.876	113	I-35 Business Loop south / 13th Street – USDA Veterinary Labs
	Milford Township	117.255	188.704	116	CR E29
	Howard Township	123.672	199.031	123	CR E18 – Roland, McCallsburg
	Story City	125.165	201.434	124	Story City
Hamilton	Scott Township	128.655	207.050	128	CR D65 – Stanhope, Randall
	Ellsworth	133.637	215.068	133	Iowa 175 – Jewell, Eldora
	Rose Grove Township	139.700	224.825	139	CR D41 / CR R61 – Kamrar
		143.180	230.426	142	US 20 – Waterloo, Fort Dodge	Signed as exits 142A (east) and 142B (west)
	Williams Township	144.719	232.903	144	CR D25 – Williams, Blairsburg, Ellsworth Community College
		147.725	237.740	147	CR D20 – Iowa Falls, Alden
Wright	Vernon Township	152.060	244.717	151	CR R75 – Woolstock
Franklin	Morgan Township	160.551	258.382	159	CR C47 – Dows
	Scott Township	166.354	267.721	165	Iowa 3 – Clarion, Hampton
	Marion Township	170.807	274.887	170	CR C25 – Alexander
	Richland Township	176.989	284.836	176	CR C13 – Sheffield, Belmond
Cerro Gordo	Pleasant Valley Township	180.613	290.668	180	CR B65 – Thornton
		183.164	294.774	182	CR B60 – Rockwell, Swaledale
	Mount Vernon Township	189.208	304.501	188	CR B43 – Burchinal
	Lake Township	191.436	308.086	190	US 18 east / Iowa 27 south (Avenue of the Saints) – Charles City, Mason City	Southern end of US 18 / Iowa 27 overlap
	Clear Lake	193.885	312.028	193	I-35 Business Loop north / CR B35 – Clear Lake, Mason City
		194.755	313.428	194	US 18 west / I-35 Business Loop south / Iowa 122 east – Mason City, Clear Lake	Northern end of US 18 overlap
	Lincoln Township	198.446	319.368	197	CR B20 – Mason City
Worth	Danville Township	204.367	328.897	203	Iowa 9 – Manly, Forest City
	Brookfield Township	209.381	336.966	208	CR A38 – Joice, Kensett
	Hartland Township	215.401	346.654	214	CR 105 – Lake Mills, Northwood	Former Iowa 105
Iowa–Minnesota state line		219.225	352.808		I-35 north / Iowa 27 ends – Minneapolis, St. Paul	Northern end of Iowa 27 overlap; continuation into Minnesota
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus       Unopened

See also

• 80/35 Music Festival

References

1. 2012 Volume of Traffic on the Primary Road System of Iowa (PDF) (Report). Iowa Department of Transportation. January 1, 2012. Retrieved October 30, 2013.
2. Completion Map of Interstate System (PDF) (Map). Iowa Department of Transportation. January 1, 1982. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 29, 2011. Retrieved January 11, 2011.
3. "Natural Environment" (PDF). near Lamoni: Iowa Department of Transportation. November 9, 2006. Retrieved December 28, 2013.
4. "Passenger Rail in Iowa". Iowa Department of Transportation. Retrieved December 28, 2013.
5. Office of Maintenance. "Iowa Interstate Rest Areas". Iowa Department of Transportation. Retrieved August 10, 2012.
6. Mastellar, Mark (2003). "Iowa's New Interstate Rest Areas" (PDF). Center of Transportation Research and Education. p. 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 3, 2013. Retrieved October 14, 2012.
7. Petroski, William (July 30, 1999). "State-of-the-Art Rest Stop to Make Its Debut; New Facility Has Welcome Center, Bank of Vending Machines". The Des Moines Register. p. 8 (Metro).
8. Office of Maintenance. "Iowa Interstate Rest Area Posters". Iowa Department of Transportation. Retrieved August 10, 2012.
9. Buddenberg, Roger (September 5, 2009). "I-80 drivers can still rest easy". Omaha World-Herald. Archived from the original on October 23, 2012. Retrieved October 23, 2012.
10. "Celebration of Transportation" (PDF). near Story City, Iowa: Iowa Department of Transportation. Retrieved December 27, 2013.
11. Transportation Map (PDF) (Map). Iowa Department of Transportation. 2011. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
12. Aschbrenner, Joel (September 4, 2015). "Rider Corner changes bring opportunities, worries". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved September 5, 2015.
13. Ta, Linh (December 5, 2015). "Diverging diamond interchange planned in Ankeny". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved March 14, 2016.
14. VerHelst, Megan (November 15, 2012). "Ankeny's 36th Street Interchange Slated to Open Tuesday". Ankeny Patch. Ankeny, Iowa. Retrieved November 21, 2012.

External links

Template:Attached KML/Interstate 35 in Iowa

KML is from Wikidata

• Geographic data related to Interstate 35 at OpenStreetMap

Interstate 35
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