U.S. Route 6 In Iowa
U.S. Route 6 (US 6) is an east–west U.S. highway which runs 317 miles (510 km) across the U.S. state of Iowa. It is signed in places as the Grand Army of the Republic Highway. Like all state highways 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 Oakland and Atlantic, Iowa. North of Atlantic, US 6 overlaps Interstate 80 (I-80) until De Soto. Between De Soto and Adel, it overlaps U.S. Route 169 (US 169) before splitting off to the east towards Des Moines. Through Des Moines, it runs about one mile (1.6 km) south of the Interstate 35 / Interstate 80 corridor.
At Altoona, it again overlaps I-80 until Newton. At Newton, it splits away from I-80 and passes near of through the cities of Kellogg, Grinnell, Victor, Marengo, the Amana Colonies, and Tiffin before entering the Coralville / Iowa City area. Through Coralville and Iowa City, US 6 has no direct access to I-80, I-380, or US 218; it relies on other routes like Iowa Highway 1 (Iowa 1) and Iowa 965 to provide access. From Iowa City, it heads to the east-southeast through West Liberty and Atalissa. Near Wilton, it heads north to I-80 where it again overlaps to Davenport. At Davenport, it briefly overlaps Interstate 280 and U.S. Route 61 before entering the city. It intersects Interstate 74 on the eastern side of Davenport and enters Bettendorf before leaving Iowa for Illinois.
Dating back to 1910, the route US 6 follows was originally the Great White Way and River-to-River Road, both were historic auto trails which connected Council Bluffs and Davenport. When the U.S. Highway System was created in 1926, it was designated U.S. Route 32. US 32 was renumbered in 1931 as US 6 was extended to the west coast. As the Interstate Highway System was expanding in the 1950-1970s, US 6's importance as a cross-state route was diminished by Interstate 80. As a result, the least-traveled sections of the route were moved onto I-80.
Read more about U.S. Route 6 In Iowa: Route Description, History, Major Intersections
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