Iowa Highway 70

Iowa Highway 70
Route information
Maintained by Iowa DOT
Length:	23.954 mi[1] (38.550 km)
Existed:	1969[2] – present
Major junctions
South end:	Iowa 92 at Columbus Junction
	Iowa 22 overlap near Nichols
North end:	US 6 at West Liberty
Location
Counties:	Louisa Muscatine
Highway system
Iowa Primary Highway System Interstate U.S. State Secondary Scenic ← US 69 US 71 →

Iowa Highway 70 (Iowa 70) is a state highway spanning 24 miles (39 km) from north to south in eastern Iowa. It begins at Iowa Highway 92 in Columbus Junction, and ends at U.S. Highway 6 in West Liberty.

Route description

Iowa Highway 70 begins less than 1 mile (1.6 km) from the confluence of the Iowa River and the Cedar River near Columbus Junction. It bypasses Columbus Junction to the north and east, then straightens out and crosses the Iowa River. As the Iowa River meanders away, the highway passes riverfront houses on the banks of the Cedar River. The Cedar also meanders away and Iowa 70 enters Conesville.^[3] It continues north towards Nichols, following an abandoned Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Northern Railway line.^[4] At Nichols, Iowa 70 intersects Iowa Highway 22 and the two highways overlap for 3 miles (4.8 km). From the split with Iowa 22, Iowa 70 heads north towards West Liberty. Iowa 70 ends at an intersection with U.S. Route 6 in West Liberty.^[1]

History

Iowa Highway 70 was created in 1969. It replaced the former Iowa Highway 76 as that number was reassigned to a highway in northeastern Iowa.^[5] The original route ran from Columbus City to West Liberty. In the mid-1990s, a short bypass was built around Columbus Junction.^[6] Iowa 70 traffic was rerouted onto the bypass where it ends today. The old segment stayed remained in the primary highway system until July 1, 2003, when it was turned over to Louisa County.^[7]

Major intersections

County	Location	mi[2]	km	Destinations	Notes
Louisa	Columbus Junction	0.000	0.000	Iowa 92 (Oak Street)
Muscatine	Nichols	14.805	23.826	Iowa 22 west (Ijem Avenue)
	Pike Township	17.692	28.473	Iowa 22 east
	West Liberty	23.954	38.550	US 6 west (Columbus Street) / US 6 east (3rd Street)
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus

References

1. "2009 Volume of Traffic on the Primary Road System of Iowa" (PDF). Iowa Department of Transportation. January 1, 2009. Retrieved September 29, 2010.
2. "Highway 76 is renumbered". The Muscatine Journal and News-Tribune. December 30, 1969. p. 101. Retrieved May 12, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
3. Transportation Map (PDF) (Map). Iowa Department of Transportation. 2010. Retrieved September 29, 2010.
4. General Atlas of the World (Map). Rand, McNally & Co. 1898. p. 47.
5. Iowa State Highway Map (PDF) (Map). Iowa State Highway Commission. 1970. Retrieved September 29, 2010.
6. Iowa State Highway Map (PDF) (Map). Iowa Department of Transportation. 1996. Retrieved September 29, 2010.
7. Iowa State Highway Map (PDF) (Map). Iowa Department of Transportation. 2004. Retrieved September 29, 2010.

External links

Route map: Bing / Google

• End of Iowa 70 at Iowa Highway Ends