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I-80 and US 65 in Altoona
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Exit ramp, looking westbound, for Exit 142 near Adventureland.
Behind the sign gantry is a flyover exit ramp for northbound US 65, which
exits eastbound I-80 from the left lane to connect with the southwest-northeast
diagonal road.
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Looking eastbound, US 65 (left sign) is about to split from I-80 and
US 6 (middle and right signs) is about to join it. But note that I-80 is missing from this sign
gantry; only US 6 is indicated for eastbound through traffic.
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Ah, there's I-80.
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Note that even though I-80 westbound is marked as exiting from northbound US 65, the freeway itself merges into westbound I-80 (in a trumpet interchange). In other words, US 65 actually exits from itself and merges into eastbound I-80 before splitting from its left lane at the Adventureland exit.
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Heading east on I-80, the first posted destination for US 65 is Altoona instead of Pleasant Hill. US 6 was also put on the US 65 freeway when it opened — which is why the "SOUTH" tag was put above the US 65 shield instead of next to it — but by the end of 1996, US 6 was back on Hubbell Avenue.
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The "East Mixmaster" interchange
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Signage showing I-35, I-80, and I-235 together appears after the exit ramp
between westbound I-80 and northbound I-35, right before I-235 splits from westbound I-80.
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Pay attention if you're heading into Des Moines from the east,
as I-235 exits from I-80 from the left lane. (This is the same sign gantry
that appears in the background of the photo before this.)
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This is the sign gantry announcing the split of northbound I-35 and westbound
I-235 from eastbound I-80, but...
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...the same signs appear, sans control cities, on an overpass right before the
exit ramps.
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In September 2006, new signs (top) were put up on eastbound I-235 heading north toward the East Mixmaster. What made this arrangement unusual was that (1) the signs were orange instead of green, and (2) the exit number was 138, which matched I-80's mileage — except that the mixmaster is Exit 137 on I-80. In August 2006 construction of new north-south lanes through the mixmaster began; the existing northbound and southbound lanes will become collector/distributor roads. The signs were orange as a result of the construction, but they were metal signs whereas most construction-related freeway signs are wooden signs. These signs were replaced in October 2007 with new green signs (bottom) after construction of the new lanes was finished, and while the permanent signs also read Exit 138 when they were put up, the tabs were changed to Exit 137 in November.
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Former signage for the eastern end of I-235, which continues northward as I-35. These signs were taken down in the spring of 2007 because of construction.
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New signs were put up in October 2007 after the new lanes connecting I-35 and I-235 at the East Mixmaster had opened. The new "END" sign was placed on a new gantry that straddles all lanes of traffic, as seen in the first photo, while the gantry where the original "END" sign was located was replaced with the gantry in the second photo.
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North of here, the original gantry is still up, but the signs have been replaced. The sign on the right was replaced with a new one that has a loop-shaped arrow for the upcoming loop ramp. (A similar sign exists southbound before the ramp to eastbound I-80.) This gantry also had an "I-35 NORTH, Minneapolis" sign but that sign was taken down after the new lanes opened; traffic exiting from I-235 cannot get back onto I-35 at this point.
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This sign giving the distance to the East Mixmaster with I-80 and I-235, photographed in
October 2001, was taken down after construction to widen I-35 to six lanes in the Ankeny
area started. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison)
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Instead of putting a new distance sign up, the DOT put an overhead BGS up after the six-laning
project was completed in the fall of 2003. The sign on the right was put up after the
Corporate Woods Drive interchange opened in October 2004 — the reason why there's so
much green space on that sign is unknown at this time.
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A new diagrammatic ("fork") sign was placed on southbound I-35 approaching I-235 and I-80 in September 2007. One thing to note is the "LEFT EXIT" tab, something that is new to the 2003 Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices. Another thing to note is that I-80's exit number (137) is also used here, even though this was previously Exit 87 on I-35.
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The "LEFT EXIT" tab also appears on the sign on the left in this gantry, but note that the tab is aligned to the right-hand side of the sign instead of the left.
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Signage for the split of westbound I-235 and southbound I-35. In the second photo, the "LEFT EXIT" tab is placed for Exit 137A, the ramp to I-80 east.
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After southbound I-35 exited onto westbound I-80, but before the off-ramp to eastbound I-80, reassurance shields for I-235 and I-80 appeared. It was signed as a "wrong-way" multiplex even though there really wasn't one. After the new lanes connecting I-235 and I-35 opened in late 2007, I-235 was removed from this sign assembly. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison)
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The "West Mixmaster" interchange
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Until it was replaced in late 2001, this big green sign in West Des Moines showed that I-35
and I-80 were about to split.
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This sign replaced the "fork" sign above in late 2001. I-235 wasn't on the sign
before, but it is now. And note that the exit number was changed to 72A, which
matches I-35's mileage instead of I-80's.
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This odd "merge" sign, showing that the left lane merges with traffic while the
right lane is added on, is found where the exit ramp merges into westbound I-80.
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This big green sign is on eastbound I-80 approaching I-35 and I-235; it shows that
I-80 is about to split from the mainline (which continues as I-235) and join I-35.
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I-80 is about to split from what will become I-235 and join I-35.
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At this point, I-35 southbound exits from I-80 and I-80 eastbound merges,
via a flyover ramp, into northbound I-35. The original signs, which lasted until early 2003, dated back from 1966, as evidenced by the dark-green, non-reflective backgrounds and the button copy print on the signs. (It's hard to tell from this photo, but the brighter letters and arrows are in button copy.) The off-center positioning of I-80 in the sign on the left indicates that there were more route markers on these signs. The Des Moines Register published a photo of this sign assembly in its September 17, 1966, issue, which confirmed that there was indeed an IA 60 marker on this sign.
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Here is a closer view of the sign on the left. You can tell that a few things
had changed since this sign was installed: (1) the arrow used to point straight
downward, (2) Davenport was the control city for eastbound I-80 instead of
Chicago, and (3) there was a state highway marker for IA 60 (I) next to the I-35 shield. This sign dated from 1966; the original IA 60 was decommissioned in 1969 as part of the Great Renumbering. (Photographed by Neil Bratney)
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This is what the sign bridge that carried the button copy signs in the previous two
photos looks like after the new signs were put up in early 2003. They now have regular text on reflective green backgrounds, and the I-35 and I-80 markers are no longer off-center.
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More button copy signage, this time on southbound I-35 at the ramp to eastbound I-235, was present until mid-2007. Again, given the way the "I-35 SOUTH" was positioned on the sign on the left, there probably was an IA 60 marker on that sign when it was originally installed. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison)
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I took this photo at night in 1999 to show the contrasts between the older and newer signs. On these signs near the Westown Parkway overpass on southbound I-35, the text on the I-35 south and I-235 east signs were in button copy, while the I-80 west sign and the "EXIT 72A" tab were in newer, reflective green signs.
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This is a daytime shot of the two signs on the left in the previous photo. In the past there were
downward-pointing arrows on these signs; even though they had been stripped off, you could still see where they used to be on these signs. Jeff Morrison, who took this photo, circled where the arrows were. (There was also an "EXIT" to the left of the arrow on the I-235 sign, but that was also stripped off long ago.)
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By July 4, 2007, the last button-copy signs on southbound I-35 were replaced with new signs with reflective backgrounds and the Clearview font after the original signs had been up for nearly 40 years. For some reason, the I-35 shield in the second photo is in a square background that's in a slightly different shade of green than the sign.
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This exit sign for eastbound I-235 is mounted on the Ashworth Road overpass on
northbound I-35, although another sign for the same exit is visible on a gantry in the
background.
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These signs on westbound I-235, at the 50th Street overpass in West Des Moines, were put up in early 2005. While this interchange was unnumbered in the past, it was renumbered as Exits 123A-B — which match I-80's mileage — when the signs were put up.
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Old signage for the west end of I-235, which continues westward as I-80.
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In the spring of 2005, the old signs were replaced with newer signs — but the posts
that held up the old I-35 sign are still standing. More photos
relating to I-235's ends are on AARoads'
I-235 page.
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US 65 between I-80 and US 69
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Unlike most freeways in Iowa, US 65/IA 5 does not have the usual
40 MPH minimum speed limit, but this sign right before the US 6 exit warns
vehicles that are too slow for driving on Interstate highways to exit before
approaching I-80. There are similar signs on other highways where "slow"
vehicles are required to exit.
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Signs commemorating the bypass as the "Military Order of the Purple Heart Highway" are present along the road.
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Signage at the interchange where US 65 leaves the freeway at US 69; IA 5, which merges into
the freeway at Carlisle, takes over from here.
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Same interchange, heading south on IA 5; this gantry shows a "wrong-way" multiplex
of US 65 and IA 5. US 65's exit numbers are used in both directions at this interchange.
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Same interchange heading south on US 69. Note that only two wooden posts, two metal posts, and five brackets hold up this sign assembly.
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These markers show the US 65/IA 5 "wrong-way" multiplex. For some reason, the US 65 marker has no white border around the sign, a larger shield, and Series B lettering (which is normally found on three-digit shields).
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IA 5 (and Army Post Road) between IA 28 and US 65/69
IA 5, which used to follow Army Post Road straight from I-35 to US 69, ran along a
newly-realigned Army Post Road between the fall of 1998 and January 2001 as the third
segment of the US 65/IA 5 freeway was under construction. The relocation was done to make
room for expansion of the nearby Des Moines International Airport. The freeway segment
opened to traffic on January 12, 2001.
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This "DEAD END" sign — a common occurence in Des Moines — can be found on
eastbound Army Post Road at SW 42nd Street, formerly IA 28. After IA 28 was relocated and after the third IA 5 freeway segment opened, SW 42nd became a dead-end in both directions from Army Post Road. It now serves as nothing
more than an access road to the Des Moines Register's printing plant.
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Part of the IA 28 diagonal segment carries the Army Post Road name; this is looking west
on the new Army Post at IA 28.
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This is heading south on IA 28; go straight ahead or turn right and you're on Army Post Road.
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Turn left, though, and you'll approach this sign on "Old Army Post Road."
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This view of northbound IA 28 at Norwalk shows two abandoned four-lane alignments of IA 28. The alignment visible after IA 28 curves to the northwest dead-ends in both directions from County Line Road. The alignment after the break (caused by the IA 5 freeway) dead-ends in both directions from Army Post Road.
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The IA 5 freeway ended at this interchange from January 12, 2001, to October 10, 2002;
during that time all traffic would have had to exit onto IA 28 and follow it northward
to Army Post Road. This photo, on northbound IA 5, is looking west.
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Something tells me this sign on southbound IA 28 was put at the wrong intersection after the last
IA 5 freeway segment opened. It's intended for the on-ramp to northbound IA 5, but it's at the
Army Post Road intersection just to the north (where a right turn is impossible).
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IA 5 between I-35 and IA 28
When part of the I-35/IA 5 interchange opened in August 2001, part of a new interchange
at SW 96th Court opened to traffic as well. The last segment of the freeway, between SW
96th Court and IA 28, opened to traffic the afternoon of October 10, 2002.
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This is the last distance sign on IA 5 before its ending. The interchange with the
Southwest Connector, a new city street in West Des Moines, was not finished when the last
freeway segment opened; it opened around November 1, 2002.
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Conversely, this is the first distance sign on southbound IA 5 after the Southwest
Connector interchange. Although the airport is within the city limits of Des Moines,
distance signs throughout Iowa give the distances to city centers.
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In August 2001, part of the last segment of IA 5 opened to traffic to the point of this new interchange, which was used to access Army Post Road before the segment between this interchange and IA 28 opened.
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This is the same interchange, heading north but looking west, on the day the last segment
opened. This sign was very short-lived — this and the 50th Street sign above were both
changed to read "S 35th St" by the end of October 2002, as the second photo shows. (West Des Moines annexed all of the land along the last segment around the time it opened and the rural Polk County street names in this area were changed to match WDM's street numbering system.)
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The I-35/IA 5 interchange
Originally a diamond interchange when IA 5 was a two-lane road, construction to upgrade
the interchange to a semi-directional "T" in order to accommodate the new freeway
began in 2000. Additional photos of the interchange during and after construction can be found at the IA 5 north terminus photo page.
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This May 2001 photo shows the future off-ramp between northbound I-35 and southbound IA 5, part of the last segment of the IA 5 freeway bypass. Before construction of the new interchange began, a new overpass was built to connect Maffit Lake Road with SW 72nd Avenue.
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Construction of a new flyover ramp between northbound IA 5 and southbound I-35
was visible at the existing IA 5 interchange in May 2001.
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In late August 2001, half of the interchange opened to traffic. This includes the ramp
between northbound I-35 and southbound IA 5, complete with a brand-new sign.
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Construction of the other half of the interchange, though, was still in progress in this
mid-September 2001 photo; traffic still had to use the old interchange to access IA 5.
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The new ramp from southbound I-35 opened in July 2002. Shortly after it opened, the old overpass that carried IA 5 over I-35 was removed. The sign in this photo was originally mounted on the ground but was later moved to a gantry.
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The exit ramps between the new IA 5 and southbound I-35 also opened in August 2001,
but the ramps to northbound I-35 were still under construction; this is why there was no
signage for northbound I-35 on this gantry at the time this photo was taken. Again, traffic
had to use the old IA 5 to access I-35. The new ramp opened to traffic on September 12, 2002.
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Here is what the gantry above looks like after the interchange was finished.
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Iowa's first SPUI
On June 6, 2003, a new interchange between I-35 and Mills Civic Parkway in West Des
Moines opened. What's unique about this one is that it is Iowa's first single-point
urban interchange, or "SPUI" — it's somewhat like a diamond interchange,
except that all left turns converge upon one group of signals in the middle of the
interchange and right turns merge into the road. SPUIs have become more common in
larger cities as a way to build interchanges without using as much land.
Kurumi's Field Guide to
Interchanges has a better explanation of what a SPUI is.
(A side note: the Parkway's namesake, former West Des Moines Mayor George M. Mills,
died on January 29, 2004, at age 77.)
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Exit signage from northbound I-35. The "West Mixmaster" is just 2½ miles away.
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Approaching Mills Civic Parkway, the off-ramp from northbound I-35 splits into two. Turn right and you merge into the Parkway, but turn left...
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...and you approach these traffic signals, which control traffic at all ramps of this interchange.
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This is heading east on Mills Civic Parkway approaching I-35.
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A closer look at the signals, heading east. There is no shortage of dotted lines in
the pavement for all of the left turns at this interchange.
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The opening of the SPUI affected this sign on northbound I-35 south of the IA 5 interchange. Originally West Des Moines was accessible via the next four exits on I-35 and Des Moines via the next six, but they had to be changed when the SPUI opened. (This is also why the "SEVEN" is off-center on this sign.)
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The I-80/Jordan Creek Parkway interchange
In 2002 this interchange west of the "West Mixmaster" in West Des Moines
was converted from a four-ramp to a six-ramp partial-cloverleaf interchange, while a wider
74th Street overpass. (74th Street was renamed Jordan Creek Parkway in mid-2004.)
The newly-renovated interchange, which reopened in December 2002, has
some interesting features. A similar conversion was done at the Douglas Avenue interchange
with I-35/80 in Urbandale during 2002 and 2003; that project was finished in August 2003.
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South of the interchange, Vista Drive features two right-turn lanes — one specifically
for the on-ramp to eastbound I-80.
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Overhead signage marking turn lanes is present heading north on Jordan Creek Parkway
toward I-80. Note the two right-turn lanes.
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Those two right-turn lanes are added onto I-80, as this odd "merge" sign indicates.
What's that thing in the background over I-80, you ask? It's a pedestrian bridge — which
was completed in mid-2003 — designed to link the businesses on both sides of the highway.
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At the end of the off-ramp from westbound I-80, you'll see these traffic signals. Note
that you can turn left or right or go straight ahead from the center lane,
and the lane's signal has the arrows to show it.
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Street-to-street interchanges
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University Avenue goes over Keosauqua Way, locally shortened to "Keo" Way, north of downtown Des Moines; a half-diamond interchange connects the two streets. This overhead sign on eastbound University Avenue points traffic onto Keo. Westbound traffic cannot access Keo at the interchange, nor can southbound Keo traffic access University.
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This is a view heading north on Keo Way at the half-diamond interchange.
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West of SW 9th Street, it's known as Thomas Beck Road. East of there it's Clifton Avenue,
which becomes Indianola Avenue two blocks east of here. Either way, the intersection with
SW 9th functions as an interchange; IA 9 passes over the road as part of the bridge over the
Raccoon River. This photo shows the exit heading north on 9th; it also provides a good shot
of the downtown Des Moines skyline.
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Heading east on Thomas Beck Road, this sign points to the on-ramp to SW 9th. The ramp ends
at a stop sign north of the off-ramp from northbound 9th. Southbound traffic from 9th
uses this to exit onto Thomas Beck/Clifton.
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Another street-to-street interchange used to be found at Merle Hay Road and NW 70th Avenue in Johnston, just south of Merle Hay's north end at Beaver Drive. The only exit signage for this full diamond from 70th Street, excluding supplementary destinations for nearby Camp Dodge buildings, was found in this photo from eastbound 70th Street; by mid-2004 this sign was gone. By the end of 2005 the interchange was converted to an at-grade intersection. The overpass was replaced with a four-way stop and the ramps were closed and eventually removed.
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This was a view of the former overpass heading north on Merle Hay Road.
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Closer to the bridge, you can see that mile marker 4 — dating back from when Merle Hay was
IA 401 — was still standing as of January 2004 but was gone two years later.
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It's not exactly "street-to-street," and this interchange does appear on the
state transportation map, but IA 415 and NW 66th Avenue meet at a diamond in Saylorville
(between Des Moines and Ankeny). This brown sign for the Easter Seals Camp is the only
exit signage for this interchange along IA 415.
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IA 415 is well-signed from 66th Avenue, looking eastward toward the interchange.
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Whether you turn left or go straight ahead after exiting Fleur, traffic ends up on MLK. A similar sign southbound gives Fleur Drive and the airport as destinations instead of MLK North and I-235.
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This view from December 2004 is looking northeast from the north-south MLK bridge. The existing Fleur Drive bridge and the Des Moines skyline are both visible in this photo. The blue arches in the far right of this photo are the arches of the then-incomplete George Washington Carver Bridge. Fleur was realigned during construction, as southbound traffic now goes under MLK before merging.
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Before the George Washington Carver Bridge opened, the east-west MLK segment ended at SW 16th Street, which turned into 15th Street just north of there. This view looks west toward the new bridge.
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An overhead sign pointing drivers to turn onto northbound MLK to reach I-235 is present on the other side of the bridge.
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Heading east, the bridge serves as a way to welcome drivers into downtown Des Moines, as the skyline is clearly visible from this photo.
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Downtown wayfinding signs
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On July 6, 2005, dozens of "wayfinding" signs were put up in the downtown area to help travelers get to the major downtown attractions. These are two examples of signs listing all of the major downtown attractions, both of which are posted on Des Moines River bridges. The "West Downtown Attractions" sign pictured is posted on Grand Avenue, and the "East Downtown Attractions" sign is posted on Locust Street.
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Here's an example of a downtown wayfinding sign with directional markers pointing to destinations (noted by a blue background) and parking garages (noted by a green background). This sign is on 2nd Avenue near the Iowa Events Center's Wells Fargo Arena.
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In January 2007 wayfinding signs like this one at 5th and Center Streets were placed at street corners to aid pedestrian traffic. The color scheme is similar to the other signs, with access points to the downtown skywalk system noted with red signs.
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Toward the end of 2007, wayfinding signs listing only parking garages were placed throughout downtown Des Moines. Larger signs like this one near Wells Fargo Arena on 3rd Street have been placed on major streets entering the downtown area; they show drivers the four nearest parking garages and whether or not there are any parking spaces available. These signs were activated for the first time during the state high school wrestling tournaments in February 2008.
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Here is an example of a smaller sign that shows the three nearest garages with their parking availabilities. This is on Grand Avenue at 5th Avenue.
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Signs like this on 3rd Street can be found at the entrances to downtown parking garages.
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Other Des Moines area sights
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This unusual assembly was spotted approaching the west end of IA 163 heading north on East 14th Street (US 69). An I-235 shield might be better fit for it instead of a US 65 shield, as US 65 is a north-south highway instead of an east-west highway.
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A different kind of "doghouse" signal like the one at the far left, where
the two arrow signals and three solid signals are lined up (as opposed to having the red
light in the middle of the two columns), is becoming more common on newer signals in the
Des Moines area. This one is on eastbound Douglas Avenue at the intersection with Beaver
Avenue.
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I thought this signal light pole in Ankeny was interesting; the pole comes
between the two left-turn lane signals. This is at 1st Street in Ankeny, looking west at
Ankeny Boulevard (US 69).
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West of there, this pedestrian crossing on 1st Street has a blue "PED XING" sign on
the signal arm, which is the way intersecting streets are signed.
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The road in this photo was once IA
160, but in 1986 it was straightened to run due eastward from a realigned IA 415 to I-35.
Most of the old diagonal segment is still used today as an Ankeny city street (Ankeny Road), but
the old segment ends at a cul-de-sac just before the US 69/IA 160 intersection. It appears that the
dead-end segment has been used to test pavement markings. (This photo is facing southwest.)
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The "y" in "Ankeny" is positioned awkwardly on this sign along
IA 160 (Oralabor Road), but considering the placement of the text there really isn't any other option.
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Jeff Morrison photographed this somewhat unusual US highway shield along US 69 (Ankeny Boulevard) at Southlawn Drive in Ankeny, which features Series D numbers instead of the usual Series C.
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Something else that's showing up more often on newer signal poles are signs like this,
with detailed instructions for pedestrians crossing the street. This sign is on NW 86th
Street in Johnston, but similar signs have been placed at other intersections in the Des Moines area and in other cities.
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More unusual shields:
The I-80 shield doesn't contain the state name, and the IA 163 shield contains smaller
digits than most markers do; in all likelihood these signs were not manufactured by the
DOT. Nevertheless, trailblazers like these exist throughout Altoona.
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Street signs in Pleasant Hill have the city's logo on them.
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The US 65/IA 330 diagonal road was recently widened to four lanes between I-80 and
US 30 southwest of Marshalltown. The original alignment was widened except for a
spot in northeastern Polk County — because of environmental concerns, a bypass
was built in northeastern Polk County. This is a shot of the original US 65,
part of which was removed after the bypass opened. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison)
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X Avenue and 335th Street go around this small cemetery in southeastern Dallas County, which is now on the fringe of West Des Moines southwest of Jordan Creek Town Center. This is looking east on 335th Street.
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In November 2004, signs noting that 37 northeast Iowa counties are part of the Silos and Smokestacks National Heritage Area were placed along major highways. This sign is on northbound I-35 in West Des Moines, approaching I-80 and I-235. (The area includes all counties along and east of I-35, all counties along and north of I-80, and Boone County.)
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This sign at University Avenue heading eastward from 73rd Street is designed to bring
attention to the 25 MPH speed limit through Windsor Heights; whether anyone actually follows
it is another matter. (The city council voted to raise the speed limit to 30 MPH in late
2003, but the city's mayor vetoed the measure.)
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Most of Des Moines' suburbs and rural Polk County follow the same street numbering
system as the city of Des Moines, but West Des Moines has its own system. Traffic
lights on University Avenue, the road separating Clive and West Des Moines, note street
names for both cities on the same light pole. In this example, the signs point to 86th
Street in Clive (left) and 22nd Street in WDM (right).
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