U.S. Route 218

U.S. Highway 218 (US 218) is an original United States Highway that was created in 1926. Although technically a spur of US 18, US 218 neither begins nor ends at US 18, but overlaps US 18 for eight miles (13 km) near Charles City, Iowa. US 218 begins at U.S. 136 in downtown Keokuk and ends 319 miles (513 km) away at Interstate 35 (I-35) and US 14 at Owatonna, Minnesota. A large portion of US 218 in Iowa is part of the Avenue of the Saints, which connects St. Louis, Missouri, and Saint Paul, Minnesota.

U.S. Route 218
US 218 highlighted in red
Route information
Auxiliary route of US 18
Length	321.734 mi (517.781 km) Iowa: 274.995 mi (442.562 km) Minn: 46.739 mi (75.219 km)
Existed	1926^[citation needed]–present
Major junctions
South end	US 136 at Keokuk, IA
Major intersections	US 34 at Mount Pleasant, IA I-80 / I-380 at Coralville, IA I-380 / US 30 / US 151 / Iowa 27 in Cedar Rapids, IA I-380 / US 20 / Iowa 27 at Waterloo, IA US 18 / Iowa 27 at Floyd, IA I-90 at Austin, MN
North end	I-35 / US 14 at Owatonna, MN
Location
Country	United States
States	Iowa Minnesota
Counties	Iowa Lee Henry Washington Johnson Linn Benton Black Hawk Bremer Chickasaw Floyd Mitchell Minnesota Mower Dodge Steele
Highway system
United States Numbered Highway System List Special Divided
← Iowa 212 IA → Iowa 220 ← MN 217 MN → MN 219

Route description

Iowa

See also: Avenue of the Saints

US 218 begins in downtown Keokuk at an intersection with US 136 and US 61 Business (US 61 Bus.) at Main and 7th streets. The highway heads north along Main Street with US 61 Bus. As they exit Keokuk, the business route ends at an intersection with the mainline US 61, which bypasses the city. US 218 and US 61 head north concurrently for a few miles before US 218 exits to the northwest; US 61 follows the Mississippi River north towards Fort Madison. US 218 travels northwesterly for almost ten miles (16 km) along a two-lane road. As it approaches Donnellson, it meets up with and joins Iowa Highway 27 (Iowa 27), the Avenue of the Saints.

The two highways head north on a four-lane expressway. In Donnellson, they meet Iowa 2 at a diamond interchange. Further north, and east of Houghton, they intersect Iowa 16 at an at-grade intersection. Prior to crossing the Skunk River, the roadway angles to the northeast and a freeway bypass of Mount Pleasant begins. From the east, the highways are joined by US 34 and Iowa 163. The four highways loop around the city's eastern side and begin traversing the northern side when US 34 and Iowa 163 split away to continue bypassing Mount Pleasant; US 218 and Iowa 27 continue north.

From Mount Pleasant it continues to the Iowa City area, which it bypasses to the south and west. The US 218/IA27 concurrency intersects with I-80, and continues north with I-380 towards Cedar Rapids. There US 218 diverges from IA 27 and joins the US30/US151 bypass of south Cedar Rapids. US 151 heads south at Exit 248, and the US 30/218 concurrency continues west for 15 miles, where US 30 continues on as a 4 lane highway and US 218 exits north as a rural 2 lane highway. US 218 heads northwest through Vinton and La Porte City before it reaches the Waterloo area.

Route 218 remains a 2 lane highway until it becomes a freeway right before US 20 and once again joins I-380 for a couple miles to downtown Waterloo. When I-380 ends, US 218 continues through downtown Waterloo and then to Cedar Falls, where it crosses the Cedar River. It continues northwest as a 4 lane highway through Waverly, Charles City, and Osage until the Minnesota state line.

Minnesota

US 218 enters the state at Lyle, in Mower County. It follows along the east side of the Iowa, Chicago, and Eastern Railroad line as it continues northward through farm fields. Southeast of Austin, US 218 angles northeastward to bypass the city, its former route following County Road 45 (CR 45) into town.^[1]

US 218 passes by the Austin Municipal Airport just before its interchange with I-90. The highway runs concurrently with I-90 for nearly three miles (4.8 km) through northern Austin. When US 218 departs from the Interstate and turns back north, it becomes a four-lane divided highway for a short distance. After its junction with State Highway 251 (MN 251), the highway angles north-northwestward again following the IC&E rail line, this time on the west side of the tracks.^[1]

The highway enters Dodge County for less than a mile, then reaches Steele County, Blooming Prairie, and an eight-block-long concurrency with MN 30. It continues north-northwesterly after leaving Blooming Prairie, traveling through predominantly agricultural scenery. It passes by Oak Glen Lake before going through the unincorporated community of Bixby.

After passing through the unincorporated community of Pratt, US 218 meets US 14 at a folded diamond interchange. US 218 runs westward concurrently with US 14, while its historic route through downtown Owatonna continues ahead as CR 48. After an interchange with CR 45 (former US 65), US 14/US 218 passes by Kaplan's Woods Park and reaches I-35, where US 218 ends.

Legally, the Minnesota section of US 218 is defined as Route 40 in Minnesota Statutes § 161.114(2).^[2]

 

US-218 in Southern Minnesota

History

In 1913, work on the road that is now US 218 was begun. At this time it was called the Red Ball Route. It was called this because the original route was marked with poles which had red balls, six inches (150 mm) in diameter, mounted on each side. In 1920, the Minnesota portion of the route was designated as Constitutional Route 40, as part of the Babcock Amendment that established the Minnesota trunk highway system.

In Iowa, US 218 was extended from its previous southern terminus, at its intersection with US 30 in Benton County, in 1934 when US 161 was split and renamed. The former US 161 had extended from Dubuque, through Cedar Rapids, to Keokuk. After the split, the section of former US 161 from Dubuque to Cedar Rapids extended US 151 south, and the section of US 30 from the former terminus of US 218 to its intersection with the former US 161 in Cedar Rapids, along with the section of former US 161 from Cedar Rapids to Keokuk, extended US 218 south.

In 1965, US 218 was rerouted along bypasses of Austin, Minnesota and Owatonna, Minnesota,^[3][4] the latter following a route that would later become the US 14 bypass of that city as well.

In 1985, US 218 was bypassed around Iowa City and Coralville, joining I-380 at the I-80 interchange. US 218 to Cedar Rapids was replaced by Iowa 965.^[5]

Future^{[needs update]}

The Iowa Department of Transportation has plans to rebuild the AOTS interchange with I-80 and I-380/US 218/Iowa 27 in Coralville. As the Eastern Iowa region has grown, traffic has increased, and the current arrangement of the interchange with its cloverleaf ramps has been deemed unsafe. The Iowa DOT proposes to rebuild the interchange as a turbine interchange, which will eliminate weaving. The project is scheduled to begin in 2020.^[6]

Major intersections

State	County	Location	mi^[7]^[8]	km	Exit^[9]	Destinations	Notes
Iowa	Lee	Keokuk	0.000	0.000		US 136 west / US 61 Bus. south (7th Street) / US 136 east (Main Street)	Southern end of US 61 Bus. overlap
			3.480	5.601		US 61 south / US 61 Bus. ends	Southern end of US 61 overlap; northern end of US 61 Bus.
		Montrose Township	9.132	14.697		US 61 north	Northern end of US 61 overlap
		Charleston Township	18.746	30.169	18	Iowa 27 south – St. Louis	Southern end of Iowa 27 overlap; exit 10 on Iowa 27/Ave. of the Saints
		Donnellson	20.673	33.270	19	Iowa 2 – Donnellson, Fort Madison
		Marion Township	30.760	49.503		Iowa 16
	Henry	Mount Pleasant	41.663	67.050	40	255th Street – Mount Pleasant
			43.349	69.763	42	US 34 east / US 218 Bus. / Iowa 163 east – Mount Pleasant, Burlington	Southern end of US 34 overlap; signed as exits 42A (east) and 42B (west)
			45.787– 47.223	73.687– 75.998	45	US 218 Bus. (Iowa 438) to US 34 west / Iowa 163 west – Mount Pleasant, Ottumwa	Northern end of US 34 overlap; US 218 Bus. only signed southbound
		Olds	55.447	89.233		Iowa 78
	Washington	Oregon Township	67.581	108.761	66	Iowa 92 – Washington, Columbus Junction	Also serves Ainsworth and Cotter
			70.960	114.199	70	CR G36
		Riverside	81.072	130.473	80	Iowa 22 – Kalona, Lone Tree
	Johnson	Liberty Township	85.534	137.654	85	Hills
		West Lucas Township	89.708	144.371	89	Riverside Drive, Airport
		Iowa City	91.318	146.962	91	Iowa 1 – Iowa City, Kalona
			93.561	150.572	93	Melrose Avenue – University Heights
		Coralville	96.934	156.000	97 0	I-80 – Iowa City, Davenport, Des Moines     I-380 begins	Northbound exit numbers follow mileage of US 218; signed as exits 97A (eastbound) and 97B (westbound); southbound exit numbers follow mileage of I-380, signed as exits 0A (eastbound) and 0B (westbound)
		Coralville–North Liberty line	98.974	159.283	2	Forevergreen Road
		North Liberty	100.980	162.512	4	CR F28 – north Liberty
		Shueyville	107.791	173.473	10	CR F12 – Swisher, Shueyville
	Linn	Cedar Rapids	110.750	178.235	13	Wright Brothers Boulevard SW – Ely, The Eastern Iowa Airport	Former Iowa 84
			113.263	182.279	16A	I-380 north / US 30 east / US 151 north / Iowa 27 north	Northern end of I-380 and Iowa 27 overlaps; southern end of US 30 and US 151 overlaps
			113.596	182.815	252A	6th Street SW	Exit numbers follow US 30
			115.780	186.330	250	Edgewood Road SW
			117.151	188.536	248	US 151 south / US 151 Bus. (Williams Boulevard SW)	Northern end of US 151 overlap
		Clinton Township	119.130– 119.651	191.721– 192.560	246	Iowa 100 / 16th Avenue / 80th Street – Fairfax	Interchange under reconstruction to connect to Iowa 100
	Benton	Eldorado Township	135.239	217.646		US 30 west	End of US 30 overlap
		Vinton	148.199	238.503		Iowa 150 north
		Monroe Township	158.602	255.245		Iowa 8 west
	Black Hawk	Waterloo	179.468	288.826	71	I-380 south / US 20 / Iowa 27 – Cedar Falls, Cedar Rapids, Dubuque	Southern end of I-380 overlap; signed as exits 71A (eastbound) and 71B (westbound); exit numbers follow I-380
			180.535	290.543	72	San Marnan Drive	Access to Covenant Medical Center
			181.116	291.478		I-380 ends	Northern end of I-380; exit numbers follow US 218
			182.864– 183.102	294.291– 294.674	181A	US 63 north – Downtown Riverfront, Young Arena, Sullivan Brothers Convention Center	No northbound entrance; signed as exit 180 southbound; access to Allen Hospital
			183.425	295.194	181B	US 63 south / University Avenue	No southbound entrance; signed as exit 181 southbound
			184.201– 184.785	296.443– 297.383	182	Fletcher Avenue, Ansborough Avenue
			185.659	298.789	184	Greenhill Road
			187.228	301.314	185	Broadway Street, Airport
		Cedar Falls	189.067	304.274	—	Iowa 27 south / Iowa 57 west / Iowa 58 south – Cedar Falls, Hudson, UNI, UNI-Dome	Southern end of Iowa 27 overlap
			190.719	306.932	189	Lone Tree Road
		Washington Township	193.565	311.513	192	CR C57 (W. Cedar–Wapsi Road)	Interchange opened October 2016
	Bremer	Janesville	196.765	316.663	195	CR C50 – Janesville
		Waverly	200.256	322.281	198	US 218 Bus. – Waverly	Access to Waverly Health Center
			204.757	329.524	203	Iowa 3 – Waverly, Shell Rock
			206.757	332.743	205	US 218 Bus. – Waverly Airport
		Plainfield	214.012	344.419	212	Iowa 188 – Plainfield
	Chickasaw	Nashua	221.316	356.174	220	Iowa 346 / CR B60 – Nashua
	Floyd	Charles City	230.538	371.015	218	US 18 east / US 218 Bus. / CR T64 – Charles City, New Hampton	Southern end of US 18 overlap; exit numbers follow US 18
			234.114	376.770	214	Iowa 14 – Charles City, Greene
			236.238	380.188	212	US 218 Bus. / CR B35 – Charles City
		Floyd	238.655	384.078		US 18 west / Iowa 27 north	Northern end of US 18 and Iowa 27 overlaps
	Mitchell	Burr Oak Township	249.987	402.315		Iowa 9 east	Southern end of Iowa 9 overlap
		Osage	253.985	408.749		Iowa 9 west	Northern end of Iowa 9 overlap
		St. Ansgar	265.754	427.690		CR 105
			274.995 0.000	442.562 0.000		Iowa–Minnesota state line
Minnesota	Mower	Austin	12.195	19.626	180B	I-90 east / CSAH 61 – La Crosse	Eastern end of I-90 overlap
			12.478	20.081	180A	Oakland Place	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
			13.071	21.036	179	11th Drive NE	Interchange
			13.725	22.088	178B	CR 16 (6th Street NE)	Interchange
			14.347	23.089	178A	CR 45 (4th Street NW)	Interchange
			15.031	24.190	177	I-90 west – Albert Lea	Western end of I-90 overlap
		Lansing Township	20.633	33.206		MN 251 west – Hollandale
	Dodge	No major junctions
	Steele	Blooming Prairie	28.365	45.649		MN 30 east – Hayfield	Southern end of MN 30 overlap
			29.459	47.410		MN 30 west – Ellendale	Northern end of MN 30 overlap
		Owatonna Township	43.717	70.356	—	US 14 east / CSAH 48 – Rochester	Eastern end of US 14 overlap
			45.539	73.288	—	CSAH 45	Former US 65
			46.739	75.219	—	I-35 / US 14 west – Minneapolis, St. Paul, Albert Lea, Waseca	Western end of US 14 overlap; I-35 exit 40
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus       Incomplete access

Related routes

Further information: Interstate 380, U.S. Route 18, U.S. Route 161, and Avenue of the Saints

Mount Pleasant business route

U.S. Highway 218 Business
Location	Mount Pleasant
Existed	2003–present

U.S. Highway 218 Business (US 218 Bus.) was designated along a former routing of US 218 through Mount Pleasant, the northernmost 0.7 miles (1.1 km) are officially known as Iowa 438. The routing was created as a result of construction of the Avenue of the Saints corridor through Iowa. The new Avenue of the Saints corridor took US 218/Iowa 27 and US 34 around the eastern and northern edges of Mount Pleasant. The Iowa 438 section of US 218 Bus. serves as a connector from southbound US 218/Iowa 27 to westbound US 34.

Waverly business route

U.S. Highway 218 Business
Location	Waverly
Length	6.6 mi (10.6 km)
Existed	December 1998–present

US 218 Business (US 218 Bus.) in Waverly was designated December 2, 1998, on the old segment of US 218 after it was routed around Waverly. The business route spans 6.6 miles (10.6 km). It intersects Iowa 3 in downtown Waverly and the two routes run concurrently for about one mile (1.6 km). South of Iowa 3, US 218 Bus. is officially known as Iowa 116. US 218 Bus. begins at exit 198 on US 218/Iowa 27 south of Waverly and ends at exit 205 on US 218/Iowa 27.

Charles City business route

U.S. Highway 218 Business
Location	Charles City
Existed	2000–present

US 218 Business (US 218 Bus.) in Charles City was designated along the old alignment of US 218 in 2000 after the construction of the Avenue of the Saints corridor created a bypass around Charles City. Upon its designation, the route was officially known by two Iowa state highways: Iowa 337 and Iowa 162. Iowa 337 was turned over to local jurisdictions in 2001 and Iowa 162 was turned over in 2006 after US 18 was relocated through Charles City.

Browse numbered routes
←   Iowa 415	Iowa 438	→   Iowa 922
←   Iowa 110	Iowa 116	→   Iowa 117

References

1. Minnesota Department of Transportation (2010). (PDF) (Map). 1:126,720. St. Paul: Minnesota Department of Transportation. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 10, 2012. Retrieved December 29, 2010.
2. Minnesota Codified Laws
3. Minnesota Department of Highways (1965). Official Road Map Minnesota (Map). 1:792,000. St. Paul: Minnesota Department of Highways. §§ J20–K21. OCLC 5673160, 80405240, 663975081. Retrieved January 25, 2010 – via Minnesota Digital Library.
4. Minnesota Department of Highways (1966). Official Road Map Minnesota (Map). 1:792,000. St. Paul: Minnesota Department of Highways. §§ J20–K21. OCLC 5673160, 80405240, 243533967. Retrieved January 25, 2010 – via Minnesota Digital Library.
5. Iowa State Highway Map (Map). Iowa Department of Transportation. 1985.
6. Kalk, Jordee (April 24, 2018). "Construction timeline for I-380/80 Interchange". Cedar Rapids, Iowa: KCRG-TV.
7. 2009 Volume of Traffic on the Primary Road System of Iowa (PDF) (Report). Iowa Department of Transportation. January 1, 2009. Retrieved November 20, 2010.
8. Minnesota Department of Transportation (August 23, 2010). (PDF). Minnesota Department of Transportation. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 4, 2008. Retrieved November 21, 2010.
9. Iowa Department of Transportation (2010). State of Iowa Transportation Map (PDF) (Map). Ames: Iowa Department of Transportation. Retrieved November 21, 2010.

External links

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• Endpoints of US highway 218