Length 524.9 km | ||
 | ||
West end: SD 50 west of Westfield East end: US 52 / US 61 / US 151 at Dubuque Major cities Dubuque, Waverly, Humboldt, Oelwein, Le Mars, Hampton, Clarion, Allison, Cherokee, Pocahontas Counties Plymouth County, Iowa, Cherokee County, Iowa | ||
Iowa Highway 3 is a state highway that runs from east to west across the state of Iowa. Highway 3 is the longest state highway in Iowa, at 327.81 miles (527.56 km) long. Iowa 3 begins at the South Dakota state line where it continues as South Dakota Highway 50 and ends at an interchange with U.S. Route 61 / U.S. Route 151. It is designated the American Veterans Memorial Highway for its entirety. It is located approximately halfway between Interstate 80 and Interstate 90.
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Route description
Iowa Highway 3 begins at the Big Sioux River where it continues west into South Dakota as South Dakota Highway 50. 1.5 miles (2.4 km) into Iowa, Iowa 3 intersects and overlaps Iowa Highway 12 for 5 miles (8.0 km). At Akron, Iowa 3 turns east towards Le Mars. At Le Mars, Iowa 3 intersects U.S. Route 75 and, for 1 mile (1.6 km), is overlapped by U.S. Route 75 Business. Iowa 3 continues east towards Remsen and Marcus meeting Iowa Highway 140 and Iowa Highway 143 in each respective town. At Cherokee, Iowa 3 intersects U.S. Route 59 and skirts the northeastern edge of town. East of Cherokee, Iowa 3 formerly intersected the unsigned Iowa Highway 977, which served as a shortcut to southbound US 59 for westbound Iowa 3 traffic. North of Aurelia, Iowa 3 meets Iowa Highway 7. Northeast of Truesdale, Iowa 3 intersects U.S. Route 71. 25 miles (40 km) east of Truesdale, Iowa 3 intersects Iowa Highway 4 in Pocahontas. Between Pocahontas and Gilmore City, Iowa 3 meets Iowa Highway 15. Iowa 3 intersects U.S. Route 169 in Humboldt.
East of Humboldt, Iowa Highway 3 is overlapped for 3 miles (4.8 km) by Iowa Highway 17 near Goldfield. Iowa 3 overlaps U.S. Route 69 for 2 miles (3.2 km) east of Clarion. Near Latimer and Coulter, Iowa 3 meets Interstate 35 at a diamond interchange. 10 miles (16 km) east of the I-35 interchange, Iowa 3 intersects U.S. Route 65 in Hampton. At Allison, Iowa 3 is briefly overlapped by Iowa Highway 14. Iowa 3 meets Iowa Highway 188 south of Clarksville. West of Waverly, Iowa 3 intersects U.S. Route 218 / Iowa Highway 27, the Avenue of the Saints, at an interchange. For 1 mile (1.6 km), Iowa 3 is overlapped by U.S. Route 218 Business before US 218 Bus. turns south as the unsigned Iowa Highway 116. 7 miles (11 km) to the east, Iowa 3 intersects U.S. Route 63. At Oelwein, Iowa 3 overlaps Iowa Highway 150 for 3 miles (4.8 km) before continuing east towards Iowa Highway 187. From Strawberry Point to near Edgewood, Iowa 3 overlaps Iowa Highway 13.
East of Edgewood, Iowa Higwhay 3 enters the Driftless Area, where the terrain changes markedly from gently rolling farmland to steep bluffs. Iowa 3 meets Iowa Highway 38 on the edge of the Driftless Area. At Luxemburg, Iowa 3 meets U.S. Route 52, with which Iowa 3 continues for the rest of its length, and Iowa Highway 136. The next 22 miles (35 km), from Luxemburg to Sageville, are particularly curvy because the routes enter completely into the Driftless Area. At Sageville, US 52 / Iowa 3 meet Iowa Highway 32, Dubuque's Northwest Arterial. US 52 / Iowa 3 enter Dubuque along Central Avenue, which becomes a one-way street paired with White Street near downtown. US 52 and Iowa 3 turn onto another pair of one-way streets, East 9th Street and East 11th Street for a few blocks before meeting U.S. Route 61 / U.S. Route 151. US 52 continues south with US 61 / US 151, while Iowa 3 ends at this interchange.
History
This is the second state highway to be designated Iowa Highway 3. The first Iowa Highway 3 existed from 1920 to 1941, and was an east–west route across the southern part of Iowa, beginning at Fort Madison and ending at the western border of Iowa near Nebraska City, Nebraska. The current Iowa Highway 3 route was designated in 1945.
Originally extending from Iowa Highway 12 in Akron to Dubuque, Iowa 3 was co-signed with Iowa Highway 5 from Akron to near Aurelia. In 1949, Iowa 3 was extended along Iowa 12 from Akron to its current western end at the Big Sioux River.
Prior to the building of a four lane U.S. Route 61 / U.S. Route 151, the eastern terminus of Iowa Highway 3 was at the intersection of Bluff Street and U.S. Route 20, Dodge Street.