East end: Iowa 14 near Albion Major cities Albion | Length 76.84 km | |
West end: I-80 / US 6 / US 65 in Altoona Counties Polk County, Iowa, Jasper County, Iowa, Story County, Iowa, Marshall County, Iowa | ||
A 47-mile-long (76 km) state highway in central Iowa, Iowa Highway 330 runs northeasterly from Altoona past Albion, to just north of Marshalltown in Marshall County. Originally the two-lane, unpaved Iowa Highway 88 in the 1930s, and later Iowa Highway 64 until 1969, Highway 330 is now a four-lane divided expressway along much of its length. In conjunction with US 65, Iowa Highway 14 and U.S. Route 20, Iowa 330 is commonly used as a connector between Des Moines and the Waterloo/Cedar Falls area.
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Route description
Iowa 330 begins at an interchange with Interstate 80 (I-80), U.S. Route 6 (US 6), and US 65 in Altoona. The I-80 freeway runs east–west; US 6 comes up from the southwest along Hubbell Avenue and joins eastbound I-80 while US 65 exits eastbound I-80 and turns onto Hubbell heading northeast. For the first 14 miles (23 km) of its routing, Iowa 330 shares the same roadway with US 65. The two routes head northeast on a four-lane expressway through Bondurant and into rural Polk County. In the northeastern corner of Polk County, the roadway breaks from its northeastern path to curve around the Engeldinger Marsh. The routes enter Jasper County and turn back to the northeast.
US 65 leaves the Iowa 330 expressway at the intersection with Iowa 117 north of Mingo. US 65 and Iowa 117 form the northern and southern branches, respectively, of a crossroad. The expressway portion of Iowa 330 extends on for 20 miles (32 km), passing the communities of Rhodes and Melbourne. It intersects U.S. Route 30 at a diamond interchange just west of Marshalltown. 1 1⁄2 miles (2.4 km) later, now on a two-lane road, Iowa 330 turns north of Albion, bypassing Marshalltown to the west. On the way to Albion, Highway 330 crosses the Union Pacific Railroad main line and the Iowa River. North of Albion, Iowa 330 turns east and travels 4 miles (6.4 km) before ending at Iowa Highway 14.
History
As an unusual, and originally underutilized, diagonal highway in a strongly grid-based region, a persistent rumor claims that the highway was originally run through as a pork barrel project for the personal benefit of a Marshall County state legislator who wanted a quicker route to the Iowa General Assembly.
The highway was originally designated as Highway 330 and paved in the late 1940s. Before then, it was called Iowa 88 and was largely unpaved. In 1969 the route was extended southward to its current terminus. In 1989, it was re-routed to bypass Marshalltown. In 2002, the 20 miles (32 km) between US 65 and US 30 were upgraded to expressway status.