Existed: 1944 – present Counties: Van Buren Constructed 1944 Major cities Leando, Douds | South end: CR V64 in Leando Length 2.919 km County Van Buren County, Iowa | |
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North end: Iowa 16 / CR V64 north of Douds | ||
Iowa Highway 98 (Iowa 98) is a state highway that runs from south to north in Van Buren County in southeastern Iowa. It begins at Clay Street in Leando, crosses the Des Moines River, and ends at Iowa 16 north of Douds.
Contents
There have been two instances of Iowa 98 since Iowa's Primary Highway System was created in 1920. The first was a spur route connecting Eldon to what is now U.S. Highway 34 (US 34). That route was absorbed into an extended Iowa 16 in 1944. At the same time, the second Iowa 98 was created from a vacated segment of Iowa 16. The highway was extended over the Des Moines River into Leando in 1954.
Route description
Iowa 98 begins in the census-designated place (CDP) of Leando at an intersection with Clay Street. East of the intersection, the road continues as Van Buren County Road V64 (CR V64) while Iowa 98 heads to the west. For the first one-fifth mile (320 m) of its routing, the two-lane highway runs parallel to and approximately 400 feet (120 m) from the Des Moines River. The highway then turns to the north and crosses the river. On the northern banks, it enters Douds, which is also a CDP. Douds sprawls for three-quarters mile (1.2 km), despite only having a population of 152 in the 2010 Census. Iowa 98 continues north for another three-quarters mile (1.2 km) until it reaches Iowa 16. North of the intersection, the road continues again as CR V64. The entire route has an annual average daily traffic of 1060 vehicles.
History
There have been two iterations of Iowa 98, both of which have been intricately linked with Iowa 16. The first version of Iowa 98, Primary Road No. 98, was created with the primary road system in 1920. It was a 6-mile-long (9.7 km) spur route which connected Eldon to Primary Road No. 8, which later became U.S. Highway 34. In early 1936, Iowa 98 was extended to Selma on a road that crossed the Des Moines River twice, at Eldon and at Selma. The next year, that stretch of road was replaced by another that did not cross the river.
In early 1933, Iowa 16 was extended west from Iowa 1 near Birmingham to Douds. Eleven years later, Iowa 16 and Iowa 98 were connected. Iowa 16 took over all of the former Iowa 98 through Selma and Eldon, while the second version of Iowa 98 was designated over the short spur to Douds. In 1953, Iowa 98 was extended south over the Des Moines River to Leando.
Major intersections
The entire route is in Van Buren County.