Avenue of the Saints

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The Avenue of the Saints is a 560-mile highway that connects St. Paul, Minnesota, and St. Louis, Missouri.

Contents

[edit] History

The Avenue of the Saints was the idea of Mount Pleasant, Iowa businessman Ernest Hayes, who envisioned a four-lane highway between St. Paul and St. Louis in the 1980s. The Iowa Department of Transportation decided to study the idea in 1988. Several politicians endorsed the idea, including Mount Pleasant mayor (and future Iowa governor) Tom Vilsack, Senator Charles Grassley of Iowa, and Congressmen David Nagle and Fred Grandy of Iowa and Dick Gephardt of Missouri.

By the end of 1989, four possible routes for the Avenue of the Saints were under consideration by the Federal Highway Administration. Two of the rejected routes would have followed U.S. Highway 52 and U.S. Highway 63 from St. Paul through Rochester, Minnesota, to Waterloo, Iowa. Another rejected route would have followed U.S. Highway 61 from St. Paul through La Crosse, Wisconsin, and Dubuque, Iowa, to Davenport, Iowa, and U.S. Highway 67 from Davenport to St. Louis.

In 1990 the FHWA chose its route for the Avenue of the Saints. It would follow Interstate 35 from St. Paul to a point south of Clear Lake, Iowa; U.S. Highway 18 to Charles City, Iowa; U.S. Highway 218 to Cedar Falls, Iowa; Iowa Highway 58 and U.S. Highway 20 around Cedar Falls and Waterloo, Iowa; Interstate 380 from Waterloo through Cedar Rapids to Interstate 80 near Coralville, Iowa; U.S. 218 to Donnellson, Iowa; Iowa Highway 394 and Route B to Wayland, Missouri; and U.S. Highway 61 and Interstate 64 from Wayland to St. Louis.

The Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 made the Avenue of the Saints an official "high-priority corridor," and signs were put along the route by the end of the year. At that time the only four-lane segments were Interstates 35, 380, and 64; U.S. 20 around Waterloo; U.S. 218 from I-80 to Iowa Highway 22 near Riverside, Iowa; and two segments of U.S. 61 in Missouri (from La Grange to New London and from Bowling Green to St. Louis). The decision had also been made to build the Avenue of the Saints to expressway standards — with intersections at rural roads — rather than to full freeway standards as a cost-saving measure. Freeway segments would be built around cities that needed to be bypassed.

After the routing was approved, both Iowa and Missouri began constructing new four-lane segments. Iowa opened bypasses around Waverly (1998), Mason City (1999), Charles City (2000), Mount Pleasant (2001), and Donnellson (2004). A four-lane link between I-35 and I-380 was completed with the opening of a segment near Nashua in November of 2003. Missouri completed four-lane segments from New London to Bowling Green in November of 2000 and from Canton to La Grange in 2003.

In 2001 the Iowa Department of Transportation gave the Avenue of the Saints its own highway number: Iowa Highway 27. The number was added as an additional number to the existing routes; however, after the Donnellson bypass opened in 2004, Iowa 394 was decommissioned and Iowa 27 is now a standalone highway south of the split with U.S. 218.

[edit] Present status

As of August 2007, the Avenue of the Saints is open to four lanes from St. Paul to Wayland, Missouri, and from north of Canton, Missouri, to St. Louis. Nine miles of highway between the Lewis/Clark county line and Wayland, Missouri remains two-lane highway.

On December 8, 2004, a new four-lane bridge across the Des Moines River opened; this replaced an existing toll bridge operated by the Wayland Special Road District. A new four-lane road between the bridge and U.S. 61 south of Wayland also opened that day. This road was numbered Route 27 to match Iowa's number for the Avenue of the Saints.

In June 2005, a four-lane segment from the end of the Mount Pleasant bypass to the junction with Iowa Highway 16 east of Houghton was opened to four lanes of traffic. The segment of Iowa 27 between the split with U.S. 218 and the Des Moines River bridge opened to four lanes on August 25, 2005. The last remaining segment in Iowa was opened to traffic May 23, 2006.

The only portions of the road which do not bypass major towns are Waterloo, Iowa; Cedar Rapids, Iowa and Hannibal, Missouri.

A "festival" was held from June 16-18 amongst towns along the corridor to celebrate the completion of Iowa's segment.

[edit] Exit numbers

As with many rural expressways in Iowa, the Avenue of the Saints has exit numbers in that state. The exit numbers correspond to the underlying U.S. Highway or Interstate Highway - U.S. Highway 218, Interstate 380, U.S. Highway 20, U.S. Highway 18 and Interstate 35. The section along Iowa Highway 58 in Cedar Falls has no exit numbers, and the separate section south of Donnellson has one numbered exit - the northbound one to US 218 south - based on Iowa 27's mileage.

[edit] Future construction

The remaining Avenue of the Saints segment, following US 61 from Wayland to Canton, has been affected by a lack of funding from the Missouri Department of Transportation. However, in recent years, Missouri has set aside funding to complete the remaining two lane segments in Lewis County and Clark County by June 2008. Construction was completed on the Lewis County portion in August 2007. Construction began on the final Clark County portion in August, 2006.

As of September 30, 2007, the new northbound lanes have been constructed in Clark County, and traffic has been diverted to the new lanes. The Running Fox School interchange remains under construction, along with the realignment of the southbound lanes.

In addition, MoDOT has published initial maps for a bypass around Hannibal, MO on its website (http://www.modot.org/northeast/HannibalBypassMapOptions.htm). According to the initial maps, the US 61 Bypass would depart from US 61 south of Hannibal, travel in a northwesterly direction toward the Rocket Junction where it would intersect with US 36/I-72 and US 24 West. The US 61 Bypass would then travel along the current US 24 East alignment and re-connect with US 61 four miles north of the Rocket Junction. The "Hannibal Bypass" project is presently unfunded.

[edit] Exit list

Note: much of the road is not a freeway; there are many at-grade intersections.

County Location # Destinations Notes
Following US 40 / US 61 . I-64 begins eastbound and ends westbound.
St. Charles 9 Route K – O'Fallon
Route DD (Winghaven Boulevard)
Lake Saint Louis Boulevard
Following US 61 . US 40 joins southbound and leaves northbound
I-70 / US 40 West – St. Charles, Lambert Airport, Kansas City
Pitman Avenue northbound exit and southbound entrance
Route A – Wentzville
Lincoln Route C – Moscow Mills – under construction
Old Cap au Gris Road northbound exit and entrance
Route 47 – Troy, Winfield
Pike Route FF / Route D – Eolia
Route 161 – Bowling Green, Ashley
US 54 – Louisiana, Mexico

US 61 Bus. / Route UU – Bowling Green
Route C / Route B / Route ZZ – Frankford
Ralls
US 61 Bus. / Route 19 – Center, New London
Marion I-72 / US 36 – Downtown Hannibal, Monroe City, Springfield I-72's western terminus is at this intersection
US 24 West – Monroe City
Following US 24 / US 61 . US 24 joins northbound and leaves southbound.

US 61 Bus. – Palmyra

US 61 Bus. / Route 168 – Palmyra
Route 6 West – Edina, Taylor
Following US 61 . US 24 joins southbound and leaves northbound.
US 24 East – Quincy, IL
Lewis
US 61 Bus. / Route B – La Grange, Wakonda State Park

US 61 Bus. / Route C – La Grange

US 61 Bus. / Route P – Canton
Route 16 to Route 81 – Canton, Monticello
Clark US 61 / Route 27
Following Route 27 . US 61 joins southbound and leaves northbound. Route 27 begins northbound and ends southbound.
US 136 – Wayland, Kahoka
Crossing the Des Moines River into Iowa.
Route 27 becomes IA 27 .
Lee NB:10
SB:18		 US 218 South – Keokuk
Following US 218 / IA 27 . US 218 joins northbound and leaves southbound.
19 IA 2 – Donnellson, Fort Madison
Henry 40 255th Street, Mount Pleasant – Old Thresher's Grounds
42
US 34 East / US 34 Bus. (West) / US 218 Bus. (North) – Mount Pleasant, Burlington		 Northbound exits split into 42A and 42B. Southbound exits not split.
Following US 34 / US 218 / IA 27 . US 34 joins northbound and leaves southbound.
Following US 218 / IA 27 . US 34 joins southbound and leaves northbound.
45
US 34 West / US 218 Bus. (South) / IA 438 – Mount Pleasant, Ottumwa
Washington 67 IA 92 – Washington, Columbus Junction
80 IA 22 – Kalona, Lone Tree
Johnson 85 Hills
89 CO F50 (Riverside Drive) – Iowa City Municipal Airport
91 IA 1 – Iowa City, Kalona
93 CO F46 (Melrose Avenue) – University Heights
0 I-80 – Davenport, Des Moines, Iowa City Southbound exits split into 0A and 0B. Exits not numbered northbound.
I-380 begins northbound and ends southbound.
Following I-380 / US 218 / IA 27 . See Interstate 380 for exit list.
Black Hawk Following US 20 / IA 27 . I-380 joins southbound and leaves northbound.
NB:71A
SB:232B		 I-380 North / US 218 North – Waterloo I-380 joins southbound and leaves northbound; exit number signed southbound only
NB:71B
SB:232A		 US 218 South – La Porte City
230 IA 21 (Hawkeye Road) – Dysart
227 US 63 (Sergeant Road) – Hudson
Following IA 27 . US 20 joins southbound and leaves northbound.
225 US 20 West / IA 58 South – Cedar Falls
Following IA 27 / IA 58 . IA 58 joins northbound and leaves southbound.
IA 934 (University Avenue)
18th Street; Waterloo Road
Following IA 27 . IA 58 begins southbound and ends northbound.
US 218 South / IA 58 South – Waterloo
IA 57 West – Cedar Falls East end of IA 57.
Following US 218 / IA 27 . US 218 joins northbound and leaves southbound.
189 Lone Tree Road
Bremer 198
US 218 Bus. / IA 116 (North) – Waverly
203 IA 3 – Waverly, Shell Rock
205
US 218 Bus. – Waverly – Waverly Municipal Airport
212 IA 188 – Plainfield
Chickasaw 220 IA 346 (East) / CO B60 (West) – Nashua
Floyd 218
US 18 East / US 218 Bus. / CO T64 – Charles City, New Hampton
Following US 18 / US 218 / IA 27 . US 18 joins northbound and leaves southbound.
214 IA 14 – Charles City, Greene
212
US 218 Bus. / CO B35 – Charles City
Following US 18 / IA 27 . US 218 joins southbound and leaves northbound.
210 US 218 – Floyd At-grade intersection.
195 CO S70 – Nora Springs
Cerro Gordo 190 CO S56 (California Avenue)
186
US 18 Bus. / US 65 – Downtown Mason City, Rockwell
183 CO S36 (Eisenhower Avenue) – Mason City Municipal Airport
178 I-35 – Des Moines, Minneapolis
Following I-35 / US 18 / IA 27 . I-35 joins northbound and leaves southbound.
See Interstate 35 in Iowa for exit list. IA 27 begins southbound and ends northbound at Minnesota state line.
See Interstate 35 in Minnesota for exit list.

[edit] External links