U.S. Route 218

Iowa 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 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, La Porte City, and Washburn before it reaches Waterloo. 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. US 218 passes by the Austin Municipal Airport just before its interchange with I-90. The highway runs concurrently with I-90 for nearly 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. ==History==

In 1913, work began on the road that became US 218, when it was an auto trail called the Red Ball Route because the original route was marked with poles which had red balls, 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, the latter following a route that would become the US 14 bypass of that city. 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. The interchange with I-80 and I-380/US 218/Iowa 27 in Coralville was converted from a cloverleaf to a turbine interchange to eliminate weaving. ==Major intersections==

Mount Pleasant business route U.S. Highway 218 Business (US 218 Bus.) was designated along a former routing of US 218 through Mount Pleasant, the northernmost 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 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 . It intersects Iowa 3 in downtown Waverly and the two routes run concurrently for about . 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 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. ==References==