| Iowa Highway 163 |
Article Index for Iowa |
Shopping 163 |
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Information AboutIowa Highway 163 |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT IOWA HIGHWAY 163 | |
| three-digit u.s. highways | |
| 63-1 | |
| state highways inspired by us highways | |
| 63-1 iowa | |
| state highways in iowa | |
| 163 | |
| decommissioned u.s. highways | |
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TERMINI The northern terminus of IA 163 is located at the intersection of U.S. Highway 69 and University Ave. in Des Moines . The southern terminus is located at the interchange of U.S. Highway 63 in Oskaloosa, Iowa . This interchange is marked as EXIT 60. 163'S HISTORY 163 used to be 2-lane. In the 1970s the highway was divided from Prairie City, Iowa to Des Moines . In later years the highway began to emerge from a 2-lane highway, to a 4-lane highway. The segments of 163 in the country were converted to 4-lanes, but the main highway still went through the city centers. That would soon change. One of the first bypasses created on 163, was the bypass around Pella, Iowa . This freeway bypass, with 3 interchanges, accesses several parts of Pella. Later bypasses of Monroe, Iowa (with 2 interchanges), Prairie City, Iowa (with 1 interchange), Otley, Iowa (with 2 turnoffs) and Oskaloosa, Iowa (with 2 interchanges) were constructed. Today 163 is divided its entire lengh, except a small section of 2 lane in the Des Moines area. RELATED ROUTES U.S. Highway 63 INTERESTING TRAIN TIDBIT The Iowa Interstate Railway used to run right alongside Iowa Highway 163 between Pella, Iowa and Prairie City, Iowa . In the tracks crossed over the bypass around Pella, passed through Otley, and continued up to Prairie City and Des Moines . In between Otley and Prairie City there might have been a large string of tank cars parked on these tracks. At the intersection of highway 163 and F62, there was even an overhead crossing flasher signal. Today, the tracks have been torn up. In Pella, the train bridge is still over the freeway bypass. Right after the tracks were torn up, there were ties alongside the old roadbed, and even all the railroad signs were still up. But they were soon taken down. The old crossing flasher at road F62 however, stood until late 2002, when it was finally taken down. Today you can still see the roadbed in some places, and in one spot along the roadbed there is still an old wooden train bridge over a creekbed. The torn-up track roadbed continues all the way until past F62, where the tracks are still entact. Sometimes intermodal flatcars, or Airslide hopper cars are parked on this siding. This Iowa Interstate supr still continues into Prairie City and into Des Moines , where it rejoins the Iowa Interstate Mainline between Davenport, Iowa and Omaha, Nebraska . |
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