^Looking north from Exit 3, November 2023.
In Iowa, Interstate 74 only has a short north-south stint in the Quad Cities. While it's true that Interstate 74 has an even number, indicating an east-west pathing, the highway's westernmost ending consists of a north-south piece in Iowa. That north-south piece in Iowa begins at Interstate 80 and heads south to cross the Mississippi River. Interstate 74's bridge in Iowa was recently reconstructed, requiring a construction process that took several years. But it's open and successfully facilitating traffic between the heart of Bettendorf, Iowa, and the heart of Moline, Illinois. The southern half of Interstate 74's four-mile length in Iowa also carries US Route 6; as both routes try to proceed easterly into Illinois, they must jog southward here to get across the westerly-flowing Mississippi River. A full exit list for Interstate 74 is included below for every exit in Iowa, but there are only several of them.
First of all, though, here is the photo showing where I got my shield image for Interstate 74. The sign assembly shown below gave me that shield image (the one you see on the menu page), and it comes from the interchange along Interstate 74 where US Route 6 joins the freeway southward. The interchange is marked as "exit 2", to Kimberly Road and Spruce Hills Drive. The aperture faces west, positioned just east of the interchange, and the signs in the shot show westbound travelers their options at the upcoming interchange. Technically, the ramp to Interstate 74 west will lead a car north, but that ramp is coming up first, requiring a right turn. Staying straight onto Kimberly Road will but travelers reading this sign on US Route 6 west. Making the second left leads to Interstate 74 south (and US Route 6 east), but that just involves going straight through the first intersection, for now. This photo was taken in February 2016, along a journey west to Omaha.
First of all, though, here is the photo showing where I got my shield image for Interstate 74. The sign assembly shown below gave me that shield image (the one you see on the menu page), and it comes from the interchange along Interstate 74 where US Route 6 joins the freeway southward. The interchange is marked as "exit 2", to Kimberly Road and Spruce Hills Drive. The aperture faces west, positioned just east of the interchange, and the signs in the shot show westbound travelers their options at the upcoming interchange. Technically, the ramp to Interstate 74 west will lead a car north, but that ramp is coming up first, requiring a right turn. Staying straight onto Kimberly Road will but travelers reading this sign on US Route 6 west. Making the second left leads to Interstate 74 south (and US Route 6 east), but that just involves going straight through the first intersection, for now. This photo was taken in February 2016, along a journey west to Omaha.
Interstate 74 begins at Interstate 80 on the north side of Davenport. As Interstate 74 is overall an east-west highway, exits are numbered from west to east; however, Interstate 74 runs north-south while in Iowa, before turning more eastward. So exits increase in number from north to south, which is unusual.
Exit 1 is for 53rd Street in Davenport:
Exit 2 is an interchange to a surface road that is called Spruce Hills Drive going east, but it's called Kimberly Road going west. Kimberly Road carries US Route 6 onward to the west, but US Route 6 joins Interstate 74 south into Illinois. The remainder of Interstate 74 in Iowa is co-signed with US Route 6:
Exit 3 connects travelers to Middle Road, where Bettendorf meets Davenport; Locust Street is what Middle Road becomes just west of the interchange, so Locust Street's name appears on the signs as well:
Exit 4 links to US Route 67, known as Grant Street and State Street, and it provides access to the Riverfront:
Interstate 74 enters the state of Illinois by crossing the Mississippi River on a new pair of cable-stayed bridges. These bridges connect Bettendorf to Moline, Illinois.
