^Looking east from Exit 201 to Iowa 21, February 2024.

​Interstate 80 is the busiest highway across Iowa, stretching from Omaha and Council Bluffs to the Quad Cities while within the state's borders.  The majority of people looking at Iowa as a "drive-through" state are driving through on Interstate 80.  The highway enters the western end of Iowa by crossing the Missouri River out of Omaha, Nebraska.  Soon after entering Iowa, Interstate 80 is joined by Interstate 29 through Council Bluffs, where the two concurrent Interstates are divided into separate express and local lanes.  After several miles of togetherness, Interstate 29 departs Interstate 80 to continue south.  Interstate 80 jogs northeasterly to meet Interstate 880, and at the meeting point, Interstate 80 returns to an easterly direction.  Interstate 80 reaches the Des Moines area in the middle of Iowa, joining Interstate 35 north at an interchange where Interstate 235 gets its easterly start into downtown Des Moines.  Interstate 35 and 80 run northerly together to the interchange with Iowa Route 141, and the Interstates cooperatively bend eastward together around the northern side of Des Moines.  In the northeast corner of Des Moines, Interstate 35 departs from Interstate 80 to continue north, where Interstate 235's northeastern end occurs.  Interstate 80 continues east, meeting Interstate 380, US Route 218, and Iowa Route 27 in Coralville, near Iowa City.  Interstate 80 then serves Iowa City and sets out for its final destination in Iowa, the Quad Cities.  As Interstate 80 enters the Quad Cities area, it creates Interstate 280, which heads south to flank the west side of the metropolitan area.  Then it meets the northwestern endpoint of Interstate 74, which heads south through the city centers of Bettendorf, Iowa, and Moline, Illinois.  Interstate 80's path bends southeasterly across the Mississippi River, crossing into Illinois, to head southerly around the eastern side of the Quad Cities. (Don't worry; it bends back easterly about ten miles into Illinois.)

A full exit list with photos for each one is provided below. First of all, though, here is the photo showing where I got my shield image for Interstate 80.  In Clive, a western suburb of Des Moines, the concurrency of Interstate 35 and Interstate 80 meets an interchange with University Avenue. It's the first interchange north of the point where Interstate 35 and Interstate 80 join together.  The sign assembly in the photo faces east along University Avenue, pointing out that the right turn onto the southbound onramp is just ahead across the overpass.  An October morning in 2021 marked the time I took this photo, just after the rain stopped. I was on the way home from a trip across southern and western Iowa.

Exit 1 is where Interstate 29 comes from the north to join Interstate 80 east...

Exit 4 is where Interstate 29 splits off to continue south, away from Interstate 80. The local lanes and express lanes converge into one highway once again:

Exit 5 leads to Madision Avenue in Council Bluffs:

Exit 8 is where Interstate 80, which curved toward the northeast, crosses the east-west US Route 6, signed as the way to Council Bluffs and Oakland, Iowa:

Exit 17 is the interchange connecting to Underwood and County Highway G30:

Exit 23 leads to Neola and County Highway L55:

Exit 27 is an exit to the east end of Interstate 880, a shortcut to Interstate 29 north; Interstate 880 is reached by a left exit for those heading eastbound on Interstate 80:

Exit 29 leads to County Highway L66 and Minden:

Exit 34 connects Interstate 80 to County Highway M16 and the town of Shelby:

Exit 40 connects with US Route 59, which leads to Avoca and Harlan:

Exit 46 leads to County Route M47, also known as Antique City Drive in the town of Walnut; this village's name also appears on the sign:

Exit 51 leads to County Highway L56 and the town of Marne:

Exit 54 leads to Iowa Route 173, signed as the way to access Atlantic and Elk Horn:

Exit 57 brings travelers to County Highway N16 and the town of Atlantic:

Exit 60 connects to US Route 71, which can take people to Atlantic and Audobon:

Exit 64 leads to Wiota and County Highway N28:

Exit 70 leads to Anita, Corning, and the northern end of Iowa Route 148:

Exit 75 leads to County Highway G30, or White Pole Road:

Exit 76 leads to Adair and County Highway N54:

Exit 83 links to County Highway N77 and the village of Casey:

Exit 86 leads to Iowa Route 25, with control cities of Greenfield and Guthrie Center:

Exit 88 leads to County Highway P20 and the town of Menlo:

Exit 93 links with County Highway P28, signed as a method of reaching Stuart and Panora:

Exit 97 connects to County Highway P48 and the town of Dexter:

Exit 100 brings Interstate travelers to County Highway F60 and Redfield:

Exit 104 helps people to reach Earlham and County Highway P57:

Exit 106 has no control cities mentioned on the sign, but the exit connects with County Highway F90 and County Highway P58:

Exit 110 connects with US Route 169 and the eastern continuation of US Route 6; Adel and Winterset are shown as control cities:

Exit 113 links to Van Meter and Dallas Center by way of County Highway R16:

Exit 117 leads to Waukee and Booneville, plus County Highway R22: 

Exit 118 joins the Interstate to Grand Prairie Parkway on the west side of the Des Moines metropolitan area:

Exit 121 is an interchange at West Des Moines for Jordan Creek Parkway:

Exit 122 is a partial interchange to 60th Street in West Des Moines, but access is only provided to/from the west:

Exit 123 is the interchange on the west side of Des Moines where Interstate 35 joins Interstate 80 north and east. Interstate 235, linking with downtown Des Moines, begins here and proceeds east. 123A leads to Interstate 235's western end; Exit 123B leads to Interstate 35's southern continuation:

Exit 124 leads to University Avenue and Clive.  This and the next several exits are from the concurrency of both Interstate 35 and Interstate 80...

Exit 125 links to US Route 6 and Hickman Avenue:

Exit 126 brings people from the freeway to Douglas Avenue and Urbandale:

Exit 127A connects with Meredith Drive in the Urbandale area:

Exit 127B marks the point where Interstates 80 and 35 bend toward the east, and Iowa Route 141 starts out toward the north toward Grimes, Iowa:

Exit 128 leads to 100th Street in the Des Moines area:

Exit 129 is an interchange with 86th Street, signed as a way to reach Johnston, Iowa:

Exit 131 leads to the northern end of Iowa Route 28, also known as Merle Hay Road, and the exit is described as the way to Saylorville Lake:

Exit 135 provides access to Iowa Route 415, 2nd Avenue, and Polk City:

Exit 136 leads to US Route 69, East 14th Street, and Ankeny:

Exit 137A is the first half of an interchange marking the northeastern end of Interstate 235, and the northeastern end of the concurrency between Interstate 235. Exit 137A leads to Interstate 235 southbound toward downtown Des Moines:

Exit 137B is the second half of the interchange, and it is the ramp to Interstate 35's northern continuation toward Minneapolis:

Exit 141 leads to US Route 65 southbound toward Des Moines; the exit also leads to Altoona:

Exit 142 is the second exit to US Route 65, ending a mile-long concurrency between it and Interstate 80. This exit to US Route 65 north also leads to US Route 6 west, Bondurant, and Iowa Route 330 north toward Marshalltown:

Exit 143 is an exit to Bondurant and Altoona:

Exit 149 provides access to Mitchellville:

Exit 155 reaches Iowa Route 117, Colfax, and Mingo:

Exit 159 connects with Baxter, and with County Highway F48:

Exit 164 links with Iowa Route 14, signed as the way to Newton and Monroe: US Route 6 also ends a concurrency with Interstate 80 at this interchange:

Exit 168 is another interchange accessing Newton, via Iowa Speedway Drive:

Exit 173 is an interchange with the southern end of Iowa Route 224; it also provides access to Kellogg and Sully:

Exit 179 is an interchange providing access to Lynnville and Oakland Acres:

Exit 182 brings people to Grinnell and New Sharon by way of Iowa Highway 146:

Exit 191 leads to US Route 63, signed as the way to Tama and Montezuma:

Exit 197 provides a link to the town of Brooklyn, Iowa:

Exit 201 is an interchange with Iowa Route 21, signed as the way to What Cheer and Belle Plaine:

Exit 205 connects Interstate travelers to Victor, Iowa

Exit 211 leads to Millersburg and Ladora:

Exit 216 is for accessing the towns of Marengo and North English:

Exit 220 is for Iowa Route 149, which leads south to Williamsburg, and it also leads to County Highway V77, a route to Parnell:

Exit 225 leads to the southern beginning of US Route 151, signed as a viable route to Cedar Rapids and the Amana Colonies:

Exit 230 connects with County Highway V77, Kalona, and Oxford:

Exit 237 is a link to Tiffin:

Exit 239 is a recently-reconstructed directional interchange with no cloverleaves, connecting with US Route 218.  US Route 218 is a freeway toward the south for a little bit, but it's a freeway for much farther toward the north, where it is also Interstate 380, serving Cedar Rapids and Waterloo. US Route 218 also carries Iowa Route 27 through this interchange.  US Route 218 southbound is signed as the way to Mount Pleasant:

Exit 240 is the Coralville exit, and it's signed as Coral Ridge Avenue, the way to US Route 6, and the way to North Liberty:

Exit 242 is one of the Iowa City exits, leading to First Avenue; it's signed as the way to the "Xtream Arena":

Exit 244 is the exit to Dubuque Street, signed as the way to downtown Iowa City:

Exit 246 connects with Iowa Route 1, also known as North Dodge Street; Iowa Route 1 is signed as the way to Solon:

Exit 249 links with Herbert Hoover Highway:

Exit 254 connects with West Branch, Iowa, and County Highway X30:

Exit 259 leads to West Liberty:

Exit 265 provides a link to Atalissa:

Exit 267 is an interchange to Tipton, Moscow, and Iowa Route 38 north:

Exit 271 brings Iowa Route 38 south to Wilton and Muscatine; this also starts a concurrency of US Route 6 along Interstate 80:

Exit 277 provides access to Durant and Bennett:

Exit 280 is for County Highway Y30, Stockton, and New Liberty:

Exit 284 leads to County Route Y40 to Walcott and Plain View:

Exit 290 marks the northwestern end of Interstate 280, which crosses the Mississippi River to the south, toward Rock Island and Moline.  Interstate 280 takes US Route 6 off of Interstate 80 and replaces that concurrency with another one: US Route 61 comes from the south to head east along Interstate 80:

Exit 292 is for Iowa Route 130 north, which leads to Maysville, and for Northwest Boulevard:

Exit 295A is the ramp to Brady Street southbound into downtown Davenport; this street used to carry US Route 61 farther south:

Exit 295B leads to US Route 61 north toward Eldridge and Dewitt:

Exit 298 leads to Interstate 74 south toward Bettendorf and Davenport; this interchange marks the north end of Interstate 74:

Exit 301 is an interchange to Middle Road in Bettendorf:

Exit 306 connects Interstate travelers to US Route 67, signed as a way to LeClaire and Bettendorf:

Interstate 80 crosses the Mississippi River near LeClaire, Iowa, bending toward the south. Interstate 80 enters Illinois at this point.

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