Interstate 29

Interstate 29 (I-29) is an Interstate Highway in the Midwestern United States. I-29 runs from Kansas City, Missouri, at a junction with Interstate 35 and Interstate 70, to the Canadian border near Pembina, North Dakota, where it connects with Manitoba Highway 75.

The road follows the course of three major rivers, all of which form the borders of U.S. states. The southern portion of I-29 closely parallels the Missouri River from Kansas City northward to vicinity of Sioux Falls, Iowa/Sioux City, South Dakota, where it crosses and then parallels the Big Sioux River. For the northern third of the highway, it closely follows the Red River of the North.

Route description

Missouri

Near its southern terminus, I-29 is concurrent with I-35 and U.S. Route 71. The interstate diverts from U.S. 71 just north of St. Joseph and follows a sparsely populated corridor along the Missouri River to Council Bluffs. During the design phase there was an alternative sending the route further along U.S. 71 through the bigger towns of Maryville, Missouri, and Clarinda, Iowa. During the Great Flood of 1993 the Missouri River flooded this section and traffic was rerouted to U.S. 71 through Maryville and Clarinda. I-29 was closed again for about two months during the 2011 Missouri River Flood.

Interstate 29 in South Dakota

Interstate 29 (I-29) is a north–south Interstate Highway in the midwestern United States. In the U.S. state of South Dakota, I-29 traverses on the eastern side of the state from the Iowa border near Sioux City to the North Dakota border near New Effington. On its route, I-29 passes through western portions of Sioux Falls, the state's largest city. Interstate 229, the highway's lone auxiliary route in South Dakota, serves as a bypass around southern and eastern Sioux Falls.

Route description

The South Dakota section of Interstate 29 is defined in South Dakota Consolidated Laws § 31-4-152. All of I-29 in South Dakota is included in the National Highway System, a system of highways important to the nation's defense, economy, and mobility. Average daily traffic volume on I-29 in South Dakota is relatively low by interstate highway standards. Most segments of I-29 outside of Sioux Falls receive between 5,000 and 20,000 vehicles per day, with numbers as high as 50,000 being reported in Sioux Falls.

Interstate 29 in Iowa

In the U.S. state of Iowa, Interstate 29 (I-29) is a north–south Interstate Highway which closely parallels the Missouri River. I-29 enters Iowa from Missouri near Hamburg and heads to the north-northwest through the Omaha-Council Bluffs and the Sioux City areas. It exits the state by crossing the Big Sioux River into South Dakota. For its entire distance through the state, it runs on the flat land between the Missouri River and the Loess Hills.

I-29 was built in sections over a period of 15 years. When there was a shortage of male workers, female workers stepped in to build a twenty-mile (32 km) section near Missouri Valley. Between Council Bluffs and Sioux City, I-29 replaced U.S. Route 75 (US 75) as the major route in western Iowa. As a result of I-29's creation, US 75 south of Sioux City was relocated into Nebraska.

Route description

Interstate 29 enters Iowa south of Hamburg. The interstate heads northwest, where it meets Iowa Highway 333 (Iowa 333) at a diamond interchange. From Hamburg, I-29 continues to the northwest for seven miles (11 km) where it meets Iowa 2 three miles (4.8 km) east of Nebraska City, Nebraska. North of the Iowa 2 interchange, the interstate straightens out to the north; interchanges serving Percival, Thurman, and Bartlett are spaced out every four and a half miles (7.2 km). At the US 34 interchange near Glenwood, I-29 is joined by US 275.