Iowa Highway 15

Iowa Highway 15 (Iowa 15) is a north–south state highway in northern Iowa. It is 63+1⁄2 miles (102.2 km) long. The southern end of Iowa 15 is 7 miles (11 km) east of Pocahontas at an intersection with Iowa Highway 3. The northern end is at the Minnesota border, where the highway continues north as Minnesota State Highway 15 near Fairmont, Minnesota. Prior to 1969, the route was known as Iowa Highway 44; it was renumbered to match the highway in Minnesota.

Iowa Highway 15 marker

Iowa Highway 15

Iowa 15 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by Iowa DOT
Length63.578 mi[1] (102.319 km)
Existed1969[2]–present
Major junctions
South end Iowa 3 / CR N65 near Pocahontas
Major intersections
North end MN 15 north of Armstrong
Location
CountryUnited States
StateIowa
Counties
Highway system
← Iowa 14→ Iowa 15

Route description
Highway 15 in Rolfe

Iowa Highway 15 begins 7 miles (11 km) east of Pocahontas at Iowa Highway 3. It goes north for 5 miles (8.0 km) to Rolfe, then begins to go northeast in a stairstep manner for 9 miles (14 km) until crossing the West Fork of the Des Moines River and into Humboldt County 3 miles (4.8 km) west of Ottosen. It then turns north onto the Palo Alto County/Kossuth County border for 4+1⁄2 miles (7.2 km) and passes through West Bend. It continues north for 8+1⁄2 miles (13.7 km) to the Whittemore area, where there is a one-mile (1.6 km) overlap with U.S. Route 18, where it fully enters Kossuth County.

It goes north 9 miles (14 km) to Fenton, continues north for 6 miles (9.7 km), and then turns west for 3 miles (4.8 km), where it enters Emmet County. Near Ringsted, it turns north again for 6+1⁄2 miles (10.5 km) and meets Iowa Highway 9 in Armstrong. Iowa 9 and Iowa 15 overlap each other for two blocks before Iowa 15 turns north into Armstrong. Highway 15 leaves Armstrong to the east; 3 miles (4.8 km) east of town, it turns north and ends at the Minnesota border 7 miles (11 km) later.

History

Parts of what is now Iowa Highway 15 were originally primary roads designated in 1926. Primary Road 44 extended from Primary Road 10, now Iowa Highway 3 to Rolfe, while Primary Road 43 extended from Armstrong to the Minnesota state line.[3] By 1947, Iowa Highway 44 had been created along the same route Iowa 15 now occupies.[4] In 1969, then-Iowa Highway 44 was redesignated as Iowa Highway 15 to match Minnesota State Highway 15 at the state line.[2]

Major intersections
CountyLocationmi[1]kmDestinationsNotes
PocahontasLake–Garfield
township line		0.0000.000 Iowa 3 / CR N65 – Gilmore City, Pocahontas, MansonSouthern terminus
Humboldt
 No major junctions
Palo Alto–Kossuth
county line		Fern Valley–Fairfield–
Whittemore–Lotts Creek
township quadripoint		29.41247.334
 US 18 west – Emmetsburg		Southern end of US 18 overlap
KossuthWhittemore–Lotts Creek
township line		30.40048.924

 US 18 east / CR P16 south – Whittemore, Algona		Northern end of US 18 overlap
EmmetArmstrong54.67587.991
 Iowa 9 west – Estherville		Southern end of IA 9 overlap
54.79088.176
 Iowa 9 east – Swea City		Northern end of IA 9 overlap
Iowa Lakes Township63.578102.319 MN 15 – FairmontContinuation into Minnesota
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References
  1. 2009 Volume of Traffic on the Primary Road System of Iowa (PDF) (Report). Iowa Department of Transportation. January 1, 2009. Retrieved April 17, 2010.
  2. Iowa State Highway Commission (1969). State of Iowa Transportation Map (PDF) (Map). Ames: Iowa State Highway Commission. Retrieved April 17, 2010.
  3. Junior Road Map: Western Iowa (Map). Rand McNally & Company. 1926. Retrieved April 17, 2010.
  4. Road and Reference Atlas (Map). 1:1,077,120. Rand McNally & Company. 1947. pp. 42–43.
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