Iowa Highway 60 (1920–1968)

Iowa 60 entered the state as a continuation of Route 5. It headed northeast through Cincinnati and then curved to the north towards Centerville where it intersected Iowa 2. It then continued north through Moravia and into Albia. There, it intersected US 34 on the south side of town and Iowa 137 on the north side. North of Albia, the highway took a northwesterly route through Lovilia and Attica and into Knoxville. At Main Street in Knoxville, it met Iowa 92 and the two highways headed west together through the city. They turned north on Roche Street for a couple blocks before turning west again on Pleasant Street. They met Iowa 14 a few blocks south of the Knoxville Raceway. Just south of Pleasantville, the two highways split as Iowa 92 headed west, Iowa 60 north, and Iowa 181 headed south towards Melcher and Dallas.

Iowa 60 continued northwest through Pleasantville and Hartford. Just to the north of Carlisle, the highway came up from the south to a four-way intersection with Iowa 46, which formed the northern leg. A gravel road was the eastern leg and northbound Iowa 60 took the western leg. As the highway entered Des Moines it headed due west on Army Post Road, on which it intersected US 65 / US 69. Near the Des Moines Airport, it met Iowa 28. The road continued west until it reached I-35 near the Raccoon River. From that interchange, Iowa 60 followed I-35 north along the western side of the Des Moines metro area. I-80 joined I-35 / Iowa 60 in West Des Moines. Iowa 60 split away from the Interstate Highways at the Rider Corner, a large bend where I-35 / I-80 turned to the east. Iowa 64, which had been following I-80 from the east, also turned off at the corner; Iowa 141 also began at the corner. The three highways headed north together until Iowa 64 turned west at Grimes. Near Granger, Iowa 60 split away to the north while Iowa 141 continued northwest towards Perry.

From Granger, Iowa 60 headed north over the Des Moines River and through Madrid, where it met Iowa 89. After passing through Luther, it met US 30 at an interchange. It continued north toward Stanhope, where it briefly overlapped Iowa 175. In downtown Webster City, US 20 joined up with Iowa 60 and the two highways headed west through the town. Between Webster City and Duncombe, Iowa 60 turned north. After passing through Eagle Grove, it met Iowa 3 in Goldfield. A couple miles later, Iowa 60 turned north toward Renwick and Corwith. Iowa 60 ended at an intersection with US 18 just northeast of Wesley.

Primary Road No. 60 was an original state highway that extended from Des Moines to Goldfield. The highway began at the corner of Grand Avenue, which carried No. 2, and 6th Avenue in downtown Des Moines.[1] In 1926, when the U.S. Highway System came into being, No. 2 became U.S. Highway 32 (US 32) and No. 60 became Iowa 60.[2] In 1931, the highway was extended at both ends. To the south, it was extended to the Missouri state line, absorbing all of what had been known as Iowa 6. The renumbering of US 32 to US 6 that year necessitated the Iowa 6 route number change. At the north end, a new road was built from Goldfield to US 18 near Wesley.[3][4]

Overall, Iowa 60's route remained largely the same for the rest of existence. The only major route changes occurred through the Des Moines area. When the route was extended southward in 1931, it followed US 6 east to US 63 near the Iowa State Fairgrounds where it picked up the former Iowa 6 routing.[4] In the early 1950s, Army Post Road on Des Moines's south side was extended east to Iowa 60. When that road opened, Iowa 60 was rerouted onto it and US 65 / US 69 north to University Avenue. Iowa 46 replaced Iowa 46 north of Army Post Road to the state fairgrounds.[5] After the Interstate Highway System came into being and I-35 and I-80 were completed through Des Moines, Iowa 60 was rerouted again west on Army Post Road to I-35 and north onto a new Iowa 141 routing. Iowa 415 was created to replace most of Iowa 60 from Des Moines to near Madrid.[6]

On January 1, 1969, Iowa 60 ceased to be. The Iowa State Highway Commission renumbered several state highways, including Iowa 60, in order to match route numbers to those in neighboring states.[7] The following changes affected Iowa 60:

• Iowa 4 was renumbered Iowa 39
• Iowa 17 was renumbered Iowa 4 to match Minnesota State Highway 4
• Iowa 33 was renumbered Iowa 60 to match Minnesota State Highway 60
• Iowa 60 north of Granger was renumbered Iowa 17
• Iowa 60 south of Des Moines was renumbered Iowa 5 to match Missouri Route 5
• Iowa 60 between Des Moines and Granger was deemed an unnecessary duplication and removed