U.S. Route 55

U.S. Highway 55 was a northsouth United States highway. Though it was part of the original 1926 numbering plan, it was deleted within 10 years.

U.S. Route 55 marker

U.S. Route 55

US 55 highlighted in red on a modern map
Route information
Length370 mi[1][2] (600 km)
Existed1926–1934
Major junctions
South end US 61 in Davenport, Iowa
Major intersections US 30 in Clinton, Iowa
US 20 / US 61 in Dubuque, Iowa
US 14 in Rochester, Minn.
US 65 in Farmington, Minn.
North end US 12 in Minneapolis, Minn.
Location
CountryUnited States
StatesIowa, Minnesota
Highway system
US 54 US 56

Route description

From its southern terminus in Davenport, Iowa,[3] U.S. Highway 55 initially followed the route of present-day U.S. Highway 52 through Hampton, Minnesota excepting for later local improvements such as the Rochester and Decorah bypasses. It was deleted 80 years ago.

North of Hampton, Minnesota, U.S. Highway 55 headed north and west to downtown Minneapolis. Within the village of Hampton, Minnesota, U.S. Highway 55 followed along Main Street and present-day Minnesota Highway 50 to Farmington. Within Farmington, the highway had a shared segment with what was then U.S. Highway 65 (now Minnesota Highway 3) to Elm Street in Hampton.

From Farmington, U.S. Highway 55 headed westward to Burnsville via present-day 212th Street West, Lakeville Blvd, 210th Street West, Kenwood Trail, and Burnsville Parkway to Lyndale Ave (now Interstate 35W). Following the decommissioning of U.S. Highway 55, the portion of the route between Farmington and Burnsville was subsequently designated as a portion of Minnesota Highway 50, and transferred to County control in 1994 as Dakota County Road 50. From Burnsville, U.S. Highway 55 again turned northwards, following Lyndale Avenue across the Minnesota River and into Downtown Minneapolis via Lyndale Avenue, Lake Street, and 3rd Avenue.

History

When the route was designated in 1926, its northern terminus was in Minneapolis at an intersection with U.S. Highway 12, near the Mississippi River. Its southern terminus was in Dubuque, Iowa, at an intersection with U.S. Highway 61 (or possibly U.S. Highway 20). In 1932, US 55 was extended south to Davenport, Iowa, to another intersection with US 61. While US 61 followed a more direct route from Dubuque to Davenport, the new US 55 extension followed the western shore of the Mississippi River.

Just two years later, in 1934, US 55 was deleted entirely. U.S. Highway 67 was extended through Davenport to Dubuque, absorbing the 1932 extension of US 55. The northern half of this stretch was co-signed with an extension of U.S. Highway 52, which took over the US 55 designation to Hampton, Minnesota. From Hampton, US 52 was routed to Saint Paul via Minnesota Highway 56 to Inver Grove Heights and Robert Street into downtown Saint Paul. The remainder of U.S. Highway 55 north and west of Hampton was designated as U.S. Highway 65. The prior routing of U.S. Highway 65 into from Farmington to Saint Paul was redesignated as U.S. Highway 218 for one year, and subsequently redesignated as Minnesota Highway 218, and later as Minnesota Highway 3.

The number "55" was later proposed for the route which would become U.S. Highway 56.[4]

Major intersections

StateCountyLocationmi[1][2]kmDestinationsNotes
IowaScottDavenport00.0 US 61
ClintonClinton3861
US 30 west
Southern end of US 30 overlap
4064

US 30 east / Iowa 136 north
Northern end of US 30 overlap
JacksonUnion Township5589 Iowa 117
Bellevue76122
Iowa 62 west
DubuqueKey West97156
US 61 south
Southern end of US 61 overlap
Dubuque101163 US 20
102164
US 61 north
Northern end of US 61 overlap
Luxemburg127204

Iowa 10 west / Iowa 188 south
ClaytonGarnavillo Township152245
Iowa 128 west
Farmersburg Township161259
Iowa 13 south
Southern end of Iowa 13 overlap
Giard Township162261

US 18 east / Iowa 13 north
Southern end of US 18 overlap; northern end of Iowa 13 overlap
AllamakeePostville180290
Iowa 51 north
Post Township181291
US 18 west
Northern end of US 18 overlap
WinneshiekCalmar199320

Iowa 11 south / Iowa 24 west
Decorah210340 Iowa 9
 225
0
362
0.0
IowaMinnesota state line
MinnesotaFillmoreCanton Township11.6
TH 44 east
Preston Township1626
US 16 east
Southern end of US 16 overlap
Fountain Township2134
US 16 west
Northern end of US 16 overlap
OlmstedRochester4979
US 14 east
Southern end of US 14 overlap
5182 TH 59
5385
US 14 west
Northern end of US 14 overlap
GoodhueZumbrota76122
TH 58 north
Minneola Township78126
TH 21 west
Cannon Falls97156

TH 20 north / TH 50 north
Northern end of TH 20 overlap; southern end of TH 50 overlap
DakotaFarmington113182 US 65
HennepinFort Snelling135217 TH 52
Minneapolis143230 TH 12
145233
US 10 / US 12 / TH 3 / TH 50 south
Northern end of TH 50 overlap
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

  • Information regarding routes of the U.S. Highways within Minnesota was obtained from vintage maps provided by the Mid-West Map Company (1929) and H.M. Gousha Company (1935 and 1940).
  1. Iowa State Highway Map (PDF) (Map). Iowa State Highway Commission. August 1934. Retrieved November 19, 2011.
  2. Road and Reference Atlas (Map). 1 inch (25 mm)=20 miles (32 km). Rand McNally & Company. 1947. pp. 52–53.
  3. http://www.iowadot.gov/maps/msp/historical/pdf/1934-august-front.pdf
  4. Oklahoma Department of Transportation, Chronological History Documentation: US 56 (correspondence between ODOT, AASHO, and other DOTs)
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