Des Moines Bypass
The bypass around Des Moines, Iowa, is a 25-mile-long (40 km) freeway around the south and east of the Des Moines metropolitan area. The route is made up of two state highways – Iowa Highway 5 (Iowa 5) and U.S. Highway 65 (US 65). The bypass begins in southwestern West Des Moines at Iowa 5's interchange with Interstate 35 (I-35). It heads to the east and then curves to the north near the southeastern side of Des Moines. It ends at the interchange of US 65 and I-80 in Altoona.
Des Moines Bypass | ||||
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| Military Order of the Purple Heart Highway | ||||
Des Moines Bypass highlighted in red | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by Iowa DOT | ||||
| Length | 24.649 mi (39.669 km) | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| West end | I-35 in West Des Moines | |||
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| East end | I-80 / US 65 in Altoona | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | Iowa | |||
| Counties | Polk, Warren | |||
| Highway system | ||||
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The bypass was planned concurrently in the 1970s and 1980s as two segments, Iowa 500, which is represented today by the US 65 segment north of the Iowa 5 interchange near Carlisle, and the much longer Iowa 592, which is represented by Iowa 5 from I-35 in West Des Moines to Iowa 92 near Pleasantville. Area leaders would like to see the road designated as an Interstate Highway, but significant obstacles have prevented that from happening. The bypass, together with Interstate 80 and 35, forms a beltway around Des Moines.