U.S. Route 61 Business (Muscatine, Iowa)

U.S. Route 61 Business is a North-South Business Loop of the main U.S. Highway 61 that passes through the city of Muscatine, Iowa. Unlike the main U.S. 61, which now bypasses around the city as a four lane expressway, Business 61 takes the place of the former U.S. 61 and traverses through the city of Muscatine itself, and serves the city's main industrial area at the south end, the south end shopping district, the downtown, and the city's north end shopping district. The southern terminus for Business 61 is at its junction with U.S. Highway 61, Iowa Highway 92, and Muscatine's Industrial Connector at the city's south end, and the northern terminus for Business 61 is at its interchange with U.S. Highway 61, Iowa Highway 22, and Iowa Highway 38 on Muscatine's north end. Also, Business 61 in Muscatine is never alone, as it is always concurrent with at least one of the state routes from the Iowa State Highway system.

From its southern terminus, Business 61 overlaps Iowa Highway 92 and Grandview Avenue as it makes its way is a northeasterly direction through the southern end of the city and past the south end shopping district. At the northern terminus of Grandview Avenue, the T intersection of Grandview Avenue, Mississippi Drive, and Hershey Road, Business 61 and Iowa 92 turn right and overlap Mississippi Drive as they both make their way northeast into downtown Muscatine. In downtown Muscatine, Mississippi Drive ends and the Business 61/Iowa 92 concurrency curves left, becoming Mulberry Avenue. At the next block, the Mulberry Avenue/East 2nd Street intersection, Business 61 and Iowa 92 turn right again, overlapping East 2nd Street, and making their way past the Hon Industries. A couple of blocks later, Iowa 92 turns right and meets its eastern terminus while heading into Illinois via the Norbert F. Beckey Bridge over the Mississippi River while Business 61 continues uphill from downtown Muscatine, and Iowa Highway 38 begins here as well. Business 61 and Iowa 38 continue to the northeast uphill from downtown Muscatine, still concurrent with East 2nd Street, and at the top of the hill, after a couple of more blocks, East 2nd Street meets its eastern terminus at its intersection with Park Avenue, a North-South street, and East 4th Street, an East-West street. The Business 61/Iowa 38 concurrency turns north and overlaps Park Avenue for the rest of Business 61's trip through Muscatine. A few blocks after the Park Avenue/East 2nd Street/East 4th Street intersection, Business 61 and Iowa 38 meet Iowa Highway 22 at the Park Avenue/Washington Street intersection. Iowa 22 heads eastbound with Washington Street, but Iowa 22 westbound becomes concurrent with Business 61, Iowa 38, and Park Avenue. A few more blocks, and then Business 61, now concurrent with Iowa 38 and Iowa 22, runs through Muscatine's north end shopping district, which is one of the main shopping areas of the city, and one of the busiest parts of the city traffic wise as well. Notable businesses in this area include the Muscatine Mall, a Pizza Hut restaurant, a Country Kitchen restaurant, an Applebee's restaurant, a hotel, Miracle Car Wash, and Muscatine's Toyota dealer, simply known as "Toyota of Muscatine" which is located at the very intersection where Business 61 meets its northern terminus, at the junction of Iowa Highway 38, Iowa Highway 22, and U.S. 61. The other major car dealers of the city are located very close by on U.S. 61 itself within blocks of the northern terminus of Business 61.

*Note: The main Highway 61 is under construction making it into a two-lane highway for a small section of it. Construction is due to be completed in 2009.

External links

* [http://www.muscatine.com/gmcci/index.php Greater Muscatine Chamber of Commerce & Industry]