Iowa

US 218 begins in downtown Keokuk at an intersection with US 136 and US 61 Business (US 61 Bus.) at Main and 7th streets. The highway heads north along Main Street with US 61 Bus. As they exit Keokuk, the business route ends at an intersection with the mainline US 61, which bypasses the city. US 218 and US 61 head north concurrently for a few miles before US 218 exits to the northwest; US 61 follows the Mississippi River north towards Fort Madison. US 218 travels northwesterly for almost ten miles (16 km) along a two-lane road. As it approaches Donnellson, it meets up with and joins Iowa Highway 27 (Iowa 27), the Avenue of the Saints.

The two highways head north on a four-lane expressway. In Donnellson, they meet Iowa 2 at a diamond interchange. Further north, and east of Houghton, they intersect Iowa 16 at an at-grade intersection. Prior to crossing the Skunk River, the roadway angles to the northeast and a freeway bypass of Mount Pleasant begins. From the east, the highways are joined by US 34 and Iowa 163. The four highways loop around the city's eastern side and begin traversing the northern side when US 34 and Iowa 163 split away to continue bypassing Mount Pleasant; US 218 and Iowa 27 continue north.

From Mount Pleasant it continues to the Iowa City area, which it bypasses to the south and west. The US 218/IA27 concurrency intersects with I-80, and continues north with I-380 towards Cedar Rapids. There US 218 diverges from IA 27 and joins the US30/US151 bypass of south Cedar Rapids. US 151 heads south at Exit 248, and the US 30/218 concurrency continues west for 15 miles, where US 30 continues on as a 4 lane highway and US 218 exits north as a rural 2 lane highway. US 218 heads northwest through Vinton and La Porte City before it reaches the Waterloo area.

Route 218 remains a 2 lane highway until it becomes a freeway right before US 20 and once again joins I-380 for a couple miles to downtown Waterloo. When I-380 ends, US 218 continues through downtown Waterloo and then to Cedar Falls, where it crosses the Cedar River. It continues northwest as a 4 lane highway through Waverly, Charles City, and Osage until the Minnesota state line.

Minnesota

US 218 enters the state at Lyle, in Mower County. It follows along the east side of the Iowa, Chicago, and Eastern Railroad line as it continues northward through farm fields. Southeast of Austin, US 218 angles northeastward to bypass the city, its former route following County Road 45 (CR 45) into town.^[1]

US 218 passes by the Austin Municipal Airport just before its interchange with I-90. The highway runs concurrently with I-90 for nearly three miles (4.8 km) through northern Austin. When US 218 departs from the Interstate and turns back north, it becomes a four-lane divided highway for a short distance. After its junction with State Highway 251 (MN 251), the highway angles north-northwestward again following the IC&E rail line, this time on the west side of the tracks.^[1]

The highway enters Dodge County for less than a mile, then reaches Steele County, Blooming Prairie, and an eight-block-long concurrency with MN 30. It continues north-northwesterly after leaving Blooming Prairie, traveling through predominantly agricultural scenery. It passes by Oak Glen Lake before going through the unincorporated community of Bixby.

After passing through the unincorporated community of Pratt, US 218 meets US 14 at a folded diamond interchange. US 218 runs westward concurrently with US 14, while its historic route through downtown Owatonna continues ahead as CR 48. After an interchange with CR 45 (former US 65), US 14/US 218 passes by Kaplan's Woods Park and reaches I-35, where US 218 ends.

Legally, the Minnesota section of US 218 is defined as Route 40 in Minnesota Statutes § 161.114(2).^[2]

Mount Pleasant business route

U.S. Highway 218 Business (US 218 Bus.) was designated along a former routing of US 218 through Mount Pleasant, the northernmost 0.7 miles (1.1 km) are officially known as Iowa 438. The routing was created as a result of construction of the Avenue of the Saints corridor through Iowa. The new Avenue of the Saints corridor took US 218/Iowa 27 and US 34 around the eastern and northern edges of Mount Pleasant. The Iowa 438 section of US 218 Bus. serves as a connector from southbound US 218/Iowa 27 to westbound US 34.

Waverly business route

US 218 Business (US 218 Bus.) in Waverly was designated December 2, 1998, on the old segment of US 218 after it was routed around Waverly. The business route spans 6.6 miles (10.6 km). It intersects Iowa 3 in downtown Waverly and the two routes run concurrently for about one mile (1.6 km). South of Iowa 3, US 218 Bus. is officially known as Iowa 116. US 218 Bus. begins at exit 198 on US 218/Iowa 27 south of Waverly and ends at exit 205 on US 218/Iowa 27.

Charles City business route

US 218 Business (US 218 Bus.) in Charles City was designated along the old alignment of US 218 in 2000 after the construction of the Avenue of the Saints corridor created a bypass around Charles City. Upon its designation, the route was officially known by two Iowa state highways: Iowa 337 and Iowa 162. Iowa 337 was turned over to local jurisdictions in 2001 and Iowa 162 was turned over in 2006 after US 18 was relocated through Charles City.

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Browse numbered routes
← Iowa 415	Iowa 438	→ Iowa 922
← Iowa 110	Iowa 116	→ Iowa 117

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