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'U.S. Route 34' is an east-west United States highway that runs for 1,122 miles (1,806 km) from the western suburbs of Chicago to north-central Colorado. Through Rocky Mountain National Park it is known as the Trail Ridge Road where it reaches 12,183 ft (3,713 m), making it the highest paved through highway in the United States.
U.S. Route 34 becomes a toll road for a short distance in Colorado, where it passes through Rocky Mountain National Park.

Contents

Termini

Route description

Colorado

Mountain Passes

Nebraska

Iowa

Illinois

Intersections with Interstate highways

References

Termini

As of 2004, the highway's eastern terminus is Berwyn, Illinois at Illinois Route 43. Its western terminus is Granby, Colorado at U.S. Route 40.
Before Interstate 55 was completed in greater Chicago, US 34 coincided with U.S. Route 66 at its eastern end, mostly along Ogden Avenue. A few years after US 66 was wholly decommissioned as a numbered route in Illinois, so was US 34 east of its current eastern terminus.

Route description

Major cities
★ ★ Estes Park, Colorado ★ Loveland, Colorado ★ Greeley, Colorado ★ Hastings, Nebraska ★ Grand Island, Nebraska ★ Lincoln, Nebraska ★ Plattsmouth, Nebraska ★ Glenwood, Iowa ★ Red Oak, Iowa ★ Creston, Iowa ★ Osceola, Iowa ★ Chariton, Iowa ★ Ottumwa, Iowa ★ Fairfield, Iowa ★ Mount Pleasant, Iowa ★ Burlington, Iowa ★ Galesburg, Illinois ★ Aurora, Illinois ★ Naperville, Illinois ★ La Grange, Illinois

U.S. Route 34 passes through the following states:

Colorado

Main articles: U.S. Route 34 in Colorado

In the state of Colorado, U.S. Route 34 runs north from Granby through Rocky Mountain National Park. It passes through Estes Park, Loveland and Greeley before entering Nebraska east of Wray.

Mountain Passes

Route 34 transverses Fall River Pass and Milner Pass in the Front Range of Colorado.

Nebraska

Main articles: U.S. Route 34 in Nebraska

In the state of Nebraska, U.S. Route 34 is a major east-west arterial surface road along the southern portion of Nebraska. It enters Nebraska west of Haigler and overlaps other routes for the majority of its routing. U.S. 34 passes through Hastings, Grand Island, and Lincoln before entering Iowa east of Plattsmouth over the Plattsmouth Bridge.
U.S. Route 34 from between Hastings and Grand Island is known as the Tom Osborne Expressway, which is named for the former Hastings resident, Nebraska Cornhusker football coach, and Congressman. Also, the segment from the Lancaster County/Cass County border to Nebraska Highway 1 south of Elmwood is the Bess Streeter Aldrich Memorial Highway, after the former author and Elmwood resident.

Iowa

In the state of Iowa, U.S. Route 34 is a major east-west arterial surface road across southern Iowa. It enters Iowa west of Pacific Junction. U.S. 34 passes through Glenwood, Red Oak, Creston, Osceola, Ottumwa, Fairfield, Mt. Pleasant, and Burlington before crossing the Mississippi River on the Great River Bridge into Illinois. Much of this route was originally known as the Bluegrass Highway and parallels tracks of what was originally the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad and is now the BNSF. Amtrak's California Zephyr passenger rail service also parallels this route.
U.S. 34 in the state of Iowa is officially designated the Red Bull Highway.
The portion of U.S. Route 34 between Ottumwa and Burlington is in the process of being upgraded to expressway standards, as part of a four-lane connection between Des Moines and southeast Iowa. The new expressway joins Avenue of the Saints (U.S. Route 218) as a bypass of Mt. Pleasant. In Ottumwa highway 34 intersects U.S. Route 63 in one of the few traffic circles in Iowa.

Illinois

Main articles: U.S. Route 34 in Illinois

In the state of Illinois, U.S. Route 34 enters from the Mississippi River across from Burlington, Iowa. It passes through or around the cities of Galesburg, Oswego and Naperville, and continues in a largely southwest-northeast direction to its eastern terminus in Chicago.^[2] Throughout Chicago and its suburbs, the highway is known as "Ogden Avenue", after William Butler Ogden, Chicago's first mayor.

Intersections with Interstate highways

★ I-25 in Loveland, Colorado

★ I-76 from Brush, Colorado to Wiggins, Colorado - concurrency 9 miles

★ I-80 near Grand Island, Nebraska

★ I-80 in Lincoln, Nebraska

★ I-29 from near Pacific Junction, Iowa to near Glenwood, Iowa - concurrency 3 miles

★ I-35 in Osceola, Iowa

★ I-74 in Galesburg, Illinois

★ I-80 in Princeton, Illinois

★ I-39 in Meriden, Illinois

★ I-355 in Lisle, Illinois

★ I-294 in Hinsdale, Illinois

References

1. US Highways from US 1 to US 830 Robert V. Droz
2. Illinois Highway Ends: US 34