WEST End: I-29 exit 1 and J64, near Hamburg, Fremont County
Facing west on 333 / Facing east on J64
Right photo by Neil Bratney
Highway 333's west end is the southwesternmost terminus in Iowa, 3.75 miles east of Nebraska and 1.15 miles north of Missouri. Just east of here, 333 enters Hamburg, intersecting US 275 1.4 miles east of its west end, meaning that on the current map, the dot for Hamburg covers up 333's entire route. (Fremont County puts the "Interchange No." signs with the onramp signs.)
Facing west on 333, on the other side of the interstate from the top pictures
Facing northwest, but heading north, on 29
This sign is by I-29's bridges over a local road, which about a thousand feet to the camera's left becomes Route V after crossing the Missouri line, and to the camera's right becomes Main Street in Hamburg.
Facing northwest, but heading north, on 29
Facing southeast, but heading south, on 29
Photo by Jason Hancock
Jason writes, "I have a feeling the top line had a spelled-out "County Road J64" when the sign was put up before the text was stripped off and IA 333 was added. However, I didn't notice any 'label scars' on the sign. After getting the photo I looked on the back to see if an erection date was present on the sign, and there was a '7-73' written on the back, implying that it's an original sign from July 1973."
Facing north on the 29 northbound offramp
Photo by Neil Bratney
EAST End: Stop sign, US 275 S/E Street and US 275 N/Washington Street, Hamburg, Fremont County
Facing north, but heading east, on 333
Photo by Neil Bratney
Highway 333 did not die in the Second Great Decommissioning, it just lost about 9/10 of its entire route. Only the connection between I-29 and US 275 was retained, meaning its closest sibling in function today is IA 152. (IA 244 had a similar role.)
Facing west, but heading north, on 275
Photo by Neil Bratney
Facing south on 275
Facing southwest, but heading west, on 333
Five blocks south of its end with 275, 333 turns to go slightly west-northwest and then west to 29. If Missouri ever decided it didn't want to have US 275 anymore due to its proximity to I-29, 275 could easily be extended along 333 to end at I-29's first Iowa exit.
Surrounding area information: Duplex with US 275 (1980-2003)
WEST end of duplex: Facing east on 333, but heading south on 275 / EAST end: Facing north on 275
The south end of US 275 is only about 19 miles south of here; 333 is the first route and was the first duplex it meets heading north. Today, J64 goes east of 275, parallelling the Missouri border about 1 1/4 mile north of the line for about 32 miles to US 71, all covering stretches of road that at one point or another were labeled as IA 333.
Old EAST End: Stop sign, US 59, Fremont County
Facing east on 333 - 2002
Photo by Neil Bratney
Until 1980 this was the west end of 333, but moving it east and west across Fremont and Page counties involves more than that. Originally, in 1935, it started here and went six miles east to Northboro. Between 1945 and 1964, it was extended both east and west, running from US 275 to US 71, but then in 1964 it was cut back to ending at 59 again. In 1980, 333 went through a complete swap, switching from between 59 and 71 to between I-29 and 59, and then nearly killed off 23 years later. Notice what's peeking out from behind the LGS.
Facing east on 333, behind the LGS (this picture looks more SE) - June 2003
This assembly comes to you courtesy of the Department of Redundancy Department. At right is the last southbound 59 shield in Iowa.
Facing west on 333 (LGS from two pictures up)
Facing north on 59, before and after truncation
Left photo by Neil Bratney
Along this line, 333 is just over a mile from the border.
Facing north on 59
For much of the mid-20th century, Page County found itself talking to a brick wall: On April 16, 1940, a delegation from the area asked the Highway Commission to blacktop the road (333 at the time) from US 59 eastward to US 71. On February 4, 1958, a delegation from the area asked the Highway Commission to pave the road between US 59 and US 71. In the late 1970s, delegations asked the Iowa Department of Transportation to pave IA 333 from one mile east of US 59 to US 71. It was finally done in 1980, under the condition that the county take charge of the road when paving was completed. (The DOT then got embroiled in a fight over who should maintain the road between US 59 and US 275, which is another story in itself.)
Facing south on 59 - 2002
Photo by Neil Bratney
Facing south on 59 - 2006
Photo by Jason Hancock
Unlike the northbound sign, the arrow only points in one direction here though the bracket has been removed.
Facing south on 59
Photo by Jason Hancock
Pictures by Neil Bratney: Second, seventh, 15th, 18th, and 21st, 4/20/02; eighth and ninth, 3/28/04
Pictures by Jason Hancock: Sixth, 4/1/07; 22nd and 23rd, 4/23/06
Pictures by me: Pictures by me: First, third-fifth, tenth-twelfth, 17th, 19th, and 20th, 6/12/06; 13th, 14th, and 16th, 6/16/03
Page created 5/22/02; last updated 4/14/07