Facing north on 86
Highway 60 has been upgraded to four lanes from I-90 at Worthington to US 71 at Windom.
Facing north on 86
NORTH End: Minnesota state line, Dickinson County IA/Jackson County MN
Facing north on 86
There are no shoulders on 86 from the state line to IA 9, probably because until 1981 this was a county road.
Facing north on 86
Photo by Kurt Berge
Same sign, four years later
Turning around, 86 follows the line for just a bit (below).
Facing west, but heading south, on IA/MN 86
Photo by Kurt Berge
The section lines of Iowa and Minnesota do not match, so 86 straddles the state line for about 1/4 mile. The car, currently in Minnesota, will enter Iowa when it turns south.
Facing south on 86
SOUTH End: Stoplight, US 71, Milford, Dickinson County
Facing east, but heading south, on 86
Photo by Kurt Berge
Kurt writes, "Visible in the background is the traffic signal at the junction with US 71. Also visible on the right are several features of Boji Bay water park, a popular summer destination in the Iowa Great Lakes."
Facing east, but heading south, on 86
The LGS has been moved closer to the intersection since Kurt's picture, and also put on metal poles, which are also popping up across the state. Because 86 angles slightly southeast here, this is inside the city limits of Milford.
Facing east, but heading south, on 86
I don't know what prompted the moving of the "End" sign, or putting the "End" on the bottom.
Facing north on 71
Facing north on 71
Facing north on 71
Facing south on 71
Facing south on 71
Photo by Kurt Berge
Facing south on 71, slightly different view
Facing west on frontage road
Highway 86 was a possible candidate for decommissioning in 2003 because it was only in one county, according to the Jan. 10, 2003, Spencer Daily Reporter. However, the Spencer City Council and Clay County Board of Supervisors passed resolutions urging the state to keep 86 on the books as the most direct route to I-90 - and not only that, upgrade 86 to four lanes. (I-90 is more than three times as close to Spencer than I-80.) The lobbying must have worked, because 86 is still around today, but four-laning is probably far off.
Pictures by Kurt Berge: Fourth, sixth, eighth, and fifteenth, 7/11/02
Pictures by me: First-third, fifth, and seventh, 9/8/06; ninth-fourteenth, fifteenth, and sixteenth, 6/15/04
Page created 5/3/04; last updated 12/11/06