Iowa Highway 173 (Iowa 173) is a

state highway A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either Route number, numbered or maintained by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered ...

in western Iowa. It begins at Iowa 83 northwest of

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...

and ends at Iowa 44 in Kimballton. Iowa 173 connects Elk Horn and Kimballton, two small towns with tributes to their residents' Danish heritage. From its intersection with

Interstate 80 Interstate 80 (I-80) is an east–west transcontinental freeway that crosses the United States from San Francisco, California, to Teaneck, New Jersey, in the New York metropolitan area. The highway was designated in 1956 as one of the ori ...

(I-80) north to Iowa 44, Iowa 173 is designated as part of the Western Skies Scenic Byway. Designated in 1930, the highway was originally a spur route into Elk Horn from Kimballton. The route was lengthened to its current extent in 1980.

Route description

Iowa 173 begins at an intersection with Iowa 83 northwest of

. It heads north through rural Cass County and intersects

(I-80) at a

partial cloverleaf interchange A partial cloverleaf interchange or parclo is a modification of a cloverleaf interchange. The design has been well received, and has since become one of the most popular freeway-to-arterial interchange designs in North America. It has also bee ...

. Just north of the Interstate Highway, the route enters Shelby County. Further north, Iowa 173 passes through Elk Horn along Main Street where an authentic Danish

windmill A windmill is a machine operated by the force of wind acting on vanes or sails to mill grain (gristmills), pump water, generate electricity, or drive other machinery. Windmills were used throughout the high medieval and early modern period ...

greets visitors to the Iowa welcome center. North of Elk Horn, the highway curves to the west along the Shelby– Audubon county line and then back to the north. It continues north for until it reaches Kimballton, where it also runs along Main Street. Near its northern end at Iowa 44, Iowa 173 passes a replica of

The Little Mermaid "The Little Mermaid" (), sometimes translated in English as "The Little Sea Maid", is a fairy tale written by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. Originally published in 1837 as part of a collection of fairy tales for children, the story foll ...

, a tribute to the town's Danish heritage. The section of Iowa 173 from I-80 north to Iowa 44 is part of the Western Skies Scenic Byway.

History

Iowa 173 was designated in 1930 along a dirt road as a

spur route A spur route is a short road forming a branch from a longer, more important road such as a freeway, Interstate Highway, or motorway. A Bypass route, bypass or beltway is not considered a spur route as it typically reconnects with another or the ...

from Iowa 7 near Kimballton south to Elk Horn. The road was graveled in late 1932, and it was paved in 1956. In 1980, Iowa 173 was lengthened significantly to the south. The new section of the route was paved when it was designated. Since its extension, the route has not undergone any changes.

Major intersections

References

External links

{{Attached KML
Iowa Highway Ends
by Jeff Morrison
Danish Windmill in Elk Horn
173