From 1973 until 2019, I-680 extended much farther into Iowa. It followed I-29 for 10 miles (16 km) between Crescent and Loveland. It then headed east along what is now known as I-880 until it met I-80 again near Neola. The I-880 section was originally known as I-80N from 1966 until it was absorbed into I-680 in 1973. I-680 in Omaha was originally designated Interstate 280 (I-280). Maps from the early and mid-1960s showed I-280 in Omaha. Since this highway would extend into Iowa and I-280 was already planned for the Quad Cities area, this route was redesignated I-680.
I-680 begins at a complex interchange with I-80 in Omaha. Due to the proximity of the West Center Road interchange on I-680 and the I, L, and Q street interchanges on I-80, all the exit and entrance ramps which connect I-80 to I-680 also connect to West Center Road and I, L, and Q streets. The freeway heads north through the heart of West Omaha; it serves as a dividing line of several residential neighborhoods.[5][6] Two miles (3.2 km) north of West Center Road, which, prior to 2003, was Nebraska Highway 38 (N-38),[7] is a new interchange with US Route 6 (US 6), known as Dodge Street in Omaha.[2] Another mile (1.6 km) north of Dodge Street is N-64, known as Maple Street.[2]
At N-133, I-680 turns to the east toward Iowa. South of this interchange, I-680 travels through residential neighborhoods, but, to the east, the population thins and the Interstate passes through farmland for 4.5 miles (7.2 km).[8] I-680 crosses over N-36, which is accessed via the US 75 interchange 0.5 miles (0.80 km) later. US 75 runs adjacent to I-680 for one mile (1.6 km) before turning south at 30th Street.[2] The Interstate crosses the Missouri River to Iowa via the Mormon Bridge.[9] In Iowa, I-680 is markedly less urban than in Nebraska. The first three miles (4.8 km) of I-680 travel through the flat bottoms of the Missouri River valley.[10] I-680 ends at an interchange with I-29 just west of Crescent.
History
The original plans of what is now I-680 around Omaha
In Nebraska, plans for I-280 to bypass Omaha to the north to I-29 were drawn up in the late 1950s. At the same time, plans were being drawn up for an I-280 to bypass the Quad Cities. Since two Interstates cannot have the same designation in the same state, one of the I-280s had to be renumbered. The Omaha I-280 was redesignated as I-680 around 1965.[11] In Iowa, I-80N opened to traffic on December 13, 1966.[4] I-80N extended from the current northern interchange with I-29 near Loveland to the I-80 interchange near Neola.
In the early 1970s, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) decided that Interstates with a directional suffix, such as I-80N, would have to be renumbered.[12] By 1974, I-80N had been redesignated to I-680 to match Nebraska.[13] The last piece of I-680 to be completed in Nebraska was the westbound bridge across the Missouri River.[14] Paving in Iowa wrapped up in the years to come and the entire route was open to traffic by April 21, 1979.[4]
Interchange with I-29 looking toward the Mormon Bridge from Council Bluffs on June 16, 2011, during the 2011 Missouri River Flood
Over the course of several months in 2011, I-680 was severely damaged by flood waters from the Missouri River. The first sections of both I-680 and I-29 closed on June 10. I-29 was closed from North 25th Street to the northern I-680 interchange near Loveland. I-680 was closed from US 75 in Omaha to the southern interchange with I-29.[15] A week later, water was diverted and drained from the area around the northern I-29 interchange to allow traffic to use the roads. I-680 was opened from the interchange to the Beebeetown exit and I-29 was reopened from the interchange to the US 30 exit at Missouri Valley. I-29 traffic was routed around the flooded area by using I-680 eastbound to I-80 westbound to Council Bluffs.[16]
After floodwaters receded and the damage was assessed, sections of I-680 were reopened to traffic. However, the section west of I-29 was the most heavily damaged and it remained closed. Contract bids were let on September 23, and reconstruction began on September 28.[17] Construction crews worked at "an accelerated pace" to complete the road in 34 days.[18] The road was officially reopened on November 2 during a ceremony in Crescent hosted by Governor Terry Branstad.[19]
Due to I-29 and I-680 being subjected to flooding from the adjacent Missouri River, Iowa DOT officials sought to reduce confusion among drivers who were forced to use I-680 and I-80 as a detour around floodwaters. They proposed to AASHTO to rename the section of I-680 from Loveland to Neola, Iowa as I-880. The plan was approved on October 5, 2019.[24] I-880 would follow the same routing that I-80N had 50 years earlier. Iowa DOT updated its online maps and announced that the signage would be changed just weeks after the official approval by AASHTO.[25]
2024 flooding
Due to excessive rainfall in the Siouxland area upstream of Omaha/Council Bluffs, flooding of the Missouri River caused Iowa DOT to close I-29 and I-680, starting at 1am on Wednesday, June 26, 2024. [26] Iowa DOT re-opened I-29 and I-680 with limited lanes at 6pm on Wednesday, July 3. [27] All lanes and all ramps opened at 7:30am on Friday, July 12.
Counterclockwise terminus; I-80 exit 446; exit number is for I-80 westbound; exit number based on I-80 mileage
0.72
1.16
1
West Center Road / I Street / US 275 / N-92 (L Street) / Q Street
No southbound entrance; southbound exit uses C/D lanes; I-80 exit 445; West Center Road is former N-38; northbound exit signed as West Center Road only
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