U.S. Highway 370
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U.S. Highway 370 was a highway in Nebraska and Iowa, now decommissioned.
The US 370, now signed as State Highway 370, was about 20 miles (32 km) long and a branch route of U.S. Highway 70. The starting point was supposedly from Papillion, Nebraska (a surburb of Omaha, Nebraska), and the ending eastern terminus was near Council Bluffs, Iowa, about three miles south of where the Iowa School for the Deaf now exists. The author of this article is not sure when this highway was decommissioned and demoted to state highway status as he moved to Nebraska well after it was decommissioned. The author did see a US 370 sign, where it stands at the intersection of where Nebraska State Highway 84 and Nebraska State Highway 370 meets.
The major cities crossing US 370 included:
The western point of 370 intersects with Interstate 80 at Papillion. The eastern point of 370 intersects with Interstate 29 in Council Bluffs.
As of 2003, the western part of 370 was being converted to a two lane freeway at the western point of Papillion, then becomes a limited expressway (stoplights spread a quarter to half mile apart until it passes though US 75 Freeway in Bellevue). After passing though the US 75, 370 becomes a street highway in Bellevue, before one crosses the toll bridge at the Nebraska-Iowa Border (the Missouri River made the bridge necessary). Once crossing the bridge, Nebraska 370 becomes Iowa 370, where it terminates upon meeting Interstate 29.
There have been discussions on what to do with the bridge. As of 2003, the bridge will have existed for 50 years. The bonds to make the bridge possible have not been paid off with the proceeds of toll fees, and the bridge has become outdated because there is only one lane in each direction. When the bridge was completed in 1953, it was adequate because Bellevue had at most, 5,000 people. Since that time, Bellevue has become the third largest city in Nebraska and a very important surburb of Omaha.