The Iowa Department of Transportation, in collaboration with the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, has announced the renaming of the northern segment of Interstate 680 in western Iowa.

The new route designation will be I-880 for the northern I-680 segment that connects I-29 near Loveland with I-80 near Neola. The designation of the southern segment of I-680 that connects North Omaha to I-29 near Crescent will remain the same.

I-680-to-I-880_1

The change comes following some confusion recognized during road closures due to flooding in western Iowa. Austin Yates, an Iowa DOT transportation engineer, said, “Updating the designation of this roadway will help local and regional motorists as well as our own crews. Over the last several months, communicating closures on I-29 and I-680 during this year’s flooding has really brought the need to accurately differentiate between the two segments. Renaming the northern segment to I-880 will eliminate any confusion.”

Online maps produced by the Iowa DOT have already been updated and signage will be changing in the coming weeks. The change may take some time to accurately be reflected on online navigation and mapping systems like Google Maps and Apple Maps.