{{short description|Highway in the United States}} {{Use American English|date=April 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=September 2019}} {{Infobox road | country = USA | type = US | route = 34 |map={{maplink-road|from=U.S. Route 34.map}} |map_custom=yes |map_notes=US 34 highlighted in red | length_mi = 1122 | length_ref = {{citation needed|date=February 2018}} | established = 1926{{citation needed|date=February 2018}} | direction_a = West | terminus_a = {{Jct|country=USA|US|40}} at [[Granby, Colorado|Granby, CO]] | junction = {{Plainlist| *{{Jct|country=USA|I|25|US|87}} near [[Loveland, Colorado|Loveland, CO]] *{{Jct|country=USA|I|76|US|6|dab1=Colorado–Nebraska}} near [[Wiggins, Colorado|Wiggins, CO]] *{{Jct|country=USA|I|80|US|281}} near [[Grand Island, Nebraska|Grand Island, NE]] *{{Jct|country=USA|I|80|I|180|US|77|dab2=Nebraska}} at [[Lincoln, Nebraska|Lincoln, NE]] *{{Jct|country=USA|I|29|US|275}} near [[Glenwood, Iowa|Glenwood, IA]] *{{Jct|country=USA|I|35}} near [[Osceola, Iowa|Osceola, IA]] *{{Jct|country=USA|I|74}} in [[Galesburg, Illinois|Galesburg, IL]] *{{Jct|country=USA|I|39|US|51}} in [[Mendota, Illinois|Mendota, IL]] *{{Jct|country=USA|I|88|I|355|dab1=Illinois}} in [[Downers Grove, Illinois|Downers Grove, IL]] *{{Jct|country=USA|I|294}} at [[Western Springs, Illinois|Western Springs, IL]] }} | direction_b = East | terminus_b = {{jct|state=IL|IL|43}} at [[Berwyn, Illinois|Berwyn, IL]] | states = [[Colorado]], [[Nebraska]], [[Iowa]], [[Illinois]] | previous_type = US | previous_route = 33 | next_type = US | next_route = 35 }} '''U.S. Route 34''' ('''US 34''') is an east–west [[United States highway]] that runs for {{convert|1122|mi}} from north-central [[Colorado]] to the western suburbs of [[Chicago]]. Through [[Rocky Mountain National Park]] it is known as the [[Trail Ridge Road]] where it reaches an elevation of {{convert|12183|ft|m}}, making it one of the highest paved through highways in the United States. The highway's western terminus is [[Granby, Colorado]] at [[U.S. Route 40 in Colorado|US 40]]. Its eastern terminus is in [[Berwyn, Illinois]] at [[Illinois Route 43]].

U.S. Route 34 becomes a toll road for a short distance <!-- about 20 to 40 miles? --> in Colorado, where it passes through [[Rocky Mountain National Park]].

==Route description== [[Image:Trail Ridge Road.jpg|thumb|left|View of US 34 in Rocky Mountain National Park, from an elevation above {{convert|11000|ft}}]]

===Colorado=== {{main|U.S. Route 34 in Colorado}} {{see also|Trail Ridge Road}} In the state of Colorado, U.S. Route 34 runs north from [[Granby, Colorado|Granby]] through [[Rocky Mountain National Park]]. It passes through [[Estes Park, Colorado|Estes Park]], [[Loveland, Colorado|Loveland]], and [[Greeley, Colorado|Greeley]] before entering Nebraska east of [[Wray, Colorado|Wray]].

Within Rocky Mountain National Park US 34 is known as [[Trail Ridge Road]]. Due to its high elevation through the park and over the [[Continental Divide of the Americas|Continental Divide]], Route 34 closes entirely in winter from the Colorado River Trailhead on the west (10 miles north of the Grand Lake entrance) to Many Parks Curve on the east (8 miles from the Estes Park entrance.) Closure runs roughly from mid-October to Memorial Day weekend in May, and can occur at any time in summer due to high alpine snow storms.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/road_status.htm |title=Road Status Report - Rocky Mountain National Park |publisher=Nps.gov |access-date=August 17, 2012}}</ref>

Route 34 transverses [[Fall River Pass]] and [[Milner Pass]] in the [[Front Range]] of Colorado.

===Nebraska=== {{main|U.S. Route 34 in Nebraska}} In the state of Nebraska, U.S. Route 34 is a major east&ndash;west arterial surface road along the southern portion of Nebraska. It enters Nebraska west of [[Haigler, Nebraska|Haigler]] and [[Concurrency (road)|overlap]]s other routes for the majority of its routing. U.S. 34 passes through [[Hastings, Nebraska|Hastings]], [[Grand Island, Nebraska|Grand Island]], [[Seward, Nebraska|Seward]], and [[Lincoln, Nebraska|Lincoln]] before entering Iowa between [[Plattsmouth, Nebraska|Plattsmouth]] and [[Bellevue, Nebraska|Bellevue]].

U.S. Route 34 from between Hastings and Grand Island is known as the [[Tom Osborne]] Expressway, which is named for the former Hastings resident, [[Nebraska Cornhuskers]] football coach, and Congressman. In [[Lincoln, NE|Lincoln]], U.S. 34 overlaps with [[Interstate 180 (Nebraska)|Interstate 180]] from its junction with [[Interstate 80]] into downtown where it becomes North 9th/North 10th Streets, then east as "O" Street. Also, the segment from the [[Lancaster County, Nebraska|Lancaster County]]/[[Cass County, Nebraska|Cass County]] border to [[Nebraska Highway 1]] south of [[Elmwood, Nebraska|Elmwood]] is the [[Bess Streeter Aldrich]] Memorial Highway, after the former author and Elmwood resident.

===Iowa=== {{main|U.S. Route 34 in Iowa}} [[File:US 34, Montgomery County, Iowa.jpg|thumb|right|US 34 near its junction with US 71, [[Montgomery County, Iowa]].]] In the state of Iowa, U.S. Route 34 is a major east–west arterial surface road across southern Iowa. It enters Iowa west of [[Glenwood, Iowa|Glenwood]] and then passes through Glenwood, [[Red Oak, Iowa|Red Oak]], [[Corning, Iowa|Corning]], and [[Creston, Iowa|Creston]] before intersecting [[Interstate 35]] at [[Osceola, Iowa|Osceola]]. East of Osceola, it continues through [[Chariton, Iowa|Chariton]] and Georgetown then onto [[Albia, Iowa|Albia]] before meeting [[U.S. Route 63]] at a [[traffic circle]] in [[Ottumwa, Iowa|Ottumwa]].

East of Ottumwa to Burlington, the highway overlaps [[Iowa Highway 163]]. This segment of highway is an expressway with some freeway segments. As of November 12, 2008, it bypasses [[Fairfield, Iowa|Fairfield]] and then bypasses [[Mount Pleasant, Iowa|Mt. Pleasant]], with a portion of this also concurrent with [[U.S. Route 218|US-218]] and [[Iowa Highway 27|Iowa 27]], which is also the Iowa route for the [[Avenue of the Saints]]. It then continues southeast towards [[Burlington, Iowa|Burlington]] bypassing New London and then Danville and Middletown. The freeway segment through Burlington was completed in the 1970s. It then crosses the [[Mississippi River]] on the [[Great River Bridge]] into Illinois which was completed in the early 1990s. In 2015, a 15-mile segment of U.S. Route 34 in [[Montgomery County, Iowa|Montgomery]] and [[Adams County, Iowa|Adams]] counties won the Sheldon G. Hayes Award for the highest quality asphalt pavement in the nation.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.asphaltpavement.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1081&Itemid=100253 |title=2015 Sheldon G. Hayes Award Winner & Finalists |publisher=National Asphalt Pavement Association |date=February 10, 2016 |access-date=February 12, 2016 }}</ref>

Much of this route was originally known as the Bluegrass Highway and parallels tracks of what was originally the [[Burlington and Missouri River Railroad]] and is now the [[BNSF]]. [[Amtrak|Amtrak's]] [[California Zephyr]] passenger rail service also parallels this route.

U.S. 34 in the state of Iowa is officially designated the '''Red Bull Highway''' in honor of the [[34th Infantry Division (United States)|34th Infantry (Red Bull) Division]].

===Illinois=== {{main|U.S. Route 34 in Illinois}} {{see also|Ogden Avenue}} [[Image:US 34 Western Illinois.jpg|thumb|right|400px|U.S. 34 in western [[Illinois]]]] In the state of Illinois, U.S. Route 34 enters at the Mississippi River across from [[Burlington, Iowa]]. It passes through or around the cities of [[Monmouth, Illinois|Monmouth]], [[Galesburg, Illinois|Galesburg]], [[Kewanee, Illinois|Kewanee]], [[Princeton, Illinois|Princeton]], [[Mendota, Illinois|Mendota]], [[Yorkville, Illinois|Yorkville]], [[Oswego, Illinois|Oswego]], [[Aurora, Illinois|Aurora]], [[Naperville, Illinois|Naperville]], [[Lisle, Illinois|Lisle]], [[Downers Grove, Illinois|Downers Grove]], [[Westmont, Illinois|Westmont]], [[Clarendon Hills, Illinois|Clarendon Hills]], [[Hinsdale, Illinois|Hinsdale]], [[Western Springs, Illinois|Western Springs]], [[La Grange, Illinois|La Grange]], [[Brookfield, Illinois|Brookfield]], [[Lyons, Illinois|Lyons]] and [[Riverside, Illinois|Riverside]] and continues in a largely southwest-northeast direction to its eastern terminus at [[Illinois Route 43]] and [[US Route 66 in Illinois|Historic US 66]] in [[Berwyn, Illinois|Berwyn]].<ref name="illterm">{{cite web|url=http://highwayexplorer.com/il_EndsPage.php?id=2034&section=1|title=US 34|work=Illinois Highway Ends|access-date=October 9, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121010173756/http://highwayexplorer.com/il_EndsPage.php?id=2034&section=1|archive-date=October 10, 2012}}</ref> Through much of the Chicago area, the highway is known as "[[Ogden Avenue]]", after [[William Butler Ogden]], Chicago's first mayor. The entire highway in Illinois is named the '''Walter Payton Memorial Highway''' after Pro Football Hall of Famer [[Walter Payton]], who wore #34 for the Chicago Bears. The highway is 211.37 miles (340.17&nbsp;km) long within the state.

==Major intersections== ;Colorado : {{jct|country=USA|US|40}} in [[Granby, Colorado|Granby]] : {{jct|country=USA|US|36}} in [[Deer Ridge Junction, Colorado|Deer Ridge Junction]] : {{jct|country=USA|US|36}} in [[Estes Park, Colorado|Estes Park]] : {{jct|country=USA|US|287}} in [[Loveland, Colorado|Loveland]] : {{jct|country=USA|I|25|US|87}} in Loveland : {{jct|country=USA|US|85}} in [[Evans, Colorado|Evans]]. The highways travel concurrently to [[Greeley, Colorado|Greeley]]. : {{jct|country=USA|I|76|dab1=Colorado–Nebraska|US|6}} northeast of [[Wiggins, Colorado|Wiggins]]. The highways travel concurrently to west-southwest of [[Log Lane Village, Colorado|Log Lane Village]]. : {{jct|country=USA|US|385}} in [[Wray, Colorado|Wray]] ;Nebraska : {{jct|country=USA|US|6}} west of [[Culbertson, Nebraska|Culbertson]]. The highways travel concurrently to [[Hastings, Nebraska|Hastings]]. : {{jct|country=USA|US|83}} in [[McCook, Nebraska|McCook]]. The highways travel concurrently through the city. : {{jct|country=USA|US|283}} in [[Arapahoe, Nebraska|Arapahoe]] : {{jct|country=USA|US|136}} north-northwest of [[Edison, Nebraska|Edison]] : {{jct|country=USA|US|183}} in [[Holdrege, Nebraska|Holdrege]] : {{jct|country=USA|US|281}} in Hastings. The highways travel concurrently to [[Grand Island, Nebraska|Grand Island]]. : {{jct|country=USA|I|80}} south of Grand Island : {{jct|country=USA|US|81}} in [[York, Nebraska|York]]. The highways travel concurrently to north of York. : {{jct|country=USA|I|80|I|180|dab2=Nebraska|US|77}} in [[Lincoln, Nebraska|Lincoln]]. I-180/US&nbsp;34 travels concurrently through the city. : {{jct|country=USA|US|75}} east of [[Union, Nebraska|Union]]. The highways travel concurrently to north-northwest of [[La Platte, Nebraska|La Platte]]. ;Iowa : {{jct|country=USA|I|29|US|275}} north-northwest of [[Pacific Junction, Iowa|Pacific Junction]]. US&nbsp;34/US&nbsp;275 travels concurrently to east-southeast of [[Glenwood, Iowa|Glenwood]]. : {{jct|country=USA|US|59}} north of [[Emerson, Iowa|Emerson]] : {{jct|country=USA|US|71}} north of [[Villisca, Iowa|Villisca]] : {{jct|country=USA|US|169}} in [[Afton, Iowa|Afton]]. The highways travel concurrently to west of [[Thayer, Iowa|Thayer]]. : {{jct|country=USA|I|35}} in [[Osceola, Iowa|Osceola]] : {{jct|country=USA|US|69}} in Osceola : {{jct|country=USA|US|65}} in [[Lucas, Iowa|Lucas]]. The highways travel concurrently through the city. : {{jct|country=USA|US|63}} in [[Ottumwa, Iowa|Ottumwa]]. The highways travel concurrently to east of Ottumwa. : {{jct|country=USA|US|218}} north of [[Mt. Pleasant, Iowa|Mt. Pleasant]]. The highways travel concurrently to Mt. Pleasant. : {{jct|country=USA|US|61}} in [[Burlington, Iowa|Burlington]] ;Illinois : {{jct|country=USA|US|67}} south-southwest of [[Monmouth, Illinois|Monmouth]]. The highways travel concurrently to Monmouth. : {{jct|country=USA|US|150}} in [[Galesburg, Illinois|Galesburg]] : {{jct|country=USA|I|74}} in Galesburg : {{jct|country=USA|US|6}} west of [[Sheffield, Illinois|Sheffield]]. The highways travel concurrently to [[Princeton, Illinois|Princeton]]. : {{jct|country=USA|US|52}} in [[Mendota, Illinois|Mendota]] : {{jct|country=USA|I|39|US|51}} east of Mendota : {{jct|country=USA|US|30}} on the [[Oswego, Illinois|Oswego]]–[[Montgomery, Illinois|Montgomery]] city line. The highways travel concurrently one block. : {{jct|country=USA|I|355}} on the [[Lisle, Illinois|Lisle]]–[[Downers Grove, Illinois|Downers Grove]] city line : {{jct|country=USA|I|294|dab1=Illinois}} on the [[Hinsdale, Illinois|Hinsdale]]–[[Western Springs, Illinois|Western Springs]] city line : {{jct|country=USA|US|12|US|20|US|45}} in [[La Grange, Illinois|La Grange]] : {{jct|state=IL|IL|43}} on the [[Riverside, Illinois|Riverside]]–[[Lyons, Illinois|Lyons]]–[[Berwyn, Illinois|Berwyn]] city line <ref name=randmcnally>{{cite book |author = Rand McNally |year = 2014 |title = The Road Atlas |edition = Walmart |location = Chicago |publisher = Rand McNally |pages = 21, 32, 38-39, 62-63|isbn = 978-0-528-00771-2}}</ref>

==Related routes== [[Special routes of U.S. Route 34]]

{{-}}

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== {{Attached KML|display=title,inline}} *[https://www.usends.com/endpoints/us-30-us-39/34 Endpoints of U.S. Highway 34] *[http://www.forgottenchicago.com/ogden.php Ogden Avenue] history and photography at Forgotten Chicago. *[https://maps.google.com/?ll=41.067801,-95.880303&spn=0.032549,0.066047&t=h&z=15 Image of new Missouri River bridge under construction]

{{US Highways}}

{{start srbox}} {{co browse|previous_type=CO|previous_route=30|route=list|next_type=CO|next_route=35}} {{ne browse|previous_type=NE|previous_route=33|route=[[List of Nebraska numbered highways|NE]]|next_type=NE|next_route=35}} {{ia browse|previous_type=IA|previous_route=31|route=[[List of Iowa state highways|IA]]|next_type=I|next_route=35}} {{il browse|previous_type=IL|previous_route=33|route=[[List of Illinois Routes|IL]]|next_type=IL|next_route=34}} {{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:34}} [[Category:U.S. Route 34| ]] [[Category:United States Numbered Highway System]] [[Category:Ronald Reagan Trail]]