Old DOT Driver's License Station building, The History Center clipping files.
Starting in 1939, Highway 30, also known as the Lincoln Highway, was re-routed in Cedar Rapids. A new two-lane road was built as an extension of 16th Avenue SW, starting with a bridge over Rockford Road SW and the railroad tracks. It headed straight west to where the new road met Johnson Avenue West, the older route of Highway 30. After World War II, another new state highway, now Williams Boulevard SW, was built. At this site, where the two new highways intersected, the Iowa Department of Transportation built a new office and driver’s license station in the 1950’s. For years, there was a large wood sign with the image of a little girl with her hands up, encouraging auto drivers to drive carefully. The old DOT structure was later replaced by a convenience store and gas station.
Mark W. Stoffer Hunter, Research Historian, The History Center
