1973: U.S. 61 path clears 13 homes, 6 farmsteads and one business

June 13, 1973: The Iowa Highway Commission announced the path for the proposed Highway 561, which would link Interstate 80 to Highway 30 south of DeWitt. The commission said the highway would bypass Mt. Joy to the east and then go directly north, halfway between Eldridge and Eldridge Corners. The project was expected to cost approximately $13 million. Thirteen homes, six farmsteads and one business between the interstate and DeWitt would be displaced, and the commission expected to begin purchasing the right-of-way land in the fall of 1974.