 Before I-80 was planned, the route between Council Bluffs and Davenport, which passed through Des Moines, was vital to the state.Two competing auto trails, the Great White Way and the River-to-River Road, sought to be the best path to connect three of the state's major population centers.The two trails combined in the 1920s and eventually became U.S. Highway 32 (US 32) in 1926.