 The path which US 30 follows has changed since it was originally planned as the Lincoln Highway in the early 1910s . The first path connected as many downtown areas as possible , in order to create awareness about the Good Roads Movement and the Lincoln Highway . As the primary highway system of Iowa matured , and the Lincoln Highway yielded to US 30 , the highway was gradually straightened , leaving many towns off the route . More recently , new construction has routed traffic away from the straighter roads and onto sections of freeway and expressway . 
