Cedar Rapids I-380 On-Ramp Closing For Three Months

Every afternoon over the last week as I've checked out the traffic situation around the corridor, I've cringed when looking at the construction zone on I-380 northbound in Cedar Rapids. Lanes of traffic merging and a busy on-ramp at the exact same location is a recipe for trouble. I wasn't the only one who thought so.

A week ago today was when we saw our first issues on I-380 northbound, due to a bridge decking overlay project beginning on the interstate. There's an express lane through the construction project, which impacts traffic on the north side of the Cedar River in the northbound lanes. Unfortunately, with much of the traffic flow not utilizing the express lane and trucks being prohibited from it, close calls have become the norm over the last week.

Today, the City of Cedar Rapids announced in a press release the 8th Street northbound on-ramp, which appears to be causing most of the issues, will be closing effective at around 9 a.m. on Friday, August 7. The ramp is expected to be closed for about the next three months as the construction project continues.

As the media release states,

The closure is associated with safety measures during the Iowa Department of Transportation’s bridge improvement project at the I-380 S Curve. Closing the northbound on-ramp at 8th Street prevents a large volume of vehicles from attempting to merge and make significant lane shift through the worksite, which could pose a safety hazard. The I-380 southbound on-ramp at 8th Street NE remains open.

If you need to get onto northbound I-380 in the downtown Cedar Rapids area, you still have two other options. The on-ramp at 3rd Street SW and First Avenue West, as well as the one near the Convention Center at First Street NE at A Avenue.

More information on the ongoing construction project is available HERE.