Interstate 380 (Iowa)

Interstate 380
Iowa's Interstate Highways with I-380 highlighted in red.
Route information
Auxiliary route of I‑80
Maintained by Iowa DOT
Length:	73.080 mi[1] (117.611 km)
Existed:	ca. September 19, 1973[2] – present
History:	Under construction 1973–1985
Major junctions
South end:	I‑80 / US 218 / Iowa 27 near Iowa City
	US 30 in Cedar Rapids US 151 Business in Cedar Rapids US 20 in Black Hawk County
North end:	US 218 in Waterloo
Highway system
Interstate Highway System Main Auxiliary Suffixed Business Iowa Primary Highway System Interstate U.S. State Secondary Scenic ← Iowa 376 Iowa 404 →

Interstate 380 (I-380) is a 73-mile (117 km) auxiliary Interstate Highway located in eastern Iowa. The route extends from Interstate 80 near Coralville to Waterloo. I-380 connects the cities of Cedar Rapids and Waterloo, the second- and sixth-largest cities in the state, respectively, to the Interstate Highway System. Except for its last 1 ¹⁄₂ miles (2.4 km) north of U.S. Route 20 (US 20), I-380 runs concurrent with Iowa Highway 27, which represents Iowa's portion of the 560-mile (900 km) Avenue of the Saints Highway connecting St. Louis, Missouri, with St. Paul, Minnesota.

Construction of I-380 took 12 years to complete, ending in 1985. After the interstate opened, US 218 was moved onto the new freeway. In the 1990s, the I-380 corridor was selected as part of the Avenue of the Saints corridor, which Iowa designated as Iowa Highway 27 in 2001. I-380 has been affected by two major floods, the Great Flood of 1993 and the Iowa flood of 2008, both of which closed the road at the Iowa River for two weeks.

Route description

Interstate 380 begins at a cloverleaf interchange where US 218 and Iowa 27 cross Interstate 80 in Coralville in Johnson County. From the interchange, I-380, US 218, and Iowa 27, the route assigned to the Avenue of the Saints Highway in Iowa, run together towards Cedar Rapids. The interstate heads north and serves North Liberty. North of North Liberty, the freeway runs parallel to the former routing of US 218 and Iowa 965; here the two highways cross the Iowa River. After crossing into Linn County, the three routes enter the Cedar Rapids city limits near The Eastern Iowa Airport. Three miles (4.8 km) north of the airport, I-380 intersects US 30 and US 151 at a cloverstack interchange. At this interchange, US 218 splits away from I-380 and Iowa 27.^[3]

Through Cedar Rapids, the I-380 freeway is elevated relative to the nearby streets and residential neighborhoods. As it approaches downtown and the Cedar River, the freeway takes a tight, 90-degree turn to the east, crosses the river, squeezes between a Quaker Oats plant and the U.S. Cellular Center before turning back 90 degrees to the north. Between downtown and the Coldstream–29th Street interchange, I-380 serves as a dividing line between residential areas to the east and industry to the west. Towards the north end of Cedar Rapids, industry is replaced with commerce as I-380/Iowa 27 meet Iowa 100, locally known as Collins Road, at a volleyball interchange. The collector/distributor ramps for Collins Road also serve the same function for Blairs Ferry Road, the next overpass to the north.^[4]

The freeway leaves Cedar Rapids and enters Hiawatha, where there is only one interchange, a diamond with Boyson Road. Quickly escaping the Cedar Rapids area, I-380 turns to the northwest and passes through predominantly rural areas with small communities and farms dotting the way. Because of its northwestern angle, I-380 enters four counties within 30 miles (48 km), as counties in Iowa are generally rectangular in shape. It passes Center Point in northwestern Linn County, Urbana in northeastern Benton County, where it meets Iowa 150, and Brandon in southwestern Buchanan County. The interstate travels into Black Hawk County heading northwest for 7 miles (11 km) before turning north for 3 miles (4.8 km) until a directional T interchange with US 20.^[3]

Together with US 20, I-380 and Iowa 27 travel west towards Waterloo and Cedar Falls. The three routes pass the eastern Waterloo suburbs of Raymond, Evansdale, and Elk Run Heights. Almost immediately after crossing the Cedar River again, I-380 splits away from US 20 and Iowa 27 and rejoins US 218 at a three-level stack interchange. I-380 and US 218 head north to the east of the Crossroads Center shopping mall.^[5] One half-mile (0.8 km) north of the interchange which serves the Crossroads Center, I-380 ends at the traffic light at Mitchell Avenue. US 218 continues to the north at this point.^[1]

History

A view of Cedar Rapids from I-380 during the 2008 flood

The first section of I-380 opened to traffic on September 19, 1973. That section connected The Eastern Iowa Airport to I-80 at Coralville. Within three years, the interstate had been extended into Cedar Rapids at the Cedar River. The bridge which crossed the river would not open until June 1979. By the end of 1981, I-380 was a continuous road to the Coldstream Avenue/Glass Road interchange.^[2] The interstate was originally scheduled to be open by Christmas 1984, but weather delays pushed back the construction timetable.^[6] The last section of I-380 to be completed opened on September 12, 1985.^[7]

In 1985, US 218 was bypassed around Iowa City and Coralville, joining I-380 at the I-80 interchange. US 218 to Cedar Rapids was replaced by Iowa 965.^[8] In the early 1990s, most of I-380 was designated as part of the Avenue of the Saints corridor, which connects St. Louis, Missouri, to St. Paul, Minnesota. Avenue of the Saints route markers were erected along the route the next year. In August 2001, the Avenue of the Saints in Iowa was given a single designation, Iowa 27, to facilitate following the route through the state.^[9]

I-380 crosses two of Iowa's major rivers, the Iowa and the Cedar. Both rivers have affected the interstate during major floods, as the case was in 1993 and in 2008. During the Great Flood of 1993, I-380 and Iowa 965 were both closed at the Iowa River's Coralville Lake reservoir between July 13 and July 28.^[10] The roads reopened after the lake's waters receded enough to allow Department of Transportation inspectors to check the three bridges over the water.^[11]

The great Iowa flood of 2008 affected the same section of I-380 at the Iowa River in much the same fashion as in 1993. I-380 and former Iowa 965 were closed at the Iowa River on June 13 until July 3.^[12] In Cedar Rapids, flooding did not close I-380, the only bridge not to close, though traffic was restricted through the city.^[13] The flooding damage was much more severe in Cedar Rapids than in Iowa City. The Cedar River crested at over 31 feet (9.4 m) on June 13, causing hundreds of millions of dollars in damage.^[14]

Exit list

County	Location	mi[1]	km	Exit[3]	Destinations	Notes
Johnson	Coralville				US 218 south / Iowa 27 south – Mount Pleasant, Keokuk	Southern end of US 218/Iowa 27 overlap; continuation south of interchange
		0.000	0.000	0	I‑80 – Iowa City, Davenport, Des Moines	Southern terminus and signed as exits 0A (eastbound) and 0B (westbound), no numbering northbound; I-80 exits 239A-B
	North Liberty	4.046	6.511	4	CR F28 – North Liberty
	Jefferson Township	10.857	17.473	10	CR F12 – Swisher, Shueyville
Linn	Cedar Rapids	13.186	21.221	13	Ely, The Eastern Iowa Airport
		16.329	26.279	16	US 30 / US 151 / US 218 north – Mt. Vernon, Tama	Northern end of US 218 overlap; northbound exits signed 16A (eastbound) and 16B (westbound)
		17.585	28.300	17	33rd Avenue SW – Hawkeye Downs
		18.329	29.498	18	Wilson Avenue SW
		19.415	31.245	19A	To US 151 Business / Diagonal Drive / 5th Avenue SW – Downtown Cedar Rapids	Northbound exit and southbound entrance only
		19.747	31.780	19B-C	US 151 Business (1st Avenue W) / 1st Street W – Veterans Memorial Stadium, Kingston Stadium	No southbound entrance, northbound exit signed as exit 19C
		20.159	32.443	20A	To US 151 Business / 1st Street East – Downtown Cedar Rapids	Southbound exit and northbound entrance only
		20.652	33.236	20B	7th Street E – U.S. Cellular Center	Access to Mercy Medical Center and St. Luke's Hospital
		21.563	34.702	21	H Avenue, J Avenue
		22.346	35.962	22	Coldstream–29th Street, Glass Road – 32nd Street
		23.371	37.612	23	42nd Street	Southbound exit from exit 24
		23.879	38.430	24	Iowa 100 (Collins Road) / Blairs Ferry Road	Signed as exits 24A (Iowa 100) and 24B (Blairs Ferry Road) northbound
	Hiawatha	25.270	40.668	25	Boyson Road
	Monroe Township	28.847	46.425	28	CR E34 – Toddville, Robins
	Center Point	35.824	57.653	35	CR W36 – Center Point
Benton	Urbana	41.867	67.378	41	Urbana
		43.525	70.047	43	Iowa 150 – Vinton, Independence
Buchanan	Jefferson Township	49.954	80.393	49	Brandon
		55.348	89.074	55	CR V65 – Jesup
Black Hawk	Fox Township	62.222	100.137	62	CR D38 – Gilbertville
	Poyner Township	65.013	104.628	65	US 20 east – Dubuque	Southern end of US 20 overlap
		66.449	106.939	66	Raymond, Gilbertville
	Evansdale	68.357	110.010	68	Evansdale Drive – Elk Run Heights
		70.625	113.660	70	River Forest Road
	Waterloo	71.432	114.959	71	US 20 west / Iowa 27 north – Cedar Falls US 218 south – La Porte City	Northern end of US 20/Iowa 27 overlap; Southern end of US 218 overlap; Signed as exit 71A (US 218) and 71B (US 20/Iowa 27)
		72.499	116.676	72	San Marnan Drive	Access to Covenant Medical Center
		73.080	117.611		US 218 north / Mitchell Avenue	Northern end of US 218 overlap; continuation beyond northern end
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus       Incomplete access

References

1. "2010 Volume of Traffic on the Primary Road System of Iowa" (PDF). Iowa Department of Transportation. January 1, 2010. Retrieved January 12, 2011.
2. Completion Map of Interstate System (PDF) (Map). Iowa Department of Transportation. January 1, 1982. Retrieved January 12, 2011.
3. Transportation Map (PDF) (Map). Iowa Department of Transportation. 2010. Retrieved January 12, 2011.
4. Highway and Street Map of Cedar Rapids, Iowa (PDF) (Map). Iowa Department of Transportation. July 7, 2008. Retrieved January 12, 2011.
5. Waterloo and Cedar Falls, Iowa (PDF) (Map). Iowa Department of Transportation. 2010. Retrieved January 12, 2011.
6. "Buchanan County Leg of I-380 Lags". Telegraph-Herald (Dubuque). UPI. February 23, 1984. p. 15. Retrieved January 14, 2011.
7. The National System of Interstate and Defense Highways (PDF). Iowa Department of Transportation. April 29, 1996. p. 7.
8. Iowa State Highway Map (Map). Iowa Department of Transportation. 1985.
9. Iowa Department of Transportation. "Avenue of the Saints". Retrieved January 13, 2011.
10. "Chronology (Floods)". The Gazette (Cedar Rapids). p. A13.
11. Gosch, Dave (July 27, 1993). "Change in the weather – really". The Gazette (Cedar Rapids). p. A1.
12. "I-380 segment south of Cedar Rapids being closed". The Courier (Waterloo – Cedar Falls). Archived from the original on January 12, 2011. Retrieved January 12, 2011.
13. Gravelle, Steve (June 19, 2008). "Bridges opened; water rules eased". The Gazette (Cedar Rapids). p. F2A.
14. Belz, Adam (June 14, 2008). "C.R. struggles to grasp losses". The Gazette (Cedar Rapids). p. F1A.

External links

Route map: Bing / Google

• Iowa Department of Transportation – I-380 time lapse flooding
• Iowa Highways – Interstate 380
• Interstate 380 Iowa @ Interstate-Guide.com