I-380 ramp bottleneck to downtown will soften a bit

CEDAR RAPIDS - Morning rush-hour traffic leaving Interstate 380 via the main southbound off-ramp to downtown and the MedQuarter district will have a little less chance to fume.

The city's Public Works Department said it will keep two of three lanes open on Seventh Street NE to Fourth Avenue SE from 7 to 9 a.m.

On Tuesday and Wednesday morning, only one of the three lanes has been open from the off-ramp along Seventh Street NE, causing a bottleneck. Some motorists, though, have been able to turn west on A Avenue NE before Seventh Street NE goes down to one lane.

Only one lane will continue to be open on this stretch of Seventh Street after 9 a.m.

The lane reduction will be in place for a few weeks. Crews are repairing curbs in preparation for a new road surface, the city said.