Open houses slated this week on new Cedar Rapids Medical District and the closing of a portion of Second Avenue SE

CEDAR RAPIDS - Representatives of the city's new Medical District, which include the city's two hospitals and the physicians' group, Physicians' Clinic of Iowa, will hold two open houses this week to talk about the district and PCI's plan to build a new medical "mall" there along 10th Street SE at Second Avenue SE.

The open houses will be held in The Ballroom at the Crowne Plaza Five Seasons Hotel.

One is between 4 and 7 p.m. Wednesday with a presentation at 5:15 p.m. The second is from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday with a presentation at 11:30 a.m.

The open houses will give the public a chance to hear about a traffic study related to what has become the central point of interest – the proposed closing of Second Avenue SE between 10th and 12th streets SE, which PCI has requested as part of its plan to build its proposed new medical building.

A draft report of a traffic study, which is being conducted by local firm Anderson-Bogert Engineers and Surveyors Inc., notes that it "appears" that the city's street system can handle the Second Avenue SE closing. The draft report also states that the city will need to improve streets in the area in future years to make sure busy First Avenue East is not overloaded. The draft report envisions moving traffic headed downtown on one-way Second Avenue SE to a two-way Third Avenue via a two-way13th Street SE. Both Third Avenue SE and 13th Street SE are one-way streets now.