Two crashes cause traffic jam on I-380 Tuesday morning

CEDAR RAPIDS — The downtown Cedar Rapids’ S-curve of Interstate 380 was backed up in both directions near the Seventh Avenue NE exit Tuesday morning after two car crashes brought traffic to a standstill.

The first crash happened at 7:20 a.m. and involved two vehicles on the southbound lanes of the interstate. The second crash, involving four vehicles heading north, happened at 7:45 a.m., according to Cedar Rapids police.

The crashes resulted in some minor injuries, police said, and they were cleared from the roadway by 9 a.m.

The crashes were among 58 handled by Cedar Rapids police so far this week as of 11 a.m. Tuesday. Even though snow hasn’t fallen for a couple of days, winter driving conditions still exist in the Cedar Rapids area because of bitter cold temperatures causing icy roads. The police department responded to 49 crashes Monday and another nine Tuesday morning.

One crash Monday involved a car falling off the I-380 bridge near UnityPoint Heath-St. Luke’s Hospital. Two people were injured and taken to the hospital, according to police.

The Iowa State Patrol responded to 168 crashes in the state between 12:30 a.m. Friday and 10:30 p.m. Sunday. Property damage was reported in 148 of those crashes, and 20 involved personal injury. None were fatal.

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