Works starts to widen I-380 near North Liberty

NORTH LIBERTY — Construction has started to expand Interstate 380 to six lanes between Penn Street and Swan Lake Road in the North Liberty area.

The expansion is part of a larger project to add lanes to the interstate up to the Wright Brothers Boulevard exit in Cedar Rapids.

Under the current project, one lane will be added in each direction on I-380 between Penn Street and Swan Lake Road. That section of the interstate now has two lanes in each direction.

The work is expected to last until the end of this year or early next, according to John Lamping, resident construction engineer for the District 6 office of the Iowa Department of Transportation.

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The project shouldn’t have a major impact on traffic during the day, but temporary barriers will be set up along the interstate Most of the work will happen at night, when there will be occasional lane closures, Lamping said.

Wright Brothers interchange

Another portion of the project scheduled to start later this year will be around the I-380 and Wright Brothers Boulevard interchange in Cedar Rapids.

The interchange — the exit to The Eastern Iowa Airport and booming development in the area — will be replaced with a “diverging diamond” interchange, with additional lanes added to I-380 there.

Prep work for that project will start this fall, with anticipated completion in 2026 or 2027, Lamping said.

A diverging diamond interchange is designed so that no drivers have to turn in front of oncoming traffic.

The new diverging diamond intersection will have a stoplight on either side of the highway. Vehicles will be directed onto the left side of the road while they cross over the highway below, then back onto the right side of the road.

Cars turning right will make the turn before crossing to the left side of the road. Cars turning left to enter the highway can make the turn while on the left side.

The Iowa DOT has been adding diverging diamonds at interchanges across the state since 2015, and recently added one at I-380 and Tower Terrace Road in Cedar Rapids and at Interstate 80 and First Avenue in Coralville.

The estimated cost of the entire project — including additional lanes between North Liberty and Cedar Rapids and the diverging diamond at Wright Brothers — is $102 million and is being funded by a combination of federal and state dollars, according to Catherine Cutler, district planner for DOT’s District 6.

The I-380 project was outlined in the 2024-2028 Iowa Transportation Improvement Program approved last year, which has DOT spending $4.2 billion in state and federal funding on Iowa highway and bridge projects between 2024 and 2028.

Comments: (319) 398-8328; emily.andersen@thegazette.com