All ramps open at I-80/I-380 interchange in Johnson County

All ramps of the Interstate 80 and Interstate 380 interchange opened Wednesday afternoon for the first time in years as the major road project nears completion.

The Iowa Department of Transportation announced the good news for drivers on electronic signs leading up to the interchange.

“The interchange looks quite different than the old cloverleaf and the access points are in different locations so please follow the signs,” said Cathy Cutler, transportation planner for the Iowa DOT’s District 6 in Cedar Rapids.

“We have some good graphics and videos on our web page that show how to drive the interchange,” she said. “For example, the I-380 north and U.S. 218 south from westbound I-80 use the same access point and then split directions.”

The $387 million interchange project, which began in 2018, replaced the cloverleaf loops with directional ramps. Iowa DOT widened I-80 on both sides of the interchange, I-380 north of I-80 and Highway 218 south of I-80.

The department expects the makeover to reduce crashes and traffic delays on highways that will see increasing car and semi traffic, officials said last week at a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Crews still are working on median barriers and installing permanent striping and rumble strips. But the Iowa DOT — and Johnson County officials — wanted to get all the ramps open before Friday’s FRYfest in Coralville and before Saturday’s Hawkeye football season opener. The University of Iowa plays Utah State at 11 a.m. in Iowa City.

Because the project will be completed ahead of schedule, contractors are eligible for incentives of just under $5.4 million. The project’s prime contractors are Cramer & Associates in Grimes and United Contractors in Johnston, with grading and paving done by others.

Many transportation departments across the country are replacing cloverleaf ramps with directional ramps because they are viewed as safer. A major challenge with cloverleaf ramps is that cars enter an interstate highway at the same place where other cars are exiting, a process called weaving.

Comments: (319) 339-3157; erin.jordan@thegazette.com