Slow Going on Interstate 380 Friday Morning

By Jeff Raasch

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By KCRG Intern

Story Created: Dec 11, 2009 at 7:56 AM CST

Story Updated: Dec 12, 2009 at 11:58 AM CST

LINN AND JOHNSON COUNTIES - It was stop-and-go-and-cuss driving for motorists on Interstate 380 between Cedar Rapids and Iowa City Friday morning.

Traffic jammed in both directions for much of the morning commute due to stalled vehicles and accidents. One report had the trek from Iowa City to Cedar Rapids taking around 90 minutes.

One of the first traffic issues was reported around 6:30 a.m. on I-380 northbound near the Highway 965 overpass. Iowa State Patrol Sgt. Sharon Kurt said a vehicle broke down there, causing part of the problem. She was not aware of any accidents.

Still, vehicles were still stacked up for miles nearly two hours after the incident was first reported.

“That slowed everybody down, and they just haven’t had a chance to get caught up yet,” Kurt said at 8:15 a.m. “Plus the roadway is still slick.”

Southbound traffic also stalled around 7 a.m. south of the Swisher exit, apparently due to another stalled vehicle. Later, around 8:40 a.m. a pickup slid into the median just south of Wright Brothers Boulevard, causing another slowdown.

Just before 9 a.m., four vehicles were involved in an accident on I-380 near the Seventh Street overpass in Cedar Rapids. One person suffered minor injuries and was taken to St. Luke’s Hospital, police said. (see the video below)

Long stretches of Highway 965, one of the few hard-surface alternatives to the interstate, were also snow- and ice-packed.

Towing is still prohibited on Interstate 380. More than a dozen vehicles remain in the interstate median.

Video from the I-380 crash at the Seventh Street overpass

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