The closure of Interstate 80 does not affect local travel on I-80 west of Iowa City. According to the Iowa Department of Transportation, the closure of I-80 has been put into place to reroute traffic crossing through the state, not to limit travelers moving on I-80 west of Iowa City.

The roadway is closed due to flooding in Cedar County. The flooded area is located between milepost 266 and milepost 267, just west of the Iowa 38 interchange. Many other roads are also flooded in this part of the state. The detour routes set up by the DOT were designed to keep travelers safe and not have anyone caught in the flooded areas.

These are the detour routes: 

·         Westbound coming to Iowa from Illinois:  At this time, this is the only route open to get through Iowa from the east. The detour begins at U.S. 61 in the Quad Cities. It continues north on US. 61 to U.S. 20/Dubuque. Then west on U.S. 20 to Interstate 35. Then south on Interstate 35 to Interstate 80 in Des Moines.

·         Going on I-80 through Iowa to Illinois: If you are only traveling as far as Iowa City, you can go east on I-80, but if you are starting your trip west of Des Moines and want to continue east past Iowa City, this the suggested detour. The detour begins at Interstate 35 in Des Moines. It continues north on Interstate 35 to U.S. 20, then east on U.S. 20 to U.S. 61 at Dubuque. The detour then travels south on U.S. 61 to Interstate 80 at the Quad Cities.

A customer service line has been established to assist motorist with routing information. The phone number is 866-452-8510. There are three operators on duty from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. These phone lines are extremely busy, so if you get a busy signal, please call back.