Beginning Tuesday, January 21, travelers on the U.S. 218/Interstate 380 corridor in the Iowa City area will be able to see average travel times on digital message boards along and over the roadway.

The Iowa Department of Transportation will use the area’s 20 message boards to display travel times during the morning and evening peak travel hours to give motorists a better idea of what to expect for their commute. 

Cathy Cutler, transportation planner in the Iowa DOT’s District 6 Office in Cedar Rapids, said, “The reconstruction of the interchange at I-80 and I-380 may have some impacts on travel times for motorists in this corridor over the next few years. Having the travel times on the message boards will give people information to not only be able to better understand commute times but allow them to change if necessary.”

The same intelligent transportation technology that is used Des Moines and other parts of Iowa to determine travel time will be used in this corridor as well.