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Section of Blairs Ferry Road in Cedar Rapids closed this week for railroad crossing work
Mitchell Schmidt
Oct. 16, 2017 8:09 pm, Updated: Oct. 17, 2017 9:06 am
CEDAR RAPIDS — A portion of Blairs Ferry Road NE has closed for the week while Canadian National Railroad crews replace a crossing. A segment of 42nd Street is slated to close next week for similar work.
Blairs Ferry Road NE closed Monday just east of Interstate 380 and is expected to remain closed to traffic through Friday, according to a Cedar Rapids news release. All I-380 ramps remain open during the work.
Emily Breen, Cedar Rapids communications coordinator, said in an email the projects include replacement of rails and driving surface between the tracks.
'A full closure is necessary; the work requires them to check the level of the track 100 feet on each side while they are installing each section of rail,' she said in the email. 'They'll also be replacing some of the pavement on each side, which will make for a smoother driving surface.'
Both projects — which total about $370,000 in cost — are being funded 60 percent by federal dollars, 20 percent by the railroad and 20 percent by the city. Cedar Rapids expects to spend about $101,000 on both projects, Breen said in the email.
Detours during the Blairs Ferry Road closure are:
— Eastbound traffic will use the southbound interstate frontage road to the Collins Road interchange, east to Center Point Road and then north to Blairs Ferry Road.
— Westbound traffic will go south on Center Point Road to Collins Road and west to the northbound interstate frontage road to connect to Blairs Ferry Road.
Detours during the 42nd Street closure — Oct. 23-27 — are:
— Eastbound traffic will use the northbound interchange frontage road to the Collins Road interchange, then head east to Center Point Road and south to 42nd Street.
— Westbound traffic will go north on Center Point Road to Collins Road and take the southbound interstate frontage road to 42nd Street.
Motorists are encouraged to take alternative routes in both cases and Breen said the city will monitor the timing of traffic signals on detour routes to determine if adjustments need to be made to ensure efficient traffic flows.
l Comments: (319) 339-3175; mitchell.schmidt@thegazette.com