North Dubuque Street to open both lanes to outbound traffic after home football games

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Wednesday, August 31, 2016
Written by: Cristóbal McKinney

After home football games this fall, North Dubuque Street will become a one-way street with two lanes open to northbound traffic for 60 to 90 minutes in order to accommodate fans leaving the city.

Southbound traffic between Foster Road and West Park Road will be detoured by UI Police's traffic control officers. North Dubuque street will re-open to two-way traffic as soon as the heavy northbound traffic thins.

Before and during home games, North Dubuque Street will remain open to vehicles heading in either direction.  

Gateway Project construction, which will raise North Dubuque Street 10 feet to above the 100-year flood level, narrowed North Dubuque Street from four to two lanes this summer. Construction is expected to cause traffic delays during peak usage until the project’s scheduled completion in 2018.

This method for accommodating heavy traffic leaving Iowa City after athletic events was a result of collaboration among University of Iowa Athletics, government officials in Coralville and Iowa City, UI Parking and Transportation, UI Police, and the Iowa Department of Transportation.

The first home football game of the season is Saturday, Sept. 3. Kickoff is at 2:30 p.m., and the game is expected to last until about 5:45 p.m.

Drivers entering Iowa City from Interstate 80 are encouraged to use alternative routes, such as Dodge Street (Exit 246) and Coral Ridge Avenue/Highway 6 (Exit 240), as well as ride the Hawkeye Express train, which departs from the Fount Plaza at 2441 James St. in Coralville. First Avenue in Coralville (Exit 242) will continue to experience heavy traffic on home game days.

Residents living north of Park Road who use Dubuque Street to access Iowa City are advised to use other local roads, or they will be directed north and will have to access Iowa City from Dodge Street/Highway 1.

CAMBUS' Red, Blue, and Interdorm Routes will be affected. While North Dubuque Street is one way, these routes will not service Mayflower Hall. In addition, the Red and Blue routes will not service stops on West Park Road, North Riverside Drive, Newton Road, or the VA Loop.

Further resources

  • Click here for more details about CAMBUS route changes.
  • You can find additional game day information on footballgameday.com, where fans and drivers can view traffic updates and sign up for email updates.
  • To view the full 2016 Hawkeye football schedule, visit hawkeyesports.com.
  • Read more about Gateway Project construction.
  • Iowa City Gateway Project updates are regularly posted to icgov.org/gatewayproject.