After being closed for six months, the 18th Street Bridge in Kansas City, Kansas, will reopen at noon Friday, according to a Kansas Department of Transportation spokeswoman.
The U.S. 69 – 18th Street Expressway was closed between Kansas Avenue and Ruby Avenue, and traffic was detoured to I-635. The 18th Street Bridge crosses the Kansas River. The I-70 entrances and exits to 18th Street were closed.
As part of the reopening, there will be temporary lane closures between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Friday on eastbound and westbound I-70, KDOT stated. I 70 will be reduced to two lanes between 10th and 57th. Drivers should expect delays.
KDOT stated that the $7 million repair project this year on the 18th Street Bridge would add more than 10 years of service to the bridge.
If KDOT had kept the bridge open during these repairs, the work would have taken over a year, and there would have been one lane of traffic each way, according to information from KDOT.
KDOT released these figures about the project: 92 out of 138 bottom chords repaired, 30,000 rivets removed, 25,000 bolt holes drilled and 60,000 bolts installed.