Two lanes on I-35 will close at U.S. 69 tonight in the Johnson County area for bridge repair work, according to the Kansas Department of Transportation.
The project will repair the U.S. 69 bridge over I-35 in Lenexa, according to a spokesman.
Contractors will be cutting out bridge deck to replace concrete as well as access and strengthen support structures starting tonight, Thursday, Sept. 5, according to the spokesman. As a precaution for falling debris, the lane and ramp closures will be in place during this phase of the project.
The closures include:
Thursday night • Southbound I-35 right two lanes will be closed from 67th to 87th streets from Thursday (9/5) 8 p.m. to Friday (9/6) 5 a.m.
Friday through Monday • Southbound I-35 two lanes will be closed from 67th to 87th streets from Friday (9/6) 8 p.m. to Monday (9/9) 5 a.m. • Northbound I-35 left two lanes closed from 95th to 75th streets from Friday (9/6) 8 p.m. to Monday (9/9) 5 a.m. • Ramp from 87th street to northbound I-35 will be closed from Friday (9/6) 8 p.m. to Monday (9/9) 5 a.m.
These closures will result in southbound I-35 being reduced to one lane Thursday night, the spokesman stated. From Friday night through Monday morning, both directions of I-35 will be reduced to one lane and the northbound on-ramp from 87th street will be closed.
Motorists should plan ahead and allow for extra time. Northbound I-35 traffic should use I-435 to U.S. 69 to I-35 as an alternate route, according to the spokesman. Message boards will advise 87th street ramp closure traffic to use Quivira for westbound traffic and Lenexa Drive for eastbound traffic.
According to a message from a Unified Government spokesman, today’s UG special session, a priority-based budget retreat, will not be televised as usual on the UG’s cable television channel.
According to the message, it is not being televised because it is a retreat and the commissioners will separate into small groups and work sessions.
The meeting is still open to the public, according to the message. It is at 5 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 5, in the fifth floor meeting room at City Hall, 701 N. 7th St., Kansas City, Kansas.
Less than three months on the job, one month from the first official practice and two months from the season opener, new Kansas City Kansas Community College men’s basketball coach Brandon Burgette is chomping at the bit.
“I can’t wait to get to Oct. 1 and neither can our players,” Burgette said. “I like the pieces we have, pieces at each position with a lot of talent and experience.”
Right now, NJCAA rules limit Burgette to conditioning, workouts with an eight-hour-a-week time restriction.
“We’re using the eight hours to get the guys into shape, to get them to know each other, to find out what we’re going to do and able to do and establish an identity,” he said.
Five sophomores return from last year’s 14-17 team and all five finished among the top eight scorers. To that group, Burgette has added three transfers and eight freshmen since his hiring June 5.
With all five of his returning veterans playing the guard position, emphasis was put on size and netted six players ranging from 6-6 to 6-8 in height.
The five returning guards combined to score 49.2 percent of the Blue Devils’ 2,102 points in 2018-2019.
Calvin Slaughter of Macon, Georgia, led the way with a 9.8-point average followed by Jalen Davis of Houston (8.1) and assist leader Kelyn Bolton of Shawnee Mission East (6.3 points and 3.6 assists).
The team’s top two three-point shooters round out the quintet. Taylor Turner of Albuquerque, New Mexico, who had 10 three-pointers in a single game last year, had 48 treys for the season while averaging 6.2 points; Cody Dortch of Paragould, Arkansas, averaged 5.5 points while notching 46 three-pointers.
Added experience will come from a pair of 6-8 transfers, Sevon Witt of Raytown South who averaged 7.1 points and 3.2 rebounds at Washburn University; and Caleb McCray Jones of Raytown South, who averaged 6.0 points and 2.5 rebounds at Colby Community College.
A third transfer, 6-1 guard Ezekiel Lopes of Bishop Miege, was a redshirt freshman at Coffeyville and has two years of eligibility remaining.
Two Kansas City, Kansas, prospects are among the eight freshmen, 5-9 guard Deangelo Bell from Harmon and 6-6 forward Tyione Gilmore of Schlagle, along with Missouri area grads 6-8 forward Jermaine Yarbough of Grandview, 6-7 Robert Rhodes of Park Hill South and 6-0 guard Deron McDaniel of Next Level Prep in Wichita, Kansas.
They are joined by Marquise Walker, a 6-0 guard from Chicago; 6-6 forward Timothy Barbieri of Abilene and 6-5 Jaemaal Newson of Bradenton, Florida.
“A good foundation with experience from our returners and transfers,” Burgette said. “We’re obviously deep at the guard position but with the new recruits, we’ve added some big, long athletes who can not only protect the rim but finish above it. We’ve also got a lot of versatility, multiple guys who can play multiple positions.”
Burgette said fans can expect fast-paced Blue Devil basketball.
“We want to push the tempo and play fast but under control,” he said. “We’ll also press for 40 minutes to try to make teams turn the ball over which gives us opportunities to score off transition in the half court. Depth will be a strength. We have a lot of depth 1 through 15 and any one of several players who can lead us in scoring any given night.”
