Ramps are scheduled to be closed near southbound I-635 to southbound K-5, and the northbound K-5 entrance ramp to southbound I-635, starting Wednesday, March 16, according to the Kansas Department of Transportation.
Traffic will be reduced to a single lane in each direction, according to KDOT. Detours will be marked.
The work will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., KDOT stated. There will be temporary pavement marking placement for project traffic control.
KDOT is working on re-decking the bridge on I-635 that goes over K-5. The project is expected to be completed in mid-December 2022.
The Kansas City, Kansas, Board of Public Utilities will meet on Wednesday, March 16.
The work session will begin at 5 p.m., followed by the regular meeting at 6 p.m.
On the agenda for the work session are a board update and general manager update; board comments on the cold weather rule for the committee to review and a discussion about audio-video streaming of board meetings.
On the agenda for the regular meeting are a public comment time; general manager and staff reports, inventory management, revised EPA lead and copper rule, board compensation, miscellaneous comments and board comments.
The public may access meetings through the telephone to listen, and if they have access to the internet, they can access it through Zoom.
To join the Zoom meeting online, visit https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84523139724.
The public also may call, toll-free, 1-888-475-4499.
The meeting ID number is 845 2313 9724.
The BPU board information packet is available online at https://www.bpu.com/Portals/0/pdf/board-information-packet-3-16-22.pdf.
For more information, see https://www.bpu.com/About/MediaNewsReleases/March16thBPUBoardMeetingNotice.aspx.
The COVID-19 vaccination and testing site at the former Kmart building at 7836 State Ave. will close on March 30, according to an announcement today from the Unified Government Health Department.
The last day for COVID-19 testing at the site will be Wednesday, March 30, and the last day for vaccinations there will be Friday, March 25, according to the announcement.
“The first COVID vaccine dose was administered at the Kmart facility on December 23, 2020,” Dr. Allen Greiner, chief medical officer for the Health Department, said in a news release. “When the Kmart facility first opened, it was one of the only places in the State of Kansas administering COVID vaccinations. Now, however, the vaccines are much more accessible, and Wyandotte County residents have many choices about where to go to get vaccinated or tested, throughout the community.”
Where to get vaccinated
Residents of Wyandotte County should still be able to find other ways to get vaccinated and tested.
Some of these include:
• COVID vaccines are available by appointment only for anyone 5 years and older at the Health Department at 619 Ann Ave. in KCK. o Appointments are available Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Call 913-573-8855 to make an appointment. o Booster shots for those 12 and older are also available at the Health Department. o Vaccine hours at the Health Department will be extended in April. More details will be announced later this month. • Find other COVID vaccination sites at vaccines.gov. Find additional information at WycoVaccines.org.
Where to get tested
• For COVID testing locations visit www.wycokck.org/covid-19 and click on “COVID-19 Test Info.” • Additional testing locations can also be found by visiting https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/280/COVID-19-Testing. • Now residents can order two sets of 4 free COVID At-Home test by visiting COVIDTests.gov. Anyone who ordered their first set of tests before March 7, 2022, can now order a second set.
The Health Department encouraged Wyandotte County residents to watch social media for updates on pop-up vaccination and testing events throughout the community. They can do this by visiting the Health Department Facebook and Twitter pages (@UGHealthDept) for the latest information.
It’s still important to get tested and vaccinated, Health Department says
According to the CDC’s county-by-county online database, which evaluates several metrics to determine each county’s current COVID community level, Wyandotte County has a “high” level of community COVID-19. The CDC recommends the following guidelines to help stop the spread of COVID in our community: • Wear a mask indoors in public • Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines • Get tested if you have symptoms • Additional precautions may be needed for people at high risk for severe illness
The importance of the Kmart facility
The mass vaccination and testing facility at the former Kmart site has been an important tool for the Health Department in combatting the spread of COVID-19 in Wyandotte County, a Health Department spokesman stated.
Some statistics about the work done at the Kmart vaccination and testing site:
• As of March 10, 2022, there have been 90,477 doses administered at Kmart since it first opened in Dec. 23, 2020. • Across all of the Health Department’s vaccination sites (which includes the Kmart facility, the Armory, the former Best Buy location in the Legends, the Health Department site at 619 Ann Ave. and all vaccinations administered by the Mobile Vaccination Unit), there have been 148,020 doses administered and 70,380 people vaccinated, from Dec. 23, 2020, to date.
For more information and latest statistics on the status of COVID-19 in Wyandotte County, visit WycoVaccines.org.
Information from the UG Health Department
Updated COVID-19 numbers
The rolling average of total confirmed and probable COVID cases in Wyandotte County. (UG Health Department graphic)
On Tuesday, Wyandotte County reported a cumulative total of 39,806 COVID-19 cases, with 484 deaths. The trend in daily cases and in regional hospitalizations was decreasing, according to the UG’s COVID-19 website.
Wyandotte County residents who had at least one dose of vaccine totaled 62.18 percent, and those who completed vaccination were 52.08 percent, according to the Health Department’s COVID website.
On Monday, March 14, the state of Kansas reported 768,820 cumulative cases, with 8,028 cumulative deaths. It was an increase of 95 cases from Friday. There were 22 COVID-19 deaths from Friday to Monday in the state.
On Tuesday, doctors at the University of Kansas Health System reported a total of 64 COVID patients, a decrease of 13 from Monday. There were 12 patients with the active virus, as compared to 18 on Monday. No COVID patients were in the intensive care unit, the same as Monday. No COVID patients were on ventilators, the same as Monday.
