Starting at 6 p.m. Friday, June 28, work will begin on bridge and pavement repairs on I-635 and I-70, according to the Kansas Department of Transportation.
Bridge repairs will be performed on the northbound and southbound I-635 bridges over Speaker Road (just north of K-32). Traffic in both directions will be reduced to two lanes from I-70 to K-32, a KDOT spokesman stated.
The ramps to southbound I-635 from eastbound and westbound I-70 will be closed. The ramps to northbound I-635 from eastbound and westbound K-32 will be closed. The lane reductions and ramp closures will remain in place for the duration of the project, which is expected to be completed on Nov. 23.
An additional closure will go into effect approximately mid-September, during which the ramp to K-32 from northbound I-635 also will be closed.
Detours for all closed ramps for southbound I-635 are on I-70 to southbound 18th Street –U.S. 69, then west on K-32. Detours for all closed ramps for northbound I-635 are on K-32, northbound on 18th Street – U.S. 69, then west on I-70.
In July, work will also begin to perform pavement patching and smoothness grinding on I-70 from the Quarry Road (between North 57th Street and I-635) to just east of 38th Street and on I-635 from the Hump Yard Bridge to just north of State Avenue, as well as repairs to the bridge on the ramps to and from K-32 and northbound I-635, according to KDOT. The pavement patching on I-70 and I-635 will require the roadways to be reduced to one lane nightly and is tentatively scheduled to begin on July 8.
R.A. Knapp is the prime contractor on the $6 million project.
The roads are scheduled to be open to unrestricted traffic by Nov. 23. Work to complete the smoothness grinding and pavement marking will resume in March of 2020 with a final completion date of May 22, 2020. That work is expected to be performed at night, according to KDOT.