Lane, ramp closures scheduled on Lewis and Clark viaduct bridge today and Thursday

Work is planned Tuesday and Thursday on the Lewis and Clark viaduct bridge, according to KDOT. There will be intermittent lane and ramp closures. (KDOT map)

According to the Kansas Department of Transportation, eastbound I-70 will have intermittent lane and ramp closures to unload bridge girders onto a trestle in the Missouri River as part of the Lewis and Clark Viaduct Bridge project. Each I-70 closure could last for approximately 15-20 minutes.

Work will occur on Tuesday, July 28, and Thursday, July 30. Two girders will be placed each day from approximately 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., weather permitting.

Traffic will be stopped on eastbound I-70 and several on-ramps to unload each girder. The following ramps will be temporarily closed; Fairfax Trafficway to eastbound I-70, Washington Boulevard, Minnesota Avenue and eastbound I-70.

Traffic will be controlled using construction trucks and digital message boards.

KDOT urges all motorists to be alert and obey the warning signs when approaching and driving through a highway work zone, a spokesman stated. To stay aware of all road construction projects across Kansas go to www.kandrive.org or call 5-1-1. Motorists are asked to drive safely and always wear their seat belts, the spokesman stated.

K-7 over Piper Creek bridge replacement project begins in KCK

The Piper Creek bridge replacement project began May 1 in Kansas City, Kan., and will continue through September. (KDOT photo)

On Thursday, May 1, a project began to replace the bridge on southbound U.S. 73-K-7 over Piper Creek (located between Leavenworth Road and Parallel Parkway) in Wyandotte County.

Project work includes replacing the existing 24-foot (2 12-foot lanes only) slab bridge structure with a 40-foot (2 12-foot lanes with 8-foot shoulders) haunch slab structure, according to a Kansas Department of Transportation spokesman. Work will take place Monday through Friday during daylight hours.

Crews will begin by installing traffic control and temporary traffic signals at U.S. 73-K-7 and Leavenworth Road intersection. Then sometime in mid-May, northbound and southbound U.S. 73-K-7 traffic will be placed side by side, one lane each direction, in the northbound U.S. 73-K-7 lanes from Parallel Parkway to Donahoo Road throughout the project duration.

Traffic will be directed via signs, cones and arrow boards through the project work zone. There will be a posted speed limit of 55 mph through the project work zone throughout the project duration.

Drivers should expect delays, primarily during heavy peak time commutes, throughout the project duration. Updated traffic information for this project and all Kansas City Metro projects can be viewed online at: www.ksdot.org/kcmetro/laneclose.asp.

Pyramid Contractors of Olathe, Kan., is the primary contractor on this bridge replacement project with a total contract cost of $1.844 million. The scheduled completion date for the entire project is late September 2014, weather permitting.

This project is funded by T-WORKS, the transportation program passed by the Kansas Legislature in May 2010. Find out more about this and other T-WORKS projects at: http://kdotapp.ksdot.org/TWorks/.

Two accidents reported

Two accidents were reported on April 27 on highways in Wyandotte County.

One accident happened at 7:23 p.m.at I-635 northbound at Metropolitan, according to a Kansas Highway Patrol trooper’s report.
A 1996 Toyota was northbound on I-635 when it hydroplaned and struck the median wall, then entered the east ditch, the trooper’s report stated.
A 22-year-old Kansas City, Kan., woman was injured and taken to the hospital.

At 6:35 p.m. April 27 on I-435 just south of Kansas Avenue, a 2008 Mitsubishi was southbound in the center lane. It changed to the left lane and struck and unknown vehicle, and spun in the lane. It then struck the guard rail and came to rest in the median, the trooper’s report stated.

A 21-year-old Lenexa, Kan., driver was injured and taken to the hospital, the report stated.