Traffic will be blocked for six weekends on 39th between Rainbow Boulevard and State Line Road in order to safely construct the new two-story walkway connecting the Center for Advanced Heart Care to the Cambridge North Patient Tower, now under construction.
The closings will begin on Friday afternoon, April 1. Then for six consecutive weekends (weather permitting) beginning Fridays at 2 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. Monday, 39th will be shut down at Cambridge Road for the construction.
“The closure isn’t for the convenience of construction,” said Jon Jackson, senior vice president and chief administrative officer of The University of Kansas Hospital. “The closure is for the safety of the public that otherwise would be driving through while cranes lift large heavy steel beams over the road.”
Jackson said it is possible the closure would be extended to other weekends if severe weather hampers the construction. A website has been set up to give neighbors and area businesses the latest information: http://www.kumc.edu/construction. Residents may check the website if there are any questions about the construction schedule.
Emergency services at The University of Kansas Hospital can still be accessed during the closure on 39th from Rainbow Boulevard to the Emergency ramp. However, all other traffic will have to take marked detours on Olathe Boulevard. Traffic coming on 39th to State Line Road will be also be rerouted on State Line Road, to Olathe Boulevard then on Rainbow Boulevard.
The two story walkway will allow general public access to Cambridge North on one level, while are medical traffic is confined to the other level. Cambridge North will be a $320 million, 13-story (including a mechanical services floor) building with 92 beds and 12 operating rooms when the first phase opens in 2017. A 32-bed unit and three unfinished floors will be added several months later. The building with house two of the hospital’s fastest growing areas: neurosciences and cancer surgery, including Ear, Nose and Throat Cancers. The hospital has raised $42 million toward a $100 million philanthropy goal.