Weather permitting, on Saturday, May 12, repair and overlay work will begin on the eastbound I-70 over 18th Street Bridge in Wyandotte County.
Repair work on the project includes patching and a silica fume overlay on the bridge deck and approaches, and replacement of the bridge expansion joints.
Work will take place daily, Monday through Friday during daylight hours.
Beginning at 5:00 a.m. on Saturday, May 12, eastbound I-70 will be reduced to one open lane from approximately a half-mile prior to and over the bridge itself as crews complete pavement striping work and set traffic control for the repair project.
Once striping and traffic control are in place sometime later that same day, eastbound I-70 will then be reduced to two open 12-foot lanes from approximately one-half mile prior to and over the bridge, 24/7 round the clock, for the duration of the project.
Traffic will be directed through the project work zone via concrete barrier and signage. A 55 mph speed limit will be posted through the project work zone.
Painting work will also take place on the bridges so 18th Street will be reduced to one lane in both directions during only those times when crews are working on the repair project.
Also beginning on at 5:00 a.m. on Saturday, May 12, the southbound 18th Street to eastbound I-70 entrance ramp will be closed for the duration of the project.
A marked detour will be provided. Traffic will detour via southbound 18th Street to eastbound Kansas Avenue to northbound 18th Street back to eastbound I-70.
During the second phase of the project, the eastbound I-70 to northbound 18th Street exit ramp will be closed when traffic is shifted to the two inside lanes on eastbound I-70. A marked detour will be provided.
Traffic will be detoured via eastbound I-70 to 7th Street exit to westbound I-70 back to northbound 18th Street. These additional traffic impacts for the project will be provided under separate notification in advance of the planned closures.
Advance message boards will alert traffic to the lane and ramp closures. Updated traffic information for this bridge repair project can be viewed online: www.ksdot.org/kcmetro/laneclose.asp. Drivers should expect some delays, especially during peak morning/evening rush hours, and are encouraged to use alternate routes, if possible.
Comanche Construction Inc. (Kansas City, KS) is the primary contractor on this bridge repair project with a total contract cost of $1.1 million. The scheduled completion date for the entire project is late September 2012, 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/.
