As promised in an earlier post (Are You People Crazy???) a large highway project is set to begin Monday, May 18 on U.S. 54/400 (Kellogg Avenue) at the I-135 Interchange.

Drivers will find traffic reduced to two lanes in each direction on Kellogg in the heaviest traveled corridor in Wichita. Plus, access from Kellogg to I-135 will be closed (beginning Wednesday, May 20) until the first phase of the project is completed in November.

Over 100,000 vehicles per day use Kellogg on the west side of the interchange and drivers should expect increased congestion in and around the construction zones. Message boards will be used to advise drivers of lane restrictions and ramp closures.

The bright side of this news is the amount of highway infrastructure that will be improved. During the first phase of the two-year project, the eastbound Kellogg bridge over Hydraulic St. will be completely replaced and repairs will be made to seven other bridges. These repairs vary on each bridge and include deck patching, driving surface improvements, new bridge approaches, work on bridge abutments (support structures at each end), new guard rail, expansion joint repair or replacement, polymer overlay on bridge shoulders, improved drainage systems on all bridges plus one bridge widening.

Additionally, the acceleration/deceleration lane from eastbound Kellogg to southbound I-135 will be extended from Lincoln St. to Harry St. and the two ramps from Kellogg to I-135 will be expanded to two lanes each.

Because access from Kellogg to I-135 will be closed, U.S. 54/400 traffic access to I-135 will be signed using I-235 as the detour.

The speed limit in the construction zone will be posted at 50 mph and increased enforcement will be provided by the Kansas Highway Patrol. Speed enforcement on Kellogg adjacent to the construction zones will continue to be provided by the Wichita Police Department.

The prime contractor for the nearly $20 million project is Wildcat Construction Co. Inc. of Wichita. A large number of subcontractor companies have also been hired to complete specialty construction operations. At times, double shifts will be used but crews will generally work Mondays through Saturdays from dawn to dusk.

Phase 2 of the project will begin in March 2010 and includes repairs on nine bridges, some in the interchange, one on Kellogg and some south of the interchange over I-135. Access from I-135 to U.S. 54/400 will be closed during Phase 2.

Hold on tight -- we're not crazy but we will bring madness to drivers at the busiest interchange in Wichita.

I had a few (understatement) phone calls in the last few days and many of them started with similar questions. Why in the world would you (KDOT) want to close the ramps that link U.S 54/400 (the Kellogg Freeway through Wichita) with I-135? Are you plotting ways to make life more miserable for drivers? Are you people crazy?

Well, while I can’t write for all of us at KDOT, I’m pretty sure we’re not crazy and we’re not plotting against drivers. We are, however, responsible for the care and feeding of 10,000 miles of the state highway system and we intend to maintain the current highway infrastructure as well as make improvements for the future.

On February 18, at the monthly letting shindig, KDOT will open bids from contractors interested in making improvements to the I-135 & Kellogg Interchange. And as soon as we can get a signed contract, the “winner” of the contract will start the nine-month process of repairing 11 bridge decks, completely replacing one bridge, expanding four ramps, adding a ¼-mile lane extension on southbound I-135 plus complete a number of other repairs.

To facilitate the multi-location repairs within the interchange – one that handles up to 100,000 vehicles/day – some closures are necessary. The project is divided into two phases. In a nutshell, here’s what’s planned:

March – July Phase 1

• All Kellogg to I-135 access CLOSED
• I-235 will be official, marked detour for US-54 to I-135 traffic
• EB & WB Kellogg will be reduced to two lanes for each direction
• Through traffic on I-135 will not be affected
• I-135 access to Kellogg will be open
• Lane expansion – SB I-135 between Lincoln & Harry

July – November Phase 2

• All I-135 to Kellogg access CLOSED
• I-235 will be official, marked detour for I-135 to US-54 traffic
• EB & WB Kellogg reduction to two lanes for each direction will continue
• Through traffic on I-135 will not be affected
• Kellogg access to I-135 will be open

If you call me about this project, please feel free to begin the conversation with “Are you people crazy???” That way I’ll know immediately what project you want to discuss.