Interstate 70 between Topeka Boulevard and 8th Avenue closed on Monday and will be closed until early December.
Plans for removal of the existing viaduct have been adjusted, and the temporary closures on Kansas Avenue, Topeka Boulevard and I-70 have been revised. Motorists should plan for the following.
- Friday, June 12, from 11 p.m. until Monday, June 15, at 4 a.m.: Topeka Boulevard will be closed between 1st and 3rd streets. Through traffic can follow the detour on 3rd Street, Kansas Avenue and N.W. Morse Street. During this closure:Southbound Topeka Boulevard will have access to the westbound I-70 on-ramp. Northbound Topeka Boulevard will be directed to 6th Street and MacVicar Avenue to access westbound I-70.Eastbound I-70 will also be closed starting at MacVicar Avenue. Eastbound motorists can follow the local detour: MacVicar Avenue to 6th Avenue to Topeka Boulevard to the 10th Avenue I-70 on-ramp.
- Southbound Topeka Boulevard will have access to the westbound I-70 on-ramp. Northbound Topeka Boulevard will be directed to 6th Street and MacVicar Avenue to access westbound I-70.
- Eastbound I-70 will also be closed starting at MacVicar Avenue. Eastbound motorists can follow the local detour: MacVicar Avenue to 6th Avenue to Topeka Boulevard to the 10th Avenue I-70 on-ramp.
After Topeka Boulevard has reopened as scheduled, the closure on eastbound I-70 starting at MacVicar Avenue has been revised and will now remain in place until Sunday, June 28, to allow pavement work and storm sewer installations. The detour listed above will be posted for eastbound motorists during this closure.
A closure on 4th Street has also been added between Madison and Monroe streets. The area will close on Tuesday, June 16, and remain closed until late fall. Marked detours will direct motorists around the closure area.
Demolition of the existing viaduct will occur during daytime and nighttime hours and is expected to take approximately three weeks. Explosives will not be used for the process. Rather, heavy equipment will be used to break apart and remove the structure. Spectators are asked to keep a safe distance outside the project limits when demolition work is taking place.
Additional reductions, closures and other traffic impacts will be necessary as the project progresses.
All project work and traffic changes are conditions permitting and subject to change.
More information about the PQV project can be found at ksdot.gov/I-70-Polk-Quincy.