Construction at I-235, Kellogg to begin in a few weeks (+video)

West-siders, the rumors are true.

The rebuilding of the I-235 and Kellogg interchange – one of the biggest projects of the decade and destined to be a monumental headache for commuters – really is happening.

Construction starts in four to six weeks. Lane closures will begin in the spring – and won’t be done until June 2019.

The good news for many diners is that long-time favorite Town & Country Restaurant on West Kellogg will remain open through the project, although several buildings along the highway will come down.

“I figure we have 10 years,” said Larry Conover, Town & Country’s owner.

Dondlinger and Sons of Wichita was low bidder at nearly $103 million and expects to sign the contract by the end of the week.

And that’s just for the first phase, dubbed the Red Project, which consists of less than half the total project. The three subsequent phases haven’t been funded or scheduled.

But even just the Red Project will significantly improve safety and congestion, said project manager Kelly Keele, a KDOT design engineer. The agency focused on the most heavily trafficked, most dangerous parts of the interchange.

Workers will build two flyovers to replace the loops that take traffic from I-235 to Kellogg, in either direction.

In this phase they won’t build flyovers for the two loops that take traffic from Kellogg to I-235, both north and south. But they will make some significant improvements.

The loop in the southeast quadrant, which takes eastbound Kellogg traffic onto northbound I-235 – infamous for where trucks get stuck when the pavement turns icy – will be replaced by a larger loop.

Workers will add new lanes on I-235 to give drivers more time to speed up before merging.

In the second phase, the Blue Project, which is still years off, the other two flyovers will be added.

In the third phase, a reconstruction of Kellogg through the intersection includes replacing the two bridges over the Big Ditch. The fourth phase would be a reconstruction of the I-235-Central interchange.

Dondlinger will make the detailed timing and phasing decisions, Keele said, but the state has suggested starting the work on West Street. Electrical and gas companies have already moved lines and poles away from Kellogg, just east of the interchange.

Workers will widen the bridge over West Street to add more lanes on the south side. The extra lanes will run down south edge of Kellogg, and some of them will form the end of the onramp for traffic that was coming north from I-235.

They will also lower West Street as it travels under Kellogg, Keele said.

The project promises closed lanes and slow passage through the interchange for years.

“Our goal is to make it as smooth and easy as possible,” said Dondlinger vice president Raymond Dondlinger. “I commute through that area every day, so I’ll be experiencing this along with everybody else.

“As much inconvenience as there is, it’s always better in the end.”

Dondlinger’s three biggest subcontractors are Wildcat Construction, Cornejo and Sons, and King Construction.

Keele said there will be plenty of signs to advise travelers of conditions. Such information will be available on the city of Wichita’s WICHway online travel information site at www.wichway.org.

Several buildings along the north side of West Kellogg between West Street and Tracy will be taken. But businesses west of Tracy – including Town & Country Restaurant – are part of the Blue Project.

Larry Conover, the owner, said he expects to stay open, despite the fact that one of his restaurant’s main access roads, Kellogg Drive, will be involved in construction.

He said he already has had a lot of customers ask whether – and when – he’s closing. He’s not.

“I’m kind of stubborn,” Conover said. “I’m almost 70, and I want to get to 80.”

Guitar Center is another business that plans to make it through construction. Store manager Donald Edwards said construction workers have already torn up some grass and trees his staff just planted.

But he said he’s looking forward to the finished highway.

“The construction is scary, but the future afterward will be pretty amazing,” he said.

This story was originally published October 8, 2015 at 7:52 PM with the headline "Construction at I-235, Kellogg to begin in a few weeks (+video)."