Kellogg freeway and I-235: You don’t want to go there this weekend

If you’re looking to beat it out of town Friday evening, you’ll want to stay away from the Kellogg and I-235 freeways in west Wichita.

The Kansas Department of Transportation plans to shut down both highways this weekend where they cross in west Wichita. West Street ramps off Kellogg will also be closed all weekend.

KDOT is planning to install eight large steel beams over Kellogg, also known as US-54, as part of an ongoing project to reconstruct the interchange at I-235.

This weekend’s closure will start at 5 p.m. Friday and is scheduled to continue until 6 a.m. Monday.

Pretty much any detour you take around the freeway interchange will lengthen your trip by about two miles, including a mile of backtracking. You’ll have to leave the freeway to get turned around and you can expect congestion delays at the exit ramps during peak travel times.

The Transportation Department is recommending these detours:

▪  Westbound on Kellogg: Exit onto northbound I-235 to Central. Turn left at Central then left onto southbound I-235. Exit to westbound Kellogg.

▪  Eastbound on Kellogg: Exit onto southbound I-235 to K-42 (Southwest Boulevard). Turn left at K-42 then left again onto northbound I-235. Exit to eastbound Kellogg.

▪  Northbound on I-235: Exit onto eastbound Kellogg to Edwards Street. Turn left on Edwards then left onto westbound Kellogg. Exit to northbound I-235.

▪  Southbound on I-235: Exit onto westbound Kellogg to Dugan Street. Use Dugan turnaround onto eastbound Kellogg. Exit to southbound I-235.

Drivers headed east- or west-bound on Kellogg can also get around the closure using Maple Street, north of the highway. Maple will be open with two lanes running each direction, KDOT said.

Additional closures of the Kellogg/I-235 interchange are planned for the weekends beginning Jan. 19 and Feb. 2.

The project is slated for completion in summer of 2019.

For more information on the project, go to www.235kelloggcentral.com.

This story was originally published January 4, 2018 at 7:00 AM with the headline "Kellogg freeway and I-235: You don’t want to go there this weekend."