Amidon bridge project on schedule to be done next year, but here’s some good news

North Wichita commuters who have become accustomed to lengthy detours around the closed Amidon Avenue Bridge could be driving on it again in a few more months.

Construction isn’t slated for completion until next spring but the thoroughfare connecting 13th and 21st streets is expected to reopen by the end of the year.

The bridge, which has been closed for replacement since last October, will initially reopen with one lane of northbound and southbound traffic each before expanding to two lanes each way in early 2024, city spokesperson Megan Lovely said.

Deck concrete work was recently completed, and crews have now moved on to detail work.

“The traffic barrier wall and handrail and street pavement leading up to the bridge are currently in progress,” Lovely said. “Work such as path connections, aesthetic enhancements, and site restoration will continue after opening to traffic.”

Construction is still within its approved budget of $7.5 million, and Lovely said the project will likely be completed ahead of schedule, although the city’s target date is listed only as spring 2024.

Before its closure, the nearly 60-year-old bridge spanning the Arkansas River at 18th Street accommodated more than 16,500 vehicles a day, according to city data.

It connected residents just south of the bridge with the busy 21st and Amidon intersection, which features several grocery stores and pharmacies, a DMV office, a fire station, a workforce center, two health care facilities and more than a dozen restaurants.

Since replacement began last fall, traffic has been rerouted along detours to West Street, Waco and Broadway, adding between four and eight minutes to the average commute.

The city considered several alternatives that would have kept one or two lanes of bridge traffic open throughout construction after area residents and business owners came forward with concerns about the economic and public safety implications of the disruption. But engineers determined doing so would increase the price tag to as much as $11 million and stretch construction time to two years.

The new bridge will include a 10-foot-wide “multi-use path” on its west side and a 6-foot-wide sidewalk to the east. Local artist Daniel Gegen is involved with the design of the lighting and handrail enhancements on the bridge.

This story was originally published September 5, 2023 at 5:55 AM.