This I-135 ramp onto Kellogg will close beginning Monday. Here’s the detour
Wichita drivers who use the ramp from northbound I-135 to westbound Kellogg should expect a detour beginning this week as construction continues on the interchange.
The ramp will close starting Monday, Jan. 5 as part of a Kansas Department of Transportation project to replace and rehabilitate bridges at the interchange. It’s unclear how long the ramp will be closed. The overall project is expected to be completed in September 2027, conditions permitting.
The multi-million dollar, multi-phase project includes replacing bridge structures and rehabilitating existing bridge decks, which KDOT Public Information Officer J.B. Wilson said have been affected by use over time and the elements.
“We’re getting rid of the driving surface, and then we’re going to be addressing also the joints, the barriers underneath that’s kind of affected just by having traffic in that area and weather,” Wilson said.
As part of the work, Wilson said crews are building an entirely new bridge for southbound I-135 to eastbound Kellogg. The new structure will include two abutments and nine piers and is being built next to the existing bridge so traffic can continue to move through the interchange without disruption during much of the work.
“ … Once that’s open, we’ll move traffic onto that new bridge and then demolish the old one,” Wilson said.
Two of the new bridge piers will be built in the median of I-135, requiring those inside lanes to close at a later date.
“So we’re trying to do it in a way that … the impact to traffic is minimal,” Wilson said.
At the beginning of December, KDOT closed two inside lanes in both directions on I-135 between Lincoln Street and Douglas Avenue and on Kellogg between Hillside and Topeka.
Wilson said that although drivers will experience long-term inside lane closures and the ramp shutdown, most other closures will be intermittent and tied to specific construction needs, such as setting girders or building piers.
During the upcoming ramp closure, northbound I-135 drivers wanting to head west on Kellogg should continue past the interchange, take the 2nd Street exit, enter southbound I-135 and then use the westbound Kellogg exit as a detour.
The speed limit in the work zone will be reduced to 50 mph for the duration of the project, and drivers are encouraged to allow extra travel time and use caution.
Drivers can find the latest updates on lane closures and detours at KanDrive.gov.
