Here’s what will affect traffic on I-135 north of Wichita this weekend and beyond
Drivers on I-135 north of Wichita should expect to take a brief detour this weekend as crews begin demolishing a bridge at 101st Street.
Motorists will exit I-135 at 101st Street and then use the on-ramps to get right back on the interstate. The detour is expected to last from 7 p.m. March 20 through 5 a.m. March 23.
The weekend closure marks the first major traffic impact of a multi-phase bridge redecking project about 7.5 miles north of the I-235/I-135 North Junction in Sedgwick County. The $1.5 million Kansas Department of Transportation project is set to last through the summer.
The closure “won’t be like a big one,” KDOT spokesman JB Wilson said. “We’re just diverting them right on the side of the ramp, and then they’ll come back down.”
After the weekend demolition, the stretch of interstate will be reopened. Next, drivers should expect intermittent lane closures as crews begin rebuilding the bridge deck. Traffic will be reduced, with just one lane open in each direction.
“It’s just going to be one lane northbound and one lane southbound until the project is completed,” Wilson said.
Work affecting traffic is expected to wrap up by late August, with the full project slated for completion by late September, weather permitting.
