$345 million project will expand Kellogg Avenue from west of Webb to K-96

Dozens of people turned out Monday night to find out whether they would be affected by a $345 million expansion of Kellogg Avenue from west of Webb to K-96.

Some of them were nervous. Others just curious. Almost all had questions.

They leaned closely over maps, took notes and signed up to get more information.

Jen Fisher, area director of Wendy’s, came to the open house at Summit Church because she’s worried about LDF Food Group’s Wendy’s store at Kellogg and Greenwich. The fast-food restaurant opened in November 2000.

“I don’t want to see that store go away,” she said.

Floyd Neitzel owns Neitzel True Value Farm and Home just north of Kellogg off of Greenwich. He said he wasn’t too worried, “because it’s been forever coming.” He joked he might even be around by the time the project comes to his area.

“It looks quite a bit improved,” Neitzel said of new plans that the city, the Kansas Turnpike Authority and the Kansas Department of Transportation devised to kick the project into overdrive.

A setback earlier this year to revamp the Kellogg interchange at Webb Road – bids let in January came in significantly higher than expected – sent the city back to the drawing board.

That turned out to be a good thing, city engineer Gary Janzen said Monday.

By working together, the city, the Turnpike Authority and KDOT will actually get East Kellogg done sooner, saving perhaps $20 million over time due to inflation. The designs are simpler, too, Janzen said.

The revised plan to improve traffic flow on Kellogg in east Wichita will include new interchanges at Webb and Greenwich roads and new Kansas turnpike ramps at K-96.

East Kellogg between Webb and K-96 will be expanded to six lanes. Kellogg will go under Webb and over Greenwich and Zelta.

The expansion is actually two separate projects, although Janzen said the public likely will see it as one. The city is in charge of the project from Cypress, which is just west of Webb, to west of Greenwich. The state is taking over from west of Greenwich to K-96.

The city is kicking in $145 million for its project to Webb. KDOT is spending $176 million, $162 million of which is coming from the T-Works program. The Turnpike Authority is putting up $24 million to build ramps at K-96.

The city is expected to start construction on its project in fall 2015. The right of way already has been acquired for it.

The state’s project will start in the summer of 2016 with design and right-of-way acquisition. Rex Fleming, design and construction engineer for the Turnpike Authority, said the expansion will require the state to acquire about 50 parcels of land.

He said the state would begin meeting with affected property owners on Tuesday. All were invited to the meeting.

Both projects are set for completion in 2019 to 2020. The far east part of the project initially wasn’t planned to start until 2018. Expediting the project will save taxpayer dollars, Janzen said.

“I think we’re actually starting to see light at the end of the tunnel,” Janzen said of construction on Kellogg.

Access to businesses during construction will be a priority, Wichita City Council member Pete Meitzner said.

Traffic at Kellogg and Webb is at 60,000 to 70,000 vehicles a day, and at Greenwich it is 35,000 to 40,000 vehicles daily. By 2040, East Kellogg is projected to carry 120,000 vehicles a day.

During construction, left turns will be prohibited at Webb and at Greenwich but not at the same time, Janzen said. Two lanes on each side of Kellogg will be open at all times, he said.

A new website, www.eastkelloggimprovements.com, will have more information about the expansion later this week.

Meitzner said he’s excited about the collaboration between the city and state.

“This is really going to help take this project from stairsteps … to kind of on steroids,” he said.

This story was originally published October 27, 2014 at 8:17 PM with the headline "$345 million project will expand Kellogg Avenue from west of Webb to K-96."