What’s behind the orange cones – and all the construction – in Wichita

City Engineer Gary Janzen knows that Wichitans wonder why many roads and streets are under construction now.

“I get that question a lot,” he said.

Road construction sees its ups and downs. For example, the recession put a damper on development and the road work it supports in 2008 and 2009. But the city is now in one of those upswings.

“We probably do have more construction going on this year than we have had for several years,” said Janzen, who is also the assistant director of public works and utilities. “One of the reasons is because ... there’s so much going on on Kellogg.”

Beyond major projects on east and west Kellogg, there are other reasons for more projects right now. The city’s sale of the Hyatt Regency Wichita last fall boosted money earmarked for street maintenance. Money from a multiyear state transportation program called T-Works was available this year, but not necessarily in the future.

Business growth downtown along Douglas and near Wichita State University’s Innovation Campus also led to construction projects.

“A lot of what we do over the years has been driven by development,” Janzen said. “We can’t always predict that. We can’t always spread that out.”

Hyatt sale, T-Works

The sale of the Hyatt presents a one-time, $10 million boost to residential street improvements during 2017 and 2018, Janzen said.

“That $10 million infusion from the Hyatt has added a lot of extra road work this year,” he said.

The city also uses $8 million to $10 million in federal money each year for arterial road and bridge improvements. That can go toward projects like improvements to Pawnee.

“Those are time-sensitive,” Janzen said. “So we have to build those projects within certain time periods or we lose that money.”

T-Works, a 10-year, $8 billion transportation program that funds projects across the state, is winding down. Janzen said much of the East Kellogg construction is possible with funding from T-Works.

The city sped up the second phase of East Kellogg construction by almost two years to qualify for T-Works funding. “Those projects had to get started because we were told that the funding was at a risk of being lost,” Janzen said.

“I know it just extends the construction zone and it’s a lot more work at the same time, but that also means we’re going to get it all done sooner too.”

‘A lot of things going’

The state is also busy this summer, managing big projects along I-235 and Kellogg that Wichitans know all too well.

The total number of KDOT projects could actually be down compared to previous summers, said Tom Hein, a Wichita-based public affairs manager for the Kansas Department of Transportation.

“(But) they’re huge. These are big projects including the west Kellogg and I-235 exchange,” he said.

T-Works plays a role in how many projects are going on this summer, Hein said.

Some contractors are working on all three of the state’s big projects in Wichita: the I-235/Kellogg interchange and the two East Kellogg projects at Webb and Greenwich, he said.

The state has also contracted out work on I-235 bridges at the Big Ark River, the Big Ditch, 25th Street and 29th Street.

Improvements downtown, at WSU

Some projects pop up because of initiatives beyond the city’s or the state’s control.

Expected development on Wichita State University’s Innovation Campus played a large role in beginning turn lane and pedestrian access work at 21st and Oliver, which should be completed in October.

“21st and Oliver was already what we would consider a fairly improved intersection,” Janzen said. “It had turn lanes. It was accommodating the traffic that was using it today.”

“With that expansion of the Innovation Campus and the traffic that’s going to bring, these improvements are needed,” Janzen said. “We’re not going to be able to wait to make improvements until Innovation Campus is done.”

Construction on Douglas from Washington to Main is also expanding curb space to help Wichita Transit with “making their stops more accessible.”

“It makes those intersections more-pedestrian friendly,” Janzen said. “It makes the crosswalks shorter. It gives a better line of sight for traffic to see pedestrians and pedestrians to see traffic.”

‘Tremendous improvement’

Some projects are ending this summer. A $17 million drainage and pavement improvement project on South Meridian wrapped up recently.

“That area, especially south of Harry, had historically been one of the worst drainage areas in town for a long, long time,” Janzen said. “It’s been a really tremendous improvement for that area. You would never even know that that problem existed.”

The improvements took years to complete, in part, because of other projects around the city.

“There’s a lot of needs and priorities across the city and there’s limited resources,” Janzen said.

Upcoming work

Janzen said the city works with Sedgwick County on projects at the city’s edges, like improving Greenwich from Harry to Pawnee to a three-lane road with sidewalks and on-street bike lanes.

“That’s going to be good for the new Southeast High School,” Janzen said.

Sedgwick County mainly focuses on doing maintenance on county roads, like ongoing asphalt surfacing projects in Clearwater and on Greenwich north of US-254.

In three weeks, the city will start work on 17th from Hillside to Oliver to convert it into a three-lane road with on-street bike lanes. And Oliver from 17th to 21st will be expanded to five lanes, with sidewalks to tie in to an entrance to the Innovation Campus.

Douglas and Hydraulic will soon have turn lanes in all directions. Construction on 143rd from Kellogg to Central will begin in about a month. Contractors will also soon start work on 127th from 13th to 21st, as well as the intersection of 45th and Hillside.

This story was originally published July 28, 2017 at 6:25 PM with the headline "What’s behind the orange cones – and all the construction – in Wichita."