The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) is asking drivers to prepare for a major interstate closure in the Topeka area this month.
Starting August 15, 2022, KDOT will close I-70 westbound to all traffic from 8th Street to Topeka Boulevard in the downtown Topeka area.
The closure is expected to last about three weeks.
KDOT offered the following detour information:
The 8th Street exit will be the last open ramp for westbound motorists. Westbound I-70 through traffic will follow signed detours and be routed south to I-470, north to K-4 to U.S. 24 to U.S. 75 or drivers can use the local street detour – Madison Avenue to Sixth Street to Topeka Boulevard. Eastbound I-70 traffic will remain open, but still reduced to one lane.
The closure will allow crews to perform pavement patching to improve the driving surface until the new PolkQuincy Viaduct bridge is open.
KDOT says that once the pavement patching is complete, westbound I-70 will reopen to one lane. Both directions of I-70 will remain reduced to one lane from just east of MacVicar to S.W. 8th Street until construction of the viaduct’s replacement is complete.
“Working in collaboration with the City of Topeka, KDOT has studied construction work zones in the area and researched traffic patterns. There will be increased traffic congestion, however, the designated detours will be able to handle the increase. Drivers should expect delays and plan their routes accordingly,” KDOT said.
Work on the Polk-Quincy Viaduct project is scheduled to begin in early 2025.
See below for more on the Polk-Quincy Viaduct project.