TOPEKA (KSNT) – Drivers will soon be able to drive on I-70 through downtown Topeka on the new and improved Polk-Quincy Viaduct.
Kate Craft with the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) said in a press release that workers are preparing to partially reopen I-70 in downtown Topeka. She said this is about two months ahead of schedule.
Craft said the new eastbound Polk-Quincy Viaduct structure is almost finished and, if weather conditions allow, it will open to the public on Friday, Oct. 16. She said the westbound lane of I-70 is expected to open by noon on Oct. 16, followed by the eastbound lane at 4 p.m. on the same day. Both lanes will be on the eastbound section of I-70 while the westbound lanes of traffic remain closed.
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Drivers can expect new traffic configurations to be in place through to late 2027 as the project continues. These changes include:
- Both directions of traffic on I-70 will be moved to a single-lane, head-to-head configuration on the new eastbound I-70 alignment, from just west of Topeka Boulevard to Eighth Avenue
- The Eight Avenue on-ramp to westbound I-70 will stay closed
- All other I-70 ramps at MacVicar Avenue, Topeka Boulevard, Eighth Avenue and 10th Avenue will stay open
- The previous I-70 ramps at Second Street and Fourth Street are now gone
Craft said additional work on the viaduct project will require Kansas Avenue to shut down temporarily early in 2027. More information on this will be shared in the days ahead.
KDOT closed I-70 in downtown Topeka in June earlier this year. Workers completed demolition on the old viaduct structure in early September.
The Polk-Quincy Viaduct project has a price tag of around $239 million and is set to continue into next year. Moe information about the project and its timeline can be found on KDOT’s website.
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