A Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT), bridge repair project on northbound I-135 at 77th Street North will begin early on Thursday, August 26. The northbound lanes of I-135 will be closed from 7:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. each day for the duration of the nine-day project.
Northbound interstate traffic will be routed onto the 77th Street exit ramp and then return to the interstate on the entrance ramp. Speed in the construction zone will be reduced to 30 mph, so congestion will occur and drivers should expect to stop as they approach the work zone.
Repairs to the bridge require that 77th Street over I-135 also be closed. This closure is likely to begin as early as 6:00 a.m. each day and will re-open at 3:00 p.m. During the daily closures, access to businesses west of I-135 will be from the southbound I-135 exit at 77th Street. Access to businesses east of I-135 will be from Hydraulic Avenue.
During the daily closures, traffic on 77th Street will not have access to the northbound entrance ramp to I-135. Additionally, drivers on northbound I-135 will not have access to 77th Street.
The bridge was struck by an oversized load in late July. Damage repairs include using heat straightening on a steel girder plus other structural repairs. Flame-On Inc. of Monroe, Washington, is the contractor on the $180,025 project. Completion is expected on or before Sept. 3.
