As I was doing about 75mph on my way to a late afternoon meeting at the Platte County Resource Center, I was doing some reminiscing. One of the things (besides the school district) that attracted us to Platte County was I figured that if traffic ever got to a Denver or Chicago level of traffic suck, someone at MoDOT would figure out a way to widen I-29 to keep the connection from downtown to KCI moving smoothly. That has to be the only reason why the road was built as six lanes back in the 1960's.
When we first moved to Kansas City, we endured a summer of the median upgrade and re-surfacing of I-29 from Riverside to Barry Road. For those of you who can remember, the median on I-29 used to be a metal guardrail with curb near the edge of the travel lane. That wasn't the safest way to design a median and it was all ripped out and the much safer concrete jersey barrier was installed with some shoulders. That required lane drops from three to two lanes except on weekends when sometimes it would be reduced to one lane each way while the contractor moved the temporary barriers.
Anyways, 17 years later, we get to experience it again. If you haven't heard, almost all of the bridges on I-29 from Riverside to KCI will be rehabbed this summer. What this means is......you......(oh the humanity)......will be forced to drive the speed limit or experience stop and go traffic.
MoDOT has done a great job of trying to spread the word all over TV, radio, and social media. They've created a special page here with project details and you can like their FB page here to keep up with things.
It's going to suck until it's all done but MoDOT has been pro-active and decided to do all the bridges at one time versus spreading the suck out over three or four years like I-70 bridge upgrades in the mid-2000's. The contractor doing the job is the one (I think) that did the Broadway Extension Commutageddeon back in 2012 so they know what they are doing and should get it done to minimize any delay penalties.
One major thing that you will have to remember if you have kids playing sports at Tiffany Springs Park is that the ramp from eastbound 152 to southbound 29 will be closed the whole project. This is the ramp that is right along Zona Rosa in the southwest corner of the 152/29 interchange.
The summary sheet shows which bridges are affected.
Here's the official release:
I-29 Bridge Improvements between I-435 and I-635 in Platte County
MoDOT will make bridge improvements along the I-29 corridor in Platte County from Route D (Cookingham Drive) to Route 45 (64th Street). The work includes rehabilitating 12 bridges over some of the busiest local roads, including Route D (Cookingham Drive), 112th Street, Tiffany Springs Parkway, Barry Road, 72nd Street and Route 45 (64th Street).
Project Schedule:
Work is expected to begin the week of April 20, 2015 and continue for approximately six months. All work is weather dependent.
Work will impact motorists' arrivals and departures are KCI Airport.
Work Zone Features:
MoDOT is encouraging motorists to use alternate routes during construction, such as I-435 or US 169.
Motorists on I-29 should expect significant delays especially during rush hours and peak periods.
Expect lane reductions, narrow lanes and ramp closures during construction.
- Two lanes of I-29 will be maintained in each direction between 112th Street and Route 45 (64th Street).
- I-29 will be reduced to one lane at the main entrance of KCI Airport at Exit 13, Route D (Cookingham Drive) for each direction for 80 calendar days.
- The ramp from eastbound Route 152 to southbound I-29 will be closed for the duration of the project.
- I-29 lanes will be narrowed at the bridge locations.
- Temporary lane closures may be encountered on Route D (Cookingham Drive), 112th Street, Tiffany Springs Parkway, Barry Road, 72nd Street and Route 45 (64th Street) during off peak hours.
Motorists who are utilizing Kansas City International Airport (KCI) should make appropriate adjustments to meet departure and arrival times.
The project contractor is Comanche Construction Inc. The overall value of the construction contract is $11.2 million and is a continuation of the construction work that occurred on I-635 between I-29 and Kansas in 2014.
I noticed that the contractor has had the road construction sign posts in the ground and the signs laying next to them ready to be put up. The big thing to remember tomorrow is that the contractor will be putting up barriers and traffic cones so that highway crossovers can be installed. Ramp merges will be tight and therefore backups will happen real fast and last long wherever there is a merge. The first two weeks of a construction job where lanes are reduced always double suck because people are not sure of where they are supposed to be going and where they will wind up. Just keep calm and don't let this happen to you.....
Clip credit to Sony Pictures Television from the Married With Children show.
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