This is the weekend, Kansas City: I-70 on the east side of the metro will be closed
For about two weeks, signs have been warning about the impending closure of Interstate 70 on the Kansas City metro’s east side.
Well Kansas City, this is the weekend it happens. And you should expect the closure to have a major impact on travel through the area.
A seven-mile stretch of the highway through Independence and eastern Kansas City will close Friday evening so that crews can demolish ramps in the I-70 and Interstate 435 interchange.
The highway will be closed in both directions between I-435 and Interstate 470/Missouri 291, and remain closed through the weekend, reopening by 5 a.m. Monday.
“The impact on traffic will be significant,” said Lairyn McGregor, a spokeswoman for the Missouri Department of Transportation in Kansas City.
Drivers should plan ahead, leave early and follow the signed detour that will take them around the construction, McGregor said. The recommended detour for this weekend’s closure will be along I-435, I-470 and U.S. 71/Bruce R. Watkins Drive.
Westbound traffic will exit at Missouri 291/I-470 and follow I-470 around to northbound U.S. 71/Bruce R. Watkins Drive into downtown Kansas City.
Eastbound traffic will exit onto southbound I-435 and follow I-470 around to eastbound I-70.
The stretch of I-70 is being closed so that crews can demolish the ramps from southbound I-435 to eastbound I-70 and northbound I-435 to westbound I-70 as part of the work to redesign the interchange into a partial turbine interchange.
Crews will also complete maintenance work, including lighting repairs, median barrier wall repairs, drainage and paving along I-70.
If this weekend project gives you a sense of déjà vu, it’s because transportation officials closed down the same stretch of highway in the Spring of 2018 so crews could remove the Crysler Avenue, Pittman Road and Phelps Road bridges over the interstate. Crews got that work completed early, allowing the highway to reopen sooner than expected.
“I can’t promise you we will finish early this time around,” McGregor said. “We do intend to get it done as quickly and safely as possible.”
Here’s what to expect:
Thursday
At 7 p.m., crews will close the ramps from northbound I-435 to westbound I-70 and southbound I-435 to eastbound I-70 . They will remain closed until spring 2020.
Friday
About 7 p.m., crews will begin reducing I-70 to one lane in both directions between I-435 and I-470/Missouri 291.
About 8 p.m., crews will close all on and off ramps along I-70 between I-435 and I-470/Missouri 291.
About 9 p.m., I-70 will be closed in both directions in that area and will remain closed until about 5 a.m. Sept. 9.
Drivers should expect all ramps to and from I-70 in that area to be closed also.
During the closure, eastbound I-70 will be reduced to one lane at Manchester Trafficway and traffic that hasn’t already exited will be detoured off I-70 at the ramp to southbound I-435.
Westbound I-70 will also be reduced to one lane before the I-470/Missouri 291 interchange and traffic that hasn’t already exited will be routed onto southbound I-470/Missouri 291.
Southbound Missouri 291 just north of I-70 will be reduced to one lane to accommodate merging traffic from westbound I-70.
Once this weekend’s work is complete and I-70 is reopened, drivers needing to access westbound I-70 to northbound I-435 will need to exit at Raytown Road/Stadium Drive and then turn north and follow Raytown Road, which becomes Manchester Trafficway, to U.S. 40. At that point, they will head west to the westbound I-70 on ramp.
To avoid the crush of traffic near Arrowhead Stadium on game days, drivers not headed to the Truman Sports Complex should continue north on I-435 and exit at 23rd Street and then head back on southbound I-435 to westbound I-70.
Drivers needing to access eastbound I-70 from southbound I-435 will need to take the exit ramp to westbound I-70 and then exit at U.S. 40 to circle under to the eastbound I-70 on ramp.
Fans headed to Arrowhead Stadium on game days should consult MoDOT’s game day detours.
The $47 million redesign of the interchange at I-70 and I-435 includes bridge replacements, removal of left exits, improvements to loop ramp configuration and congestion relief.
The project is scheduled to be completed by December 2020.
This story was originally published September 4, 2019 at 4:02 PM.
