Johnson County bridge to close, detours announced as part of major I-35 construction
As construction continues on Interstate 35 in Olathe — at one of the most dangerous intersections in the Kansas City metro — the 119th Street bridge over the interstate will close for 90 days.
Starting June 1, the bridge over I-35 will be closed, restricting left-turn access on and off the interstate, city officials said Friday. Drivers will still be able to turn right on and off the interstate at 119th Street.
The closure is the latest phase of a $25 million project in northeast Olathe, where the traffic volume is among the highest in the state. Work includes reconfiguring the intersection, to lessen the high accident rates on the bridge, and widening 119th Street to alleviate congestion.
The crash rate in the area is 11 times the national average for comparable interchanges, according to a traffic analysis.
Traffic on 119th Street will follow a detour. Vehicles traveling west will be detoured to Strang Line Road, to Mur-Len Road, west on 127th Street to Ridgeview Road and then back up to 119th.
Traffic traveling eastbound on 119th Street will be detoured north on Renner Boulevard, to eastbound K-10, to eastbound I-435, then south on Quivira Road to 119th Street.
Officials initially expected to close the bridge in July but worried that delays in the delivery of steel would push back the completion date. They decided to shift construction phases that could be affected by the delays to a later date, and close the bridge a month early, according to a news release.
Overall, the project includes reconfiguring the intersection as a diverging-diamond interchange. In general, the design routes traffic to opposite sides of the road. The crossover permits drivers to turn left without stopping at another light or turning in front of traffic.
The design is used at 95th Street and I-35 in Lenexa and on Roe Avenue at Interstate 435, among other places.
A traffic analysis showed commuters can wait up to 15 minutes at the intersection, especially with congestion on I-35 off-ramps. According to a 2018 traffic count by the Kansas Department of Transportation, around 120,000 vehicles travel through that portion of I-35 each day, with more than 30,000 traveling on 119th Street and Strang Line Road, just east of the highway.
The changes are expected to cut down wait times to five minutes or less, according to the analysis.
Officials expect the project to be completed by the end of the year.
