Urgent repairs to I-70 bridge causing major delays into downtown Kansas City
An urgent bridge repair project along westbound Interstate 70 on Kansas City’s East Side was creating significant delays for drivers headed into downtown Tuesday morning.
Crews are replacing a bridge joint on the westbound I-70 bridge over Manchester Trafficway, which has caused traffic to back up past Arrowhead and Kauffman stadiums to about the Pittman Road Bridge over the highway, Kansas City Scout traffic cameras showed.
Drivers headed west on I-70 should expect traffic to begin slowing as soon as U.S. 40 in Independence.
The repairs are part of a two-week joint replacement project that began Monday and is expected to run through Dec. 9, a spokeswoman for the Missouri Department of Transportation’s Kansas City District said in a news release.
The work will be completed in phases and will take place 24-hours a day, said Brooke Rohlfing, a spokeswoman for transportation department’s Kansas City District.
During construction, drivers can expect two lanes of westbound I-70 to be closed at Manchester, which is just east of the I-70 and Interstate 435 interchange. Crews will also close the ramp from westbound I-70 to Manchester.
This work will not require a complete closure of the highway, however drivers will experience different traffic patterns as parts of the work are completed and crews switch to other phases, Rohlfing said.
Drivers are advised to find alternative routes while the work is underway.
