Traffic backups as bridge repairs close EB I-670 in KCK: How long will it last?
Crews shut down eastbound Interstate 670 in Kansas City, Kansas, for a maintenance project, causing major delays for commuters headed into downtown Kansas City on Monday morning.
Kansas City Scout traffic cameras showed that traffic backed up along eastbound Interstate 70 beyond the 18th Street Expressway after one of the main routes into downtown was closed. The slowdown began shortly after drivers passed Interstate 635 in Kansas City, Kansas.
Shortly after 5 a.m. Monday, crews closed eastbound I-670 between I-70 and the Missouri state line, as well as the ramp from Central Avenue to eastbound I-670 and the ramp from eastbound I-670 to Genessee Street.
Drivers who rely on the route, a major highway into downtown and beyond, will have to deal with the closure for a week. All lanes and ramps are expected to reopen by 5 a.m. next Monday, conditions permitting, the Kansas Department of Transportation announced last week.
During the closure, traffic is being detoured on eastbound I-70 over the Lewis and Clark Viaduct and then south on Interstate 35 to the eastbound ramp to I-670, transportation officials said.
The transportation department is doing maintenance repairs on both eastbound and westbound I-670 bridges over the Kansas River and Union Pacific Railroad, and the Central Avenue bridge over I-70 and Union Pacific Railroad. During the projects, crews will do girder work, expansion joint replacement and bridge deck patching. The projects are expected to be completed in late November.
Clarkson Construction of Kansas City is the contractor for the projects with a total cost of $9.3 million.
