Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly will finally be willing to drive on Interstate 70 in the area of downtown Topeka’s Polk-Quincy viaduct once the current elevated stretch of highway is replaced, she said Friday.
A Topekan since 1987, Kelly has made a point to detour around the viaduct because “it scared me to death,” she said at groundbreaking ceremonies held Friday for the project on the top floor of the nearby Townsite Tower, 120 S.E. 6th.
Kelly joined Topeka Mayor Mike Padilla and four other officials on the tower’s 16th floor to celebrate the project — for which work recently began — by turning shovelfuls of dirt, which had been brought to that floor.
“This is something that I didn’t think I’d see in my lifetime, to be honest with you,” said Padilla, who is 76.
A ceremonial groundbreaking is held Friday on the 16th floor of Topeka’s Townsite Tower for the Kansas Department of Transportation’s project to replace and realign Topeka’s Polk/Quincy Viaduct.
Official quipped that event was ‘kind of a fake groundbreaking’
Friday’s 2 p.m. ceremony came at a time when the National Weather Service reported winds in Topeka were gusting at up to 58 mph.
“Who’s thankful we’re inside today?” asked Kansas Secretary of Transportation Calvin Reed while holding up a hand.
Reed quipped that Friday’s event would be “kind of a fake groundbreaking but there will be dirt moving.”
Kansas Department of Transportation secretary Calvin Reed gives remarks Friday on the Polk-Quincy Viaduct during a groundbreaking ceremony at Townsite Tower.
Commissioner says he’s glad to see project finally come to fruition
Friday’s speakers were Kelly; Reed; Padilla; Shawnee County Commission Chairman Aaron Mays; and Mike Schirmer, executive vice president and chief business officer for Topeka-based Bettis Asphalt & Construction Inc.
“We’ve been wishing for years that this would happen and it’s nice to finally see it come to fruition,” said Mays.
The $239 million state project is being carried out by Bettis Koss Construction, a joint venture between Bettis and Koss Construction Co., both of Topeka.
Topeka’s city government is additionally paying an estimated $27 million to finance utility relocation work needed to prepare for the project.
After brief comments, Friday’s five speakers were joined in turning shovelfuls of dirt by Mike Rinehart, district engineer for KDOT’s District 1 in northeast Kansas.
Construction of the I-70 Polk-Quincy Viaduct is seen Friday from S. Kansas Avenue.
What will the Polk-Quincy Viaduct project do?
Officials with Topeka’s city government since at least 2006 have sought to replace and realign the viaduct, an aging, elevated four-lane segment of I-70 that runs between S.W. Polk and S.E. Quincy streets.
The viaduct project will rebuild 2.5 miles of I-70 between roughly S.W. MacVicar Avenue and S.E. 6th Avenue.
During this year’s construction season, KDOT will focus on widening I-70 and building the new viaduct, said Kate Craft, a spokeswoman for KDOT.
Plans call for I-70 to then be shut down for six months in late 2026 and early 2027 in the area involved, Reed said.
Total project completion is expected in late 2027.
Construction of the I-70 Polk-Quincy Viaduct is seen Friday from S. Kansas Avenue.
Does KDOT have all the properties it needs for the project?
The project kicks off after an extended property acquisition process, which included requiring the relocation of two charities, Let’s Help and the Topeka office for Harvesters, the Community Food Network.
KDOT has finished acquiring all properties it needs but one, for which an oral agreement has been reached but not finalized, Craft said.
One building in the area involved, at 124 S.W. Harrison, will remain in place as it stands because it was deemed historically significant due to its architectural style.
Renderings of the I-70 Polk-Quincy Viaduct show what the future are around S. Kansas Avenue might look like after the project is completed during a groundbreaking ceremony Friday at Townsite Tower.
How many elevated bridges will the new viaduct have?
The viaduct project seeks to improve safety by replacing and flattening out Interstate 70’s sharp curve near S.E. 3rd Street by moving to the north much of the highway that currently runs to the west of that curve.
The curve was created when KDOT in 1963 built the viaduct.
To the east of S.W. Topeka Boulevard, I-70 will consist of two elevated viaduct bridges, one for eastbound traffic and the other for westbound.
Both are expected to be about the same height as the single viaduct that currently stands in that area.
Contact Tim Hrenchir at [email protected] or 785-213-5934.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Groundbreaking held for project to replace and realign Topeka viaduct
