Reminder: Section of U.S. Highway 40 west of Lawrence to close until June

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A stretch of U.S. Highway 40 west of the Kansas Highway 10 interchange at Sixth Street will close for about 100 days beginning Wednesday.

U.S. 40 will be closed to traffic between East 800 and East 900 roads through early June, conditions permitting, according to a news release from the Kansas Department of Transportation.

The closure is connected to the diverging diamond configuration coming to that interchange.

The closure was initially set for September but was delayed because of utility relocation setbacks, according to KDOT.

“The project will reconfigure the current interchange to a diverging diamond interchange (DDI) and add a sidewalk with barriers for pedestrian protection down the center of the bridge,” according to a city news release in July 2023 announcing the project.

“Phases I and II of the project will primarily take place west of the interchange, along U.S. 40 and East 900 Road. The current East 900 Road intersection tie-ins will close to allow room for the new interchange configuration. The north intersection of East 900 Road will be relocated to the west of its current location. The southern intersection tie-in will be permanently closed, and a cul-de-sac will be constructed for local traffic,” the release stated.

This map shows the approximate stretch of road that will be closed:

During the closure, “Motorists can follow the signed detour on I-70 and K-10 or use alternate routes that are not marked. KDOT utilizes state highways for official detour routes for safety, weight and maintenance reasons,” according to KDOT’s news release last week.

Access to East 900 Road north of U.S. 40 will be maintained, and local traffic may access East 818 and East 848 roads from the west, according to KDOT.

A subsequent phase of the project will close the whole K-10/Sixth Street interchange. That is still expected to occur this summer, according to the release, and KDOT will provide more information as the start date gets closer.

Find more information about highway construction projects across Kansas at kandrive.org or call 511. 

Note: The bulk of this article was originally published Feb. 21. We are republishing it as a reminder for readers as the closure is set to begin Feb. 28.

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