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New U.S. 75/N.W. 46th Street interchange opens Aug. 12

August 11, 2003 Release 03-110

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
News Contact: Kim Stich or Stan Whitley, (785) 296-3585

New U.S. 75/N.W. 46th Street interchange opens Aug. 12

The new U.S. 75/N.W. 46th Street interchange north of Topeka will open to traffic almost three weeks ahead of schedule by the end of the day Tuesday, Aug. 12, weather permitting.

The Kansas Department of Transportation and the contractor, Hamm Companies of Perry, worked together to complete this project as quickly as possible to minimize inconvenience to the traveling public.

“The opening of the 46th Street interchange is the culmination of more than $40 million of highway improvement projects along the U.S. 75 corridor beginning at I-70 and continuing north that will effectively serve motorists for many years to come,” said Topeka Metro Engineer Jerry Younger.

“The new interchange is a remarkable success story, considering the volume and magnitude of work that has been completed in just over a year,” he said. “An important factor in that success was the willingness of local businesses and residents to accept a short-term loss of access to U.S. 75 last year in return for full access during the remainder of the project. Our contractor also deserves a lot of credit for opening the project weeks ahead of the date required in the contract.”

This project replaces the former signalized intersection with an interchange that will allow free flow of traffic on both U.S. 75 and N.W. 46th Street as well as free flowing movements from one road to the other. The new interchange features approximately 40,000 square feet of retaining walls and two U.S. 75 bridges that are 427 feet long.

Nearly 28,000 vehicles used the roundabout daily during construction with little or no delay. KDOT appreciates the patience of all motorists, home owners and business owners during the construction work and reminds everyone to continue paying extra attention while driving on the highway or roundabout.