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KDOT and city outline Polk‑Quincy (I‑70) viaduct rebuild, lane and ramp impacts to start in 2025
Summary
KDOT and consulting teams told the council that major work will begin this year on the Polk‑Quincy viaduct project, with Topeka Boulevard lane restrictions, local detours and weekend interstate closures planned; public meeting set for Feb. 27.
Representatives of KDOT and Bartlett West updated the Topeka City Council on Feb. 4 about the Polk‑Quincy project, a multi‑year program to replace the aging I‑70 viaduct through downtown Topeka and flatten a sharp curvature of the interstate.
Bartlett West consultant Brian Armstrong and KDOT staff described the West half of the project — selected first because of bridge condition — as the immediate focus. Construction will replace the single, narrow viaduct with two separate bridges (one eastbound, one westbound), each with two traffic lanes plus inside and outside shoulders. KDOT said the new alignment will move the viaduct north and reduce the curve currently described as the sharpest between St. Louis and Denver.
The 2025 schedule will include lane restrictions on Topeka Boulevard and a local detour using Candaice/Kansas Avenue and Quincy; KDOT said Topeka Boulevard would be reconstructed in 2025, Candace Avenue reconstructed in 2026 and the old viaduct removed in a later year of the schedule. Weekend closures of I‑70 in the viaduct area and night work for overlays are already planned. KDOT noted bridge demolition and reconstruction will extend through 2027 with final tasks into 2028.
Armstrong said the project team will run an additional public information meeting on Thursday, Feb. 27, 5–7 p.m. at the Cyrus K. Holiday Building to explain traffic impacts, construction phasing and demolition plans and to give the public and business owners the chance to meet contractors. The Bartlett West team and KDOT public information staff will be present, Armstrong said.
Council members asked about demolition impacts to buildings adjacent to Kansas Avenue and whether lane closures would be needed for demolition; KDOT said demolition subcontractors plan to contain demolition within building footprints when possible and that demolition sequencing will be shared at the public meeting. Councilmembers also discussed routing of semis through neighborhoods, and KDOT said it has been coordinating mapping and work‑zone data with consumer mapping vendors to limit GPS routing through small residential streets.
Ending: KDOT and Bartlett West emphasized ongoing neighborhood outreach and a Feb. 27 public meeting; no formal council action was requested that evening.
