KDOT bridge work on I‑70/K‑18 will require off‑route detours; county coordinates emergency access and public meeting

Kansas Department of Transportation is preparing major work on the I‑70/K‑18 bridge span that will require local detours and coordination with county emergency services, county staff and the county emergency management director told the commission.

County staff and emergency management described construction plans that include large drilled piers (described in the meeting as roughly 32 by 28 feet in diameter reaching about 23 feet into the ground) and sequential pier construction that can take several weeks per pier. KDOT plans to place long girders (about 120 feet) on those piers; the work will require brief overnight closures of I‑70 timed to limit broader traffic impacts. For a period while piers are being installed, traffic will be detoured to Whiskey Lake Road.

County staff raised concerns about heavy construction traffic on local detour routes and asked whether KDOT would contribute material or assistance for maintenance of detour roads. Jeremy Myers and county maintenance staff said they will continue coordinating with KDOT about potential rock or gravel assistance for the detour route. Emergency management and fire officials are working to maintain ambulance and fire access during construction; the county will continue to press KDOT on clearance and response plans.

KDOT secretary and staff will meet locally for a public briefing; county staff said the session is scheduled for the thirteenth at approximately 3:30 p.m. at the local fire station to discuss traffic management, emergency‑vehicle routing and project schedule.

Speakers
- Gary Burgess, Emergency Management director and county fire chief (first referenced by name and title).
- Jeremy Myers, Public Works administrator (first referenced by name and title).

What remains: county staff will continue coordination with KDOT on detour maintenance, plan signage and work with emergency services to identify and communicate emergency access routes during construction periods. The commission asked staff to press KDOT for assistance with rock/gravel on detour routes and to keep commissioners informed of closure dates and emergency plans.

Provenance: {"transcript_segments":[{"block_id":"00:24:49","local_start":0,"local_end":220,"evidence_excerpt":"That was on Tuesday. And I got bombarded by neighbors... portion of Bora will be closed from a week from today... traffic will be diverted on Whiskey Lake Road.","tc_start":"00:24:49","tc_end":"00:25:55","reason_code":"topicintro"},{"block_id":"00:31:42","local_start":0,"local_end":200,"evidence_excerpt":"KDOT contacted me to speak, and it'll be on the thirteenth... secretary of transportation, mister Reed, will be there to speak... someone from the highway patrol and then myself.","tc_start":"00:31:42","tc_end":"00:31:58","reason_code":"topicfinish"}]}

Searchable tags: ["KDOT","I-70","detour","bridge"]