Weather permitting, the Kansas Department of Transportation will begin the second phase of the U.S. 169 pavement reconstruction project in Allen County on Friday.
Sometime late Friday, the highway will be closed from Hawaii Road (the Humboldt exit) south to Delaware (Tank Farm) Road.
Pavement removal operations will begin immediately on the affected stretch of road.
Meanwhile, KDOT will reopen U.S. 169 to unrestricted northbound traffic only from Hawaii Road to Minnesota Road south of Iola. Motorists going south from Iola will not be allowed from Minnesota to Hawaii roads, however, KDOT spokeswoman Priscilla Peterson told the Register.
The road work is part of the seven-mile U.S. 169 pavement reconstruction from Minnesota to Delaware roads, which started this spring.
The project consists of re-establishing a new subgrade base and replacing the concrete pavement on the highway and interchange ramps.
The state?s official detour remains in effect, diverting motorists from 169 at U.S. 54 in Iola, west to U.S. 75 in Yates Center, and south to K-39 and back east to U.S. 169 at Chanute.
The new phase may relieve northbound congestion, at least a tad, on old 169, or 1100 Street, which has served as an unofficial detour for local motorists since the project began.
The U.S. 169 project is expected to be complete and ready for traffic by next spring, weather permitting, according to a KDOT news release.
Emery Sapp & Sons, Inc., Columbia, Mo., is the general contractor in charge of the $16 million project.
Stay informed about developing construction projects, road closures, and emergency notifications by following the KDOT Southeast Kansas District on Twitter:
U.S. 160 CLOSURE WEDNESDAY: The South Kansas & Oklahoma Railroad will close and repair its crossing on U.S. 160 at Sherwin Wednesday, Dec. 5. Traffic should follow the signed detour on U.S. 59, U.S. 166 and U.S. 69.
