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Intersection to remain open during construction

By Lisa Scheller - | Aug 21, 2002

Despite construction at the intersection of U.S. Highway 24-40 and Kansas Highway 16, traffic will go on.

Larry Meadows, whose company, Meadows Con-struction, is handling the project, said the intersection would remain open during construction. The project’s completion date is expected before cold weather sets in.

“It’s about the only way you can do that on those highways,” Meadows said. “Because you have Highway 16 coming into there and since we have truck traffic and no alternate route for trucks, we have to keep the intersection open in order to allow the heavy traffic through.”

Meadows Construction, which in June submitted a bid of $724,642 for the work, was one of six construction companies vying for this Kansas Department of Transportation project.

The work entails widening the intersection, putting in new sidewalks, pavement markings, storm sewers, curbs and guttering, installing traffic signals, widening the road four blocks on U.S. 24-40 from Second Street to Fifth Street, and one block east and west of the intersection on Kansas Highway 16 and Fourth Street. Construction also includes applying asphalt and overlay.

Crews started Monday, installing striping and traffic control. On Tuesday, they began excavation of the concrete, asphalt and dirt.

Although the intersection will remain open throughout the construction process, Meadows suggested that area residents take alternate routes when possible.

“If you can avoid the intersection, you will help the project, because the least amount of traffic is the best,” Meadows said.

But for those who do travel through the intersection, traffic control will depend on what crews are doing each day.

“As we move to different locations, we’ve got to do different things with the traffic,” Meadows said. “There will sometimes be flagmen, but most of the time we’ll try to avoid that so we won’t have to stop the traffic.”