City of Wichita officials on Friday celebrated the completion of a major, west-side traffic improvement project during a ribbon-cutting for the new I-235 and 13th Street Floodway crossing interchange.
The Dondlinger & Sons project, which cost approximately $35 million will improve traffic flow and reduce congestion at 1-235 and Zoo Boulevard, one of the city’s busiest interchanges. The project provides a second route across the Wichita-Valley Center Floodway, known as the Big Ditch. Two bridges now cross the floodway - for northbound I-235 to westbound 13th Street and eastbound 13th Street to southbound I-235.
The City, Kansas Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration officials engaged the public on the project’s function and design. The project includes City Council member Jeff Longwell’s District V and City Council member Janet Miller’s District VI.
“I want to thank partnering agencies for helping make this project happen,” Longwell said. “Numerous community engagement meetings were held with key stakeholders such as property owners, businesses, and residents. I also want to thank everyone involved in this project on behalf of not only Districts 5 and 6, but the City as a whole.”
"This important project,” Miller said, “is an example of alleviating a significant community traffic problem in a creative way that preserved well-established neighborhoods."
The traffic improvement project also includes other features including upgrades to the 13th & Ridge intersection during an initial construction phase, enhancements to the nearby Sedgwick County Park entrance and realignment of Hoover Road to accommodate the improvements. The project, which began in November 2012, was completed on schedule and on budget.
