The City of Wichita will celebrate the recent completion of $3.5 million in improvements to 9th Street between I-135 and Hillside on Saturday, August 31. The ceremony will close 9th Street between I-135 and Piatt from 7 a.m. to noon.
Speakers for the event include Senator Oletha Faust-Goudeau, State Representative Gail Finney, Wichita City Council Member Brandon Johnson, Sedgwick County Commissioner Lacey Cruse and former Wichita City Council Member Lavonta Williams.
Construction completed over the last year features paving, drainage and pedestrian upgrades, as well as aesthetic enhancements throughout the corridor. More than 100 community members collaborated with local artist Ellamonique Baccus by painting and placing tiles. The aesthetic enhancements were made to an interstate gateway, Kwanzaa plaza, Adinkra sidewalk panels representing community values, the Knowledge bus stop, and the “Cultivating the Seeds of Our Future” mural.
Electronic message signs have been posted along 9th Street to provide advance warning of the closure.