TOPEKA (KSNT) - State transportation officials say work to upgrade message boards on Interstate 70 will potentially slow traffic through the Topeka area in the coming weeks.
Kate Craft with the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) said in a press release that upgrades to KDOT's Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) at several locations throughout Kansas will impact traffic on I-70. One location that will be impacted is in Topeka.
Craft said work will start on Tuesday, Sept. 5 as crews initiate traffic control on both eastbound and westbound I-70 between SW Wanamaker Road and SW Sixth Avenue bridge. The inside left lane in both directions will be closed so an electronic message board can be installed in the median. On and off-ramps will stay open with work expected to wrap-up by October.
Craft said ITS is the application of traffic sensors, dynamic message boards, closed circuit cameras and other technology that communicates information in real-time for the purpose of increasing mobility and the safety of drivers. The contractor for the $4.2 million project in Kansas is Phillips Southern Electric Co. of Wichita.
