Work is underway to improve K-33 and the K-33/I-35 interchange, according to the Kansas Department of Transportation.

The contractor is overlaying portions of K-33 from Shawnee Road north to Stafford Road/East 10^th Street in advance of construction on the highway, bridge and interchange.

In the coming months, the contractor will:

• Begin working on the retaining walls for the new K-33 bridge over I-35.
• Construct the supporting piers for the new bridge in the median of I-35.
• Install girders on the piers for the new bridge.

Lane reductions and temporary highway closures on I-35 and K-33 will be announced as these construction phases begin. Some of this work will be done at night. Detours will be announced as they are needed.

The plan is to build the new bridge and move traffic to it before razing the old bridge. The new bridge will be just west of the existing structure. The project is expected to be completed in two years, conditions permitting.

The project area starts at Shawnee Road to the south and ends near Pendelton Avenue in Wellsville, north of Stafford Road/East 10^th Street.

Project improvements include:

• Adding double-teardrop roundabouts on K-33 near the northbound and southbound entry and exit ramps to I-35 on the new bridge. The teardrop roundabouts are wider at the ramps and narrow where traffic moves across the bridge. Traffic crossing the bridge will be separated by a narrow median.
• Adding a roundabout at the Stafford Road/East 10^th Street intersection with K-33, which is north of I-35.
• Replacing the 264.5-foot-long, 32-foot-wide K-33 bridge over I-35, which was built in 1957.

Kings Construction, of Oskaloosa, has the primary contract for the $19.2 million project.

KDOT urges motorists to stay alert, follow posted signs and refrain from hand-held mobile device use in all active work zones. For current road conditions, visit kandrive.gov or call 511. For updates on construction projects in southeast Kansas, visit ksdot.gov/projects/southeast-kansas-projects.

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