Exit open
By Bobbi Mlynar
Originally published 02:51 p.m., October 12, 2007
Updated 02:51 p.m., October 12, 2007
Traffic flow on Industrial Road could return to normal soon. The new off-ramp from eastbound Interstate 35 at 18th Avenue opened last week, and only curbing and striping remain to be completed before the barriers on Industrial Road can come down. The new ramp connects directly to the traffic-light-controlled intersection of 18th Avenue and Industrial Road, making it easier for traffic to get off I-35 and into Emporia.
Tony Menke of the Kansas Department of Transportation said he expected curbing would be completed this week, though the stripers have not yet committed to a firm date to come to the site.
“As soon as we get it striped, we can get Industrial Road opened up,” Menke said.
Despite the congestion from funneling several lanes of traffic into only a few, the construction caused more inconvenience than loss of clientele for businesses along the route.
“It was a real traffic problem on Industrial Road, because you couldn’t get out the (west) exit,” said Dave Followwill, manager of Sutherland’s. “It didn’t affect our business. It was a slight inconvenience, and I’m sure there’ll be great benefit” from the road improvements.
Across 18th Avenue from Sutherland’s, GuestHouse Inn manager Kapila “Kap” Senanayake expects his newly renovated motel to benefit from opening the ramp and Industrial Road. GuestHouse took over the old Emporia Motel on June 20, just days before road construction and traffic re-routing began around the intersection. Senanayake was not aware of the KDOT plans, which were not a good surprise, he said. The improvements, though, should prove to be worth the inconvenience.
“It just definitely will ease the traffic and make it easier for people to find the place, too,” he said. “On the long run, it’s going to help, so this is a real positive thing.”
Senanayake predicted that the new, easier-to-navigate exit near the hotel will help not only his business, but will expand business opportunities for others, as well.
The Industrial Road traffic shuffle began at the end of June, when all eastbound traffic on U.S. Highway 50 that normally would have taken the Kansas Turnpike or I-35 was routed onto Industrial Road because of a massive road construction project joining both the turnpike and I-35. A bridge over Graphic Arts Road, on the east side of the highway project, was closed for replacement, forcing more traffic to the narrow lanes of Industrial or onto Prairie Street.
The major project at the turnpike is running approximately on time after relentless rains earlier this year slowed progress to a crawl.
Menke said that all of the steel has been installed for the two overhead bridges at the turnpike.
“They’re going to get in there and start working on the roundabout beneath them,” Menke said.
In approximately three weeks, paving crews will come to finish connecting to the bridges.
“Once that gets all connected and put together — that ought to be several weeks after that — we’ll start finishing everything up to start switching traffic and putting them on the new pavement there,” Menke said.
The work schedule, however, depends on cooperation from the weather.
“We’ll be about caught up from where we were before. It’s always been the goal to have it switched before the end of the year, but it’s all really weather-dependent,” he said.
“It’s all up to Mother Nature from here on out.”