Weather delays I-70 Lewis and Clark Viaduct Project

A look at high waters near the Lewis and Clark Viaduct construction area last week. 

By Michael Quizon.
Public Affairs Manager, Kansas City Metro 

Even though parts of Kansas will see a brief break in the rain for a few days, the completion of the Lewis and Clark Viaduct I-70 westbound bridge reconstruction, which was due to be completed in December 2019, will be delayed. High water has prevented crews from accessing pier sites in the Kansas River. While the sites remain inaccessible, work on the piers, which are upright supports for the superstructure, cannot continue. 

The Lewis and Clark Viaduct crosses the Kansas River 1,500 feet from the confluence of the Missouri River, making it susceptible to high water conditions from both rivers.  

Hydrograph from May 24

Current Hydrograph with predictions of the flood stage into early next week.

“We need the water level to come down to safely continue the work,” said Jason Van Nice, KDOT Metro Engineer for Wyandotte County. According to the National Weather Service, the Kansas River at 23^rd St. exceeded 36 feet on May 22, 2019, twice the daily average.

Above-average spring rain and late season snow contributed to elevated flood risk for 25 states facing major or moderate flooding from March through May, including Kansas and Missouri, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Spring Outlook. “Significant, record breaking flooding is already underway across the Lower Missouri River Basin. To keep track of this area's flood stages, click here.



 A storm system in the middle of March brought two-four inches of rain across the already saturated area. The combined effects of these rains and snowmelt also produced enhanced runoff. The northern Plains have an above normal snowpack, and the flood risk is expected to stay relatively high for the region throughout the spring,” according to NOAA.

Between March 13 and May 21, crews lost 58 of 70 possible workdays due to the high water. Recent weather in the Kansas City metro has already produced two to four inches of rain and more rain is expected next week. KDOT won’t have an updated completion date estimate until crews can access the work sites and make an assessment. Current detour and traffic control measures will remain in place until the completion of the project.

Rainfall in inches, over the past 30 days. Source: NOAA  

Who designs the highways?

When KDOT undertakes any construction project, there’s always a team that leads that project, taking it from a study, through the coordination and design, to handing it off to the construction team to break ground. And every team has a leader responsible for implementing the project and coordinating all aspects. For the Lewis and Clark Viaduct, one of those key people is Debbie Tanking, a 13-year Road Design Engineer with KDOT and Project Manager for the I-70 westbound bridge replacement. 

The Lewis and Clark Viaduct project overhead map of alternative routes during the construction project.

“It’s a team effort,” Tanking said. “I worked with a lot of great people on this project.” Tanking’s team has been working on the Lewis and Clark Viaduct project since its inception in 2012, and it’s the biggest she’s seen in terms of traffic impact and the long-term options it delivers.

“We all knew this was going to be huge,” she said. “The coordination between all the stakeholders was one of the biggest challenges we faced as we developed proposed concepts.” 

A concept design of the partial reconstruction of the Lewis and Clark Viaduct I-70 WB bridge.

As a Road Design Engineer, it’s Tanking’s responsibility to understand how humans, vehicles and the roadway interact with each other. “We look at the geometry of the road to check factors such as curves, grades, sight distances and clearances so they are appropriate for the speeds, volume and uses the road is designed for.” Tanking said she takes pride in being part of a team whose work benefits Kansas long term.

“The great thing about being part of the KDOT team is that we all work here because we want to help make infrastructure work better for Kansas,” Tanking said. “All of us at KDOT have families that use our state’s roads and bridges. It’s one reason we try so hard to do the right thing.” 

No project, no matter how big or small, happens without a team of experts who work closely together and with all the stakeholders to plan, design and construct the roads and bridges. The $64 million bridge replacement addresses not only the projected expense of repairs that would have been needed to maintain the bridge long term if it had not been replaced, but also addresses the need for a future route of travel as downtown Kansas City continues to grow. It also addresses the commercial traffic, airport traffic and even the railway that passes under the bridge.

The Lewis and Clark Viaduct WB I-70 lanes closed last week for the duration of the project.

“The design process and construction can be difficult to work through but when things are back to normal and the traveling public appreciates the improvements, that’s the best feeling.”

Lewis and Clark Viaduct I-70 westbound bridge closure set to begin next week

An overhead map of the Lewis and Clark Viaduct reconstruction.

Work will soon begin on a portion of the Lewis and Clark Viaduct. Closures for the reconstruction of the I-70 westbound bridge are scheduled to take place on Feb. 2 at 10 p.m. Temporary closures to install traffic control equipment may take place leading up to the two-year westbound closures. 

Westbound I-70 will be closed from the Broadway interchange in Kansas City, Missouri westward to the connections in downtown Kansas City, Kansas for the duration of the two-year construction period. The main detour route will use I-670 westbound and the secondary route will use I-35 southbound. To detour to Kansas City, Kansas, please use the Central Avenue Exit from I-670. To facilitate traffic operations using the Central Avenue Exit:

• A second lane will be added to the 3rd St./James St. Exit Ramp from I-70.
• Temporary signals will be added to two intersections.

 In preparation for the reconstruction, demolition of the Lewis & Clark Viaduct westbound lanes is tentatively scheduled for early March, a date and time are yet to be determined. The public will be able to watch the demolition on KDOT’s Facebook page. 

While it is not anticipated that traffic control will change once the project begins, please continue to check the Kansas City Metro page on the KDOT website for more details at www.ksdot.org/bureaus/kcMetro

Westbound portion of Lewis and Clark Viaduct to be replaced

The photo above shows an overall view of the Lewis and Clark Viaduct looking west in to Kansas. 

A project to replace one of the bridges in the Lewis and Clark Viaduct was one of the projects included in the November KDOT Construction letting. This project is to replace the I-70 westbound bridge that spans the Kansas River and is nearing the end of its service life. Removal of the old bridge will begin in February.

The new bridge will be 2,980 feet long, have 20 new spans and 18 new piers. One of the new piers will be in the Kansas River. The new bridge will also contain more than 21,000 cubic yards of concrete and 3,100,000 pounds of reinforcing steel (excluding the drilled shafts and prestressed concrete beams). The bridge will contain more than 55,000 feet of steel pile and 2,100 feet of drilled shafts (72 inches in diameter).

American Bridge Company of Coraopolis, Pa., is the prime contractor on the approximately $65 million project. It is scheduled to be complete in December 2019. Debbie Tanking’s road squad and Mark Hurt’s bridge squad designed the project. 

To see all the projects in the November letting, click here.