Some overpasses of the Kansas Turnpike are being raised by at least a foot so that big rigs can have an easier time passing underneath.
The engineering firm of Burns & McDonnell of Kansas City were commissioned by a $3.7 million Kansas Turnpike Authority contract to elevate 10 bridges over Interstate 35. Burns & McDonnell started the work near South Haven and Wellington in southern Kansas.
All 10 bridges are being elevated to at least 15 feet, 9 inches from heights as low as 14 feet, 6 inches. The bridges date from the turnpike’s opening in 1956.
Three of the bridges have been elevated so far in the year. The other seven are set to be elevated starting in mid-March, following the winter, said Rod Lacy, manager of Burns & McDonnell’s highway department.
No plan have yet been unveiled for other turnpike bridges outside of the ten currently projected to be raised. However, Kansas transportation officials have signaled they will raise other overpasses along Interstate 35 eventually.
“We looked at the easiest bridges first,” Bell said. “On the north end between Kansas City and Topeka, we’ll be implementing open-road tolling over the next few years, and we’ll incorporate the bridge lifts with that.”
According to the Kansas Turnpike Commission, a major reason for lifting the overpasses is to have trucking companies use the toll roads more.