Drivers heading south on U.S. Highway 69 and looking to turn east onto Interstate 435 can expect to be riding high beginning Thursday evening in Johnson County.

That’s because a new flyover ramp connecting the two highways is scheduled to open to all traffic after evening rush hour, the Kansas Department of Transportation announced Wednesday.

The two-lane ramp — similar to the one-lane flyover at the interchange of I-435 and Interstate 35 — is among the final pieces of Focus435, a four-year, $127 million project to upgrade segments of U.S. 69, I-435 and Antioch Road in Johnson County.

The work to rebuild interchanges, add lanes and otherwise ease traffic flow is designed to handle expected traffic increases of more than 50 percent during the next 20 years.

Clarkson Construction Co., the project’s general contractor, is scheduled to have the entire project finished by the end of this month.