Ramp repairs to close I-70 lanes Wednesday in Topeka; Super Bowl hype begins

Repairs scheduled along Interstate 70 near Gage Boulevard in Topeka will mean potential delays Wednesday for daytime drivers, as repair crews temporarily close one lane of traffic in each direction.The left lanes – one for traffic heading west, the other for vehicles moving east – are scheduled to be closed from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Wednesday between an area just east of the Gage exit to a spot just west of the interstate’s interchange with U.S. Highway 75, said Kim Qualls, a spokeswoman for the Kansas Department of Transportation.As always, she said, the scheduled closures are “weather permitting.”The closures are designed to accommodate repair work on the bridge ramp from southbound U.S. 75 to eastbound Interstate 70, she said. The goal is to protect traffic on the interstate from “potential falling debris,” Qualls said, as crews patch up pavement.As is customary with such work, drivers should expect minor delays and are advised to use alternate routes if possible, she said.¢ ¢ ¢Early drive: OK, so the Chiefs won’t be in the Super Bowl. But at least now we know who’ll be playing a major role in the second quarter.Cars.com, an online auto site, announced today that it had secured an advertising roster spot in Super Bowl XLIII (that’s 43, for those not interested in the NFL-mandated use of Roman numerals). The game is set for Feb. 1 on NBC.The online business is counting on the single, 60-second spot to “continue to drive” brand recognition, said Mitch Golub, president of Cars.com.Word is that NBC is asking for $3 million for each 30-second spot, up from the $2.7 million per 30 seconds that had been sought by Fox for the most recent title game. The Chiefs didn’t play in that one, either.During the last Super Bowl, Cars.com ran two 30-second ads: