Turnpike interchange to be ready by Thanksgiving

Exit 202 on the Kansas Turnpike is poised to reopen to all traffic by Thanksgiving, a month earlier than expected.The exit – officially known as the West Lawrence interchange, which is at the end of McDonald Drive and north of the Hallmark Cards production plant – has been only half operational since April. That’s when crews closed down two ramps:¢ the off ramp for traffic coming into Lawrence on the trurnpike from the east.¢ the on ramp for traffic leaving Lawrence and heading toward Topeka, to the west.The work had been expected to last for six months, but contractors – including Hamm Construction Co. Inc., of Perry – have kept a tight schedule and managed to get various sections done on time, said Rex Fleming, the turnpike’s project engineer.”The contractors are doing a good job,” he said. “They’ve been able to get it knocked out in good shape.”The upgraded interchange will include a roundabout for traffic using the new ramps. The last section of the roundabout’s concrete was installed late last week; now crews are concentrating on installing final layers of asphalt to the new ramps.