photo by: Kansas Department of Transportation

This map shows the area of Sixth Street that will be closed for construction starting Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024.

After being delayed since last summer, the Kansas Department of Transportation has scheduled the temporary closure of Sixth Street west of Kansas Highway 10 for its ongoing diverging diamond interchange project.

As the Journal-World has reported, KDOT’s $14 million project to construct Lawrence’s first diverging diamond interchange was initially scheduled to begin in July 2023, with the first two phases mostly involving work west of the interchange. But a road closure in the area was later delayed, with KDOT citing “unexpected utility relocation setbacks” as the cause.

Beginning next Wednesday, Sixth Street will be closed between East 800 and East 900 roads until early June, according to a news release from KDOT. The release notes that East 800 Road will remain open, along with East 900 Road north of Sixth Street.

“Motorists can follow the signed detour on I-70 and K-10 or use alternate routes that are not marked,” the release reads. “KDOT utilizes state highways for official detour routes for safety, weight and maintenance reasons.”

Wednesday’s release notes that the project’s second planned closure — which will require a complete closure of the interchange as Sixth Street and the K-10 ramp tie-ins are reconfigured to create the diverging diamond layout — is expected to take place this summer as previously planned. Information about that closure will be provided closer to its start date.

The type of interchange being completed as part of the project crosses two directions of traffic from the non-freeway road to the opposite side on both sides of the bridge at the freeway, requiring traffic on the freeway overpass or underpass to briefly drive on the opposite side of the road from what is customary.