K-96 Northeast Freeway improvements in Wichita

[J N Winkler]

KDOT has been planning improvements to the K-96 Northeast Freeway in Wichita, originally built in the late 1980's, that include widening to six lanes from just west of Hillside to just south of 21st Street (essentially, the first seven miles east of I-135) and pavement replacement for the remainder of the route down to Kellogg/I-35 (two miles or so).

Today, I attended the first open house.  They had a rollplot of the entire corridor, together with posters on stands explaining the various interchange concepts, the NEPA process, noise mitigation, and so on.

https://www.k96improvements.com/open-house

Not all of the material at the open house has been posted online--for example, the rollplot and the noise information are not present as of this writing.

KDOT's design concept calls for the following:

*  Inside widening (paving the existing grass median, which is generally wide enough to accommodate a third lane in each direction)

*  DDIs at Hillside, Oliver, and 21st, reusing the existing bridges as much as practical

*  Either DDIs or Displaced Left Turns (DLTs) (similar to I-35/SR 152 in Liberty, Missouri) at Woodlawn and Rock

*  Relocation of the 32nd Street intersection at Rock to prevent it being blocked by traffic queuing at the K-96 eastbound ramps

*  Widening ramp terminals at Greenwich (this interchange, the only one not part of the original construction, was added in the mid-2010's)

*  Reworking the Webb interchange to convert it from a parclo to more of a diamond with an added loop ramp for eastbound to northbound traffic and an unusual channelization pattern for the traffic signal at 29th and Webb, which will have a new eastbound exit ramp feeding into it (folks at the open house had many, many questions about it; the longer I look at it, the more wild I think it is)

Since this plan calls for K-96 to remain more or less within its existing footprint, I expect land acquisition to be minimal, though there would be takes at Rock (for the 32nd Street relocation and a larger interchange area) and Webb (the new westbound exit ramp clips a corner off the airfield at Jabara Airport).  I will be surprised if the noise mitigation is upgraded.  KDOT apparently begins considering countermeasures when noise increases by 10 dB or more; traffic is forecast just to double (from about 50,000 VPD now to design year AADT of 100,000 VPD), and although this means sound power will also double, this translates to an increase of just 3 dB for receivers that will be no closer to the freeway lanes.

The DDIs would be the first in Wichita, though there are multiple examples on the Kansas side of the Kansas City metro.  The DLTs would be the first in Kansas.

[situveux1]

Do you get any visuals of the Webb/29th/EB 96 ramp concept? I wanted to go to the open house but had to work. I was particularly interested in what they would do there, not sure how you thread the off ramps into 29th without some additional over/under pass. I'm not sure how I feel about the DDIs. For Rock Rd in particular, I thought maybe something like I35 and 87th St in Lenexa might work better, but maybe that takes land they don't have.

[J N Winkler]

Do you get any visuals of the Webb/29th/EB 96 ramp concept? I wanted to go to the open house but had to work. I was particularly interested in what they would do there, not sure how you thread the off ramps into 29th without some additional over/under pass.

The posterboards they put online do include renderings for each interchange.  Here is the one for Webb:

Webb design concept (plan and aerial views)

There are some aspects of the design I felt were tenuous.  The new westbound off-ramp would terminate in two left-turn and two right-turn lanes, none of which is shown as being under signal control.  I am not sure this actually complies with the MUTCD.  And it looks like eastbound traffic on 29th Street would lose the ability to make a left turn at Webb that it currently has.

I'm not sure how I feel about the DDIs. For Rock Rd in particular, I thought maybe something like I35 and 87th St in Lenexa might work better, but maybe that takes land they don't have.

I read I-35/87th Street as a SPUI variant with grade separation for the long ramp that ultimately leads to 75th Street.  I don't know if a SPUI at Woodlawn or Rock would have given them the traffic performance they are looking for.  I actually found the DDIs easier to understand than the DLTs--I had to ask about the latter because the plan-view rendering for Woodlawn left me with the impression there would be a lane segment that receives traffic from both directions, which seemed like a recipe for disaster if traffic in one direction fails to clear before the lane alternates to the other direction.  It helped to be reminded of the existing example at I-35/SR 152 in Liberty, which neither has nor needs such a two-way lane and works just fine.

Both the DDIs and DLTs would be future shock to Wichita drivers, though I am sure most of us would eventually adjust.  It was not clear to me why the latter might be preferable to the former at Woodlawn and Rock.

[Anthony_JK]

It looks like the setup at Webb/26th incorporates "J-turns" at the signalized intersections where left turn movements to/from 26th or Webb can perform "Michigan Left" movements to turn left. Seems a lot safer, if confusing.

[Scott5114]

What is the supposed benefit of a DLT over a DDI? It just sort of seems like a more expensive and less beneficial alternative.

[Revive 755]

There are some aspects of the design I felt were tenuous.  The new westbound off-ramp would terminate in two left-turn and two right-turn lanes, none of which is shown as being under signal control.  I am not sure this actually complies with the MUTCD.

While having unsignalized dual lefts and dual rights on the same approach does not seem like a good idea, I don't think this actually runs afoul of the MUTCD.  There's no signal warrant directly based on the presence of multiple turn lanes (though the use of multiple turn lanes suggests that the intersection could meet one of the volume warrants) and I don't recall anything in Part 3 that requires a signal to have multiple turn lanes for the same movement.

[Bobby5280]

So they're planning to widen K-96 from I-135 to just South of the E 21st Street exit? If they're going to go that far why not just widen the whole thing? The remainder down to the I-35/US-400 interchange is only a couple more miles.

In fairness, I can understand why they wouldn't widen K-96 down into the US-400/I-35 interchange complex. US-400 drops down to 2-lanes in each direction and is no longer limited access East of the trumpet interchange with K-96. I-35 is only 2 lanes in each direction. OTOH, US-400 expands to 6 lanes wide to the West of the I-35 interchange. If K-96 was 6-lanes for its entire length I'm sure they could figure out how to drop the additional lanes in a sensible manner at the South terminus.

At the very least they probably should widen it to E 13th Street. The Regal Warren Theater is on the SW corner of that interchange along with a bunch of restaurants, some hotels and an indoor entertainment complex. That's a busy location.

[Ned Weasel]

*  Reworking the Webb interchange to convert it from a parclo to more of a diamond with an added loop ramp for eastbound to northbound traffic and an unusual channelization pattern for the traffic signal at 29th and Webb, which will have a new eastbound exit ramp feeding into it (folks at the open house had many, many questions about it; the longer I look at it, the more wild I think it is)

This will probably be one of the most interesting interchanges in the whole state.  Part of me thinks, "I wish I was creative enough to think of something like that," while another part of me thinks, "I wonder if it would have been better to apply the KISS Principle?"

[situveux1]

*  Reworking the Webb interchange to convert it from a parclo to more of a diamond with an added loop ramp for eastbound to northbound traffic and an unusual channelization pattern for the traffic signal at 29th and Webb, which will have a new eastbound exit ramp feeding into it (folks at the open house had many, many questions about it; the longer I look at it, the more wild I think it is)

This will probably be one of the most interesting interchanges in the whole state.  Part of me thinks, "I wish I was creative enough to think of something like that," while another part of me thinks, "I wonder if it would have been better to apply the KISS Principle?"

I hope they make some changes to this. When I'm forced to go to Wal-Mart, going east on 29th to Webb and then north is my escape route to avoiding Rock Rd. Not being able to make a left off 29th onto Webb will be terrible. If they would install some kind of roundabout or something then I could get on board, but I'm sure that would require land acquisition or rebuilding the overpasses. I also wish they would line up the north side ramps. I don't like the idea of exiting WB-96 then trying to dodge traffic to go south on Webb with no light. I honestly don't feel like the design of the current interchange is that bad, they just need to widen the ramps so there is additional stacking capacity.

[Ned Weasel]

This will probably be one of the most interesting interchanges in the whole state.  Part of me thinks, "I wish I was creative enough to think of something like that," while another part of me thinks, "I wonder if it would have been better to apply the KISS Principle?"

I hope they make some changes to this. When I'm forced to go to Wal-Mart, going east on 29th to Webb and then north is my escape route to avoiding Rock Rd. Not being able to make a left off 29th onto Webb will be terrible. If they would install some kind of roundabout or something then I could get on board, but I'm sure that would require land acquisition or rebuilding the overpasses.

That movement will still be there.  Look closely.  The design shows a wide loon at the first left turn on southbound Webb after 29th Street.  That's being built to provide a comfortable U-turn for EB 29th to NB Webb access.  The same is shown on the north side of the interchange for the NB Webb to WB 29th movement.

I also wish they would line up the north side ramps. I don't like the idea of exiting WB-96 then trying to dodge traffic to go south on Webb with no light. I honestly don't feel like the design of the current interchange is that bad, they just need to widen the ramps so there is additional stacking capacity.

I highly doubt they wouldn't install a signal at that location.  In my non-engineer opinion, it's too many lanes crossing too many lanes to go without a traffic signal.  You just don't usually see intersections like that in the real world without a signal.  I'm guessing they got kind of lazy about where to put the traffic signal symbols in the document.  But it might be a good idea to ask someone who's in the know.

[J N Winkler]

I think the project team needs to hear these comments, especially about Webb.  They are accepting public comments and feedback on the interchange alternatives until March 4.  The open house page has the relevant links.

There is a limit to what we can infer from these renderings--partly because the PDFs are rasters at fairly low resolution, and partly because the draftsmanship is confusing in places--but these concerns are grist for their mill.

I'm planning to submit a comment myself, addressing roadway lighting at minimum.  I would like the finished facility to have mainline lighting comparable to that provided on Kellogg, I-135, and I-235 between Southwest Boulevard and 25th Street.  Right now, K-96 just has high-mast lighting that focuses on ramp merges and diverges, so glare after dark is really bad, and this will only get worse with more traffic and less separation between up and down lanes.

[kphoger]

So they're planning to widen K-96 from I-135 to just South of the E 21st Street exit? If they're going to go that far why not just widen the whole thing? The remainder down to the I-35/US-400 interchange is only a couple more miles.

[...]

At the very least they probably should widen it to E 13th Street. The Regal Warren Theater is on the SW corner of that interchange along with a bunch of restaurants, some hotels and an indoor entertainment complex. That's a busy location.

Traffic south of 21st is two-thirds what it is west of Webb.

Even more dramatic:  traffic south of 13th is one-third what it is west of Rock.

↓  2015 AADT  ↓

[rte66man]

So they're planning to widen K-96 from I-135 to just South of the E 21st Street exit? If they're going to go that far why not just widen the whole thing? The remainder down to the I-35/US-400 interchange is only a couple more miles.

[...]

At the very least they probably should widen it to E 13th Street. The Regal Warren Theater is on the SW corner of that interchange along with a bunch of restaurants, some hotels and an indoor entertainment complex. That's a busy location.

Traffic south of 21st is two-thirds what it is west of Webb.

Even more dramatic:  traffic south of 13th is one-third what it is west of Rock.

↓  2015 AADT  ↓

That data is 8 years old. Not being from the area, have there been physical changes (new shopping areas, added manufacturing, etc.) that would make an appreciable difference to the AADT in that area?

[kphoger]

That data is 8 years old. Not being from the area, have there been physical changes (new shopping areas, added manufacturing, etc.) that would make an appreciable difference to the AADT in that area?

Not really.  The drop-off in traffic at Greenwich→13th is very noticeable.  If anything, fewer people go to the movies now than did back then.  The only new draw at 13th that I can think of is Chicken N Pickle, which opened in 2019.