I-70 Topeka Polk-Quincy Viaduct changes.

[Scott5114]

If you wanted to downsize the viaduct in Topeka, you could route I-70 onto current I-470.

[mrsman]

If you wanted to downsize the viaduct in Topeka, you could route I-70 onto current I-470.

Not a bad idea.  I know there was some talk of making an arrangement similar to I-81 Syracuse.  Basically, reroute I-70 along the I-470 bypass.  The existing I-70 will be only US 40, with the portions that meet interstate standards as and I-x70 (or two separate I-x70s).  This means that the middle section can be downgraded.

But it seems like that time has passed.  The whole point of doing the viaduct reconstruction is to fortify and maintain the freeway corridor. 

Certainly the urbanists in the area have been promoting this idea as an alternative to the cost of reconstruction.

https://biketopeka.com/2021/03/03/polk-quincy-viaduct-meeting-tonight/

https://biketopeka.com/2019/02/05/alternative-18-to-the-355-million-polk-quincy-viaduct-project/

https://biketopeka.com/2015/11/27/a-radically-simple-solution-for-the-polk-quincy-viaduct-problem/

 

[Great Lakes Roads]

Ground has been broken on this project!

[Plutonic Panda]

I'm not sure if it's been posted here before, but here's a rendering of the viaduct:



https://www.equipmentworld.com/roadbuilding/article/15741835/work-begins-on-new-i70-polkquincy-viaduct-in-topeka