Barrier walls falls from aging Kansas highway viaduct. No one hurt.

What gave the impression to be tons of concrete crashed to the bottom late Saturday after falling from the growing old Polk-Quincy Viaduct in downtown Topeka. Nobody was damage.

There was no speedy phrase on why it occurred. 

About 60 toes of the north barrier wall alongside westbound Interstate 70 fell from the viaduct into an empty parking zone, stated Kate Craft, northeast Kansas and Topeka space public affairs supervisor for the Kansas Division of Transportation.

The concrete fell between S. Kansas Avenue and S.W. Jackson from the viaduct, which each westbound and eastbound site visitors have been persevering with to make use of Sunday.

A KDOT bridge design group assessed the scenario late Saturday and expressed confidence that “additional failure just isn’t imminent,” Craft stated on the Fb web page for KDOT’s Northeast Kansas operations.

“KDOT upkeep crews will place dump vans on the closed exterior lane as a short lived measure to substitute for the barrier, permitting site visitors to make use of the within lane,” she stated.

The part of wall fell at a time when work is being accomplished to maintain the viaduct viable till work begins in 2025 to interchange and flatten out Interstate 70’s sharp curve close to S.E. third Avenue by shifting to the north a lot of the freeway that at present runs to the west of that curve.

Officers have been discussing find out how to finest accommodate site visitors that might in any other case be taking I-70 by means of downtown Topeka because the mission is happening.

KDOT on Monday will extra completely assess the scenario and “will start to put everlasting measures for westbound I-70 site visitors and site visitors on the floor streets beneath the viaduct,” Craft stated.

“KDOT urges all motorists to be alert and obey the warning indicators when approaching and driving by means of a freeway work zone.” she added. “To remain conscious of all highway development initiatives throughout Kansas, go to www.kandrive.org or name 5-1-1.”

The curve was created when KDOT in 1963 constructed the present viaduct, an growing old, elevated four-lane section of I-70 that runs between S.W. Polk and S.E. Quincy streets.

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly introduced final July that as a part of the Eisenhower Legacy Transportation Plan, the viaduct mission had been put “into the development pipeline” to be carried out.

The mission is predicted to value $234 million. Topeka’s metropolis authorities is to pay $20 million of that, with the state overlaying the remainder.

Tim Hrenchir could be reached at threnchir@gannett.com or 785-213-5934.