The City of Hutchinson closed the Woodie Seat Freeway for preparation of its Phase II construction. The Avenue F exits are open. CREDIT CITY OF HUTCHINSON
By Emmie Boese
The City of Hutchinson put up road closure detour signs in preparation for Phase II of the Woodie Seat Freeway project on Thursday, Feb. 27.
“All that construction will be in place that weekend prior to the actual start of the demolition and then construction will begin on March 3,” Public Works Director Cecil Weible said at last week’s city council meeting.
At last week’s city council meeting, Weible said that the detour routes for phase ll include 2nd Ave on the north, Ave. F on the south, Monroe St. on the west and Adams St. on the east.
However, due to the gas leak on Main Street that happened over the weekend, Ave. F is now open.
Weible spoke at a press conference that was held on Thursday by the city in regards to the gas leak. He gave specifics on how the detours will operate.
“We had a little bit of confusion not only with the detour because of Main St. being closed but also the Woodie Seat construction project kicking off,” Weible said. “With the efforts of Kansas Gas, they were able to reduce that down and open Avenue F so the two detours are now separated, and that should make traffic a little bit easier to navigate.
Weible also reminded folks that when detours are set up, it is specifically for bigger truck traffic.
“A lot of the time, the local residents will find their own way around,” Weible said. “Sometimes those detours will look really confusing, but most of the time we are thinking about trucks and the big traffic.”
The city has provided an update map on the detours for the Woodie Seat Freeway Project and Main St. on their Facebook page.
