WICHITA, Kan. (KAKE) – A construction project on Kellogg that will stretch from east Wichita to Andover will take years, but it could’ve been much worse.
“I hope I’m alive to see it completed,” said Debbie Maltbie, who lives near Kellogg.
Maltbie was at the east Kellogg construction meeting Tuesday where the Kansas Department of Transportation talked about its plans to build a new highway all the way to Andover next year.
However, after just getting done with three decades of Kellogg construction, she’s a little nervous to start more.
“It’ll be a little painful, you know, during construction and the learning curve of getting around,” she said.
KDOT Design Director Calvin Reed says this time, the wait will be much shorter. In fact, he says the team got creative and already shaved three years off of it by combining the design and construction teams which reduced the completion date to 2025.
“We’re not fully designing the project, we’re actually going to select a contractor and designer team to come and design the project for us and start construction as quickly as possible,” Reed said.
Gary Metzger, who lives near Kellogg, says this is a project long overdue.
“It’s something that’s been needed for years, we’ve watched it, watch the traffic get worse and worse.”
He’s referring to how traffic backs up during rush hour, sometimes for miles, near his home at 143rd and Kellogg.
While Maltbie is certainly much less excited for the project than Metzger, they both agree on one thing.
“It’s going to take time, it’s going to be a headache but it’s going to be well worth it when it’s done,” Metzger said.
“It’ll be painful, but I know in the long run, it’ll be worth it just like the rest of Kellogg was. I’m looking forward to being done,” said Maltbie
