A decades-old bridge in Gardner in southern Johnson County will finally be replaced after years of deterioration.
Work on the $26 million project to replace the Gardner Road bridge over Intestate 35 starts Monday, according to a city Facebook post Thursday afternoon.
The Kansas Department of Transportation estimates demolition and reconstruction of the bridge, which spans the highway going north and south near 191st Street, will take up to two years.
The announcement comes after a four-foot-wide hole opened up on the overpass in March and was repaired with a steel plate.
“The city of Gardner has pushed for this long-delayed project for several years,” Jim Pruetting, Gardner’s City Administrator, said. “Although the bridge has remained functional, [its] deterioration … has long been a source of concern for the city and those who utilize the bridge.”
Current bridge should remain open through the project
Built in 1959, the bridge connects Gardner over I-35 and is used as the southern access point for Gardner residents to reach the Interstate or neighboring Edgerton’s Intermodal warehouses.
That area of Johnson County has seen rapid growth in recent years, and city officials said meeting the city’s safety and travel needs is essential.
Delaney Tholen, KDOT’s public information officer for the Kansas City metro, told the Post the original bridge will remain in use for drivers as the new bridge is constructed alongside it, save for a period when it will close as the new bridge is connected to Gardner Road.
The configuration for the new bridge will remain the same design but be wider with an additional southbound ramp lane and “significant” redesign components.
Tholen added that 191st Street “will also be realigned as part of the bridge reconstruction plans because of its proximity.”
Pruetting said plans for the new bridge feature an additional turn lane to improve traffic flow and construction of a single bridge deck during the first phase
KDOT selected Wichita-based Dondlinger & Sons Construction in June for the grading, bridge and surfacing for the project.
Years of project delays
City and KDOT officials have repeatedly stated over the years that replacing the Gardner Road bridge is necessary and the current structure is past its useful life.
Former Mayor and current city councilmember Steve Shute said the city has recognized the bridge has been functionally obsolete for nearly two decades.
“It has been several years of struggle with KDOT to get any movement on this bridge,” Shute said. “We had funding secured when I was mayor back in 2018, but KDOT kept putting other projects ahead of it.”
During a 2021 presentation KDOT officials discussed with city leaders the city’s funding application with the Mid-America Regional Council to improve the north side of the interchange, a request which dated as far back as 2016.
The project was originally planned for a $40.3 million diverging interchange with completion in 2023.
Shute said when COVID-19 hit in 2020 the project was pushed back another few years.
“It has been a long time coming that’s for sure, but in the meantime, we are really concerned that the bridge is now structurally unsound, and may not stay usable through the end of 2026, when the new span is completed,” Shute said this week.
Tholen said designing the project and working with the city have caused delays that were also compounded by the pandemic.
A 2050 regional transportation plan with MARC illustrates the original design plans for the bridge reconstruction as a diverging diamond interchange for more pedestrian-friendly accommodations and freight movement to the BNSF Intermodal facility. The cost at that time was estimated at $30 million.
Nearby school impacted
The Gardner Edgerton School District’s Nike Elementary sits near the bridge along Gardner Road, south and east of the highway and will be greatly impacted by the project.
District officials said they plan on using alternative routes and detours, adding more time into commutes and routes around the area and arranging alternative locations to park buses.
“We are confident we will be able to utilize them to get north and south of I-35 and, specifically, get students to Nike Elementary in a timely and consistent basis,” Jody Marshall, the district’s assistant superintendent of administrative services, said. “And we plan to be more patient during the construction process.”
Residents raise concerns about aging bridge
In March, a four-foot hole opened in the high-traffic bridge leaving residents more concerned about the bridge’s structural integrity. A steel plate has covered the hole in the meantime.
Some residents told the Post they have already stopped using the bridge because of safety concerns.
“Between the abundant semis that began using the bridge to the deteriorating state the bridge is currently in, it is not safe for any travel,” resident Valorie Seichepine said.
Resident Marcie Gerber said it was “disconcerting” to be stopped at the light on the bridge sitting behind semis and buses.
“There have been times I have prayed the structure holds,” Gerber said.
Devery Bryant shared what they characterized as a “life-and-death” experience on the bridge with another vehicle earlier this summer.
“Someone went over one of the newest potholes, and a big piece of the concrete that broke off flipped up and hit my car,” Bryant said. “Luckily not my windshield, but it was so frustrating.”
Shute added that he is concerned nearby businesses along Gardner Road wouldn’t be able to survive the two-year interchange shut down.
“But more importantly, I am concerned about the public safety hazard of having an overpass literally falling down onto the Interstate,” Shute said.
