K-7 and Johnson Drive construction has been going on for eight months now, with the goal of making K-7 a highway with no signaled intersections.
The $21.4 million project will be underway until Oct. 28, 2011.
According to Paul Lindstrom, City of Shawnee Senior Project Engineer, detours are just now being finished in the area to allow drivers to get from one side of Johnson Drive to the other without being a huge burden.
“The major challenge has been providing good access to all the businesses,” Lindstrom said. “Special signing has been installed that identifies businesses in each quadrant of the intersection.”
Although Lindstrom recognizes the strains the project may be putting on businesses and travelers, he believes the benefits outweigh the costs.
“A separate interchange provides a safer means of accessing a crossing street,” Lindstrom said. “The traffic won’t be slowed down on a major highway.”
