3 February 2023
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — Wichita drivers may travel through a newer type of interchange on Kansas Highway 96 in the future. Highway officials are considering switching some northeast Wichita interchanges to diverging diamond interchanges (DDI).
Wichita doesn’t have any of those yet, but a few other Kansas towns do — mainly in northeast Kansas.
The Kansas Department of Transportation says DDIs are safer because there are no left turns across oncoming traffic. So the design team tasked with improving nine-and-a-half miles of K-96 in Wichita is suggesting using them or the option of displaced left turn (DLT) interchanges.
This map shows some of the changes KDOT is thinking of making to K-96 in Wichita. (Courtesy KDOT and K96Improvements.com)
The team presented its design concepts at a public open house Thursday night. Jake Borchers, the design team project manager, said he wants the public to look at the designs and give feedback. The team members will use comments from the meeting and on K96Improvements.com to determine necessary changes.
KDOT wants to expand the busy highway to six lanes from Interstate 135 to 21st Street and improve seven interchanges. The remaining stretch of K-96, from 21st Street to the Kansas Turnpike, would get new pavement. However, construction is still years away — possibly starting in 2026.
“One of the things we’re really excited about are these interchange improvements along the corridor, really to get traffic to and from K-96 as quickly and efficiently as possible,” Borchers said. “Those are really a lot of the bottlenecks we see out there today.”
K-96 design alternatives
The design team suggests DDIs at Hillside, Oliver, Woodlawn, Rock Road and 21st Street North. It says a DDI interchange would provide easier access to and from K-96. Drivers would spend less time at stoplights. Those who want to turn left onto K-96 would only go through one stoplight instead of two at a traditional interchange. And those turning right onto K-96 would only have to stop for pedestrians.
Hillside
The team also listed these benefits for a DDI at Hillside:
More capacity for vehicles turning onto Hillside — no more cars backed up onto K-96 during peak times
The K-96 corridor functions more efficiently by moving secondary intersections and drives away from the interchange
Preserves the existing K-96 bridges over Hillside
Oliver
The team also listed these benefits:
More capacity for vehicles turning onto Oliver – no more cars backed up onto K-96 during peak times
Corridor functions more efficiently by moving secondary intersections/drives away from the interchange
Shared use trail connects to Chisholm Creek Park
Preserves the existing K-96 bridges over Oliver
Woodlawn Option 1
The design team presented two options for the Woodlawn interchange. The first option is a DDI. The team envisions:
More capacity for vehicles turning onto Woodlawn – no more cars backed up onto K-96 during peak times
Shared use path connects park property north and south of K-96, with safer crossings for pedestrians and bicyclists
Traffic signal for 32nd Street intersection
Additional capacity for southbound left turn lanes into Home Depot/YMCA means no more cars blocking thru traffic
Woodlawn Option 2
The second option for Woodlawn and K-96 is a displaced left turn interchange. The design team says it provides some of the same benefits of a DDI: easier access to and from K-96 and less time at traffic lights.
The team also listed these benefits:
More capacity for vehicles turning onto Woodlawn – no more cars backed up onto K-96 during peak times
Southbound traffic functions as a traditional interchange
Northbound thru traffic does not crossover like a DDI
Shared use path connects park property north and south of K-96 and offers safer pedestrian and bicycle crossings
Traffic signal for 32nd Street intersection
Additional capacity for southbound left-turn lanes into Home Depot/YMCA means no more cars blocking thru traffic
Rock Road Option 1
The team also came up with two options for the Rock Road interchange. The first one is a DDI.
According to the team, these are the benefits:
More capacity for vehicles turning onto Rock – no more cars backed up onto K-96 during peak times
Corridor functions more efficiently by moving secondary intersections/drives away from the interchange
Relocating 32nd Street west of Rock allows for traffic to turn left to go northbound at a traffic signal
Rock Road Option 2
The second option for Rock is the displaced left turn interchange. Again, the design team says it provides some of the same benefits of a DDI: easier access to and from K-96 and less time at traffic lights.
The team listed these benefits:
More capacity for vehicles turning onto Rock – no more cars backed up onto K-96 during peak times
Northbound traffic functions as a traditional interchange
Southbound thru traffic does not crossover like a DDI
Corridor functions more efficiently by moving secondary intersections/drives away from the interchange
Relocating 32nd Street west of Rock allows for traffic to turn left to go northbound at a traffic signal
Webb Road
The designers do not think a DDI or DLT is right for the Webb Road interchange, but it does have a plan to reconfigure it. It includes removing the loop ramp for westbound traffic exiting K-96 and the short loop ramp for eastbound traffic exiting K-96. The short loop ramp is why traffic often backs up on K-96.
The plan would add separate off-ramps for eastbound traffic wishing to go north or south on Webb. The outcome would be less of a traffic backup on K-96.
The design team lists these benefits:
Eastbound K-96 traffic exiting to go north on Webb does not have to stop at the bottom of the loop ramp, and traffic goes into its own lane along Webb
Eliminating left turns to/from 29th Street, Greenbriar and properties within the interchange increases the safety and overall efficiency of the corridor
U-turns are provided at the outermost signals to provide access to destinations within the interchange
Thru traffic along Webb does not go through a signal at the outermost intersections
Additional capacity through the areas allows traffic to flow more freely
Greenwich
The design team does not think the Greenwich interchange needs to be reconfigured. Instead, it only plans to add capacity to the interchange that already exists there.
According to the team, these are the benefits:
Preserves recent investments made at the interchange
More capacity for vehicles turning onto Greenwich
Replaces aging pavement along Greenwich
21st Street North
The designers believe a diverging diamond interchange would work at 21st Street.
The team says these are the benefits:
More capacity for vehicles turning onto 21st Street
Connects the multi-use trail northwest of the interchange with the trail southeast of the interchange with a wider sidewalk allowing for safer crossings
Corridor functions more efficiently by moving left turns to and from secondary intersections and drives away from the interchange
Preserves the existing K-96 bridges over 21st Street
Public input
KDOT wants to hear from anyone who uses K-96, even if they don’t live in northeast Wichita. Submit your comments on the current design plans by March 4.
“Infrastructure plays a key role in the community’s growth, not only Wichita but the region in general,” Borchers said. “K-96 has been a real catalyst for that in the past, and K-96 has really served its design life.”
More than 50,000 vehicles travel daily along K-96 on Wichita’s northeast side. By 2050, that number is expected to double.
“As we make these improvements, we’ll really be serving not only northeast Wichita but Sedgwick County, even the state of Kansas, as this is a major freight route,” Borchers said.
There are a lot of government agencies involved in this large of a project. KDOT will have to get approval at many levels.
Tom Hein, KDOT Wichita Metro public affairs manager, said the current designs and feedback are part of the National Environmental Policy Act process. After KDOT gets the public’s input, the design team will make alterations and present them to the public this summer.
Hein said they used a Virginia Department of Transportation video at the Thursday meeting to show the public how a DDI works. VDOT also has a video explaining a displaced left turn interchange. The first DDI in the U.S. was built in Springfield, Missouri, in 2009.
If funding is approved for the K-96 improvements and construction begins in 2026, Borchers does not know how long it could last. However, he guessed possibly four years.