This week’s opening of the Kellogg freeway at Rock Road — eastbound lanes Wednesday, westbound lanes today — represents a major milestone for Wichita’s transportation system that arguably deserved fireworks and a marching band. Then again, the ability to drive 14 miles along Kellogg without stopping may suffice, especially for those who remember when the thoroughfare was a 19-stoplight nightmare. It will take a while not only for the city to open all the through and turn lanes at Kellogg and Rock but also for drivers to adjust to the changes. And watch the speed out there: As more of Kellogg becomes a freeway, it must not also become a free-for-all.
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24 Comments
Well it’s about time! I’m surprised that any of the businesses on that intersection survived.
At last! Now that people can blow through doodah without stopping, the city will have to try and do things to convince people to linger here.
I am not optimistic.
scooter whines,
“I am not optimistic.”
_______________________________________
LOL!
I’m shocked!
How could any tourist not stop and explore the lovely landmark pictured above?
“I am not optimistic.”
________________________
I’m sure there’s some communist country that would love to have someone like you.
“XXX” attacks “BlueJay” in a thread about a local intersection with –
“I’m sure there’s some communist country that would love to have someone like you.”
Nothin’ crazy about that.
“As more of Kellogg becomes a freeway, it must not also become a free-for-all.”
Heh. Good luck with that! Texting while talking on a cell phone and changing 3 lanes without signaling is one of this town’s few home grown attractions.
Can we have some truth in advertising? At $155 million for a single mile of road, this is anything but a “free” way.
It’s not texting and cell-phoning.
Wichitans have been insane drivers since forever.
I was hit by a car once by a guy who told the cops, “I don’t need to signal the turn. I make that turn every day!” And the weird habit Doo-Dah Drivers have of stopping an Yield signs and cruising through Stop signs.
Is most of the new Kellogg underground now? That’ll be fun during a springtime rain storm, won’t it? Looks like they could call it the “Big Ditch II — This time it’s wet!”
It’s been what? Thirty years and Wichita drivers haven’t figured out the Canal Route might be included in those winter-time warnings about ice on bridges and overpasses?
NO!
Wichitans prefer free-form demolition derbies on public roads.
A good frog-choker rainstorm will turn Kellogg/Rock into a spontaneous mud-run and people will be bobbing for pick-ups after CONs plow into it.
Monkeyhawk
Posted November 6, 2009 at 7:31 am | Permalink
“XXX” attacks “BlueJay” in a thread about a local intersection with –
“I’m sure there’s some communist country that would love to have someone like you.”
Nothin’ crazy about that.
______________________________
Monk, that’s your idea of an attack? That was just a love tap.
My point is, if you don’t like Wichita, there are lots of roads that lead out of town. Works great for constant complainers.
“Nothin’ crazy about that.”
Whatever
Will be interesting to see what happens when snow and ice lands on the slope.
Yay! Now my only reason for going on the East side will be a snap!
Barnes and Noble really needs to open one over here on the West side.
Damn BJ, why don’t you just leave if this place is so miserable? I’d rather eat bologna with friends than steaks with enemies.
“XXX” –
If you’d been paying attention you’d know I don’t live in Wichita.
I found the road out of town long ago and, along the way, made my fortune.
I’m back in Kansas only because I can live off what I can do in this backwater outpost thanks to technology, guile, and wits.
Wichita isn’t the largest city in Kansas.
Wichita is the biggest small town in Kansas.
I think the silly Intrust Arena is a mistake. I think the obsession with building airplanes is misguided. I think the assassination of George Tiller was a crime.
So I was pretty much out of the mainstream when I spent more than a decade as a Wichitan.
I get back in Wichita from time to time and see it overcome by franchise restaurants that have put mom-and-pop places out of business with inferior food. I’ve seen how Cessna, Beechcraft, Learjet, Coleman, BANK IV, and Pizza Hut have sold out Wichita’s heritage of entrepreneurship to the highest bidder.
Then took the money and ran.
(Okay. So that’s what I did, too. My bad.)
Monkeyhawk
Posted November 6, 2009 at 8:48 am | Permalink
“XXX” –
If you’d been paying attention you’d know I don’t live in Wichita.
_________________________________
Yes Monk, I know you don’t live in Wichita. I wasn’t refering to you.
Monk, I don’t have a problem with you.
Please don’t change that.
Is most of the new Kellogg underground now? That’ll be fun during a springtime rain storm, won’t it? Looks like they could call it the “Big Ditch II — This time it’s wet!” – chimp man
————–
I guess he’s never heard of storm water sewers even though he spends most of his time in sewers.
The Kellogg project has been going on since the Santa Fe Trail and will continue until there’s no more concrete. My house which was built in 1949 contains bricks salvaged from an earlier incarnation of Kellogg. The Energizer Bunny of construction projects just keeps going and going and going…….!
I wish I had kept the cartoon, it was a image of a welcome to Wichita sign with the border stating
“Closed for repair”.
I am glad the intersection has opened and will not miss the wait at plant change.
Though I do see the point, how many of the businesses along Kellogg can survive.
Of course they can move and many were only attracting locals instead of the passing through.
But a through pass the town will insure that and some revue will be lost.
Restaurants are not the only place stop to stretch their legs and get out of the car on a trip.
As usual, a major technical mistake was made designing this important segment of Highway 54/Kellogg passing through Wichita. The highway (going from west to east) should have curved off south just east of the cemetery with the prominent Cornejo head stone beside Kellogg.
Then it should have run parallel and perhaps two blocks south of the business route of Kellogg/Highway 54, all the way to the Kansas turnpike entrance. Of course, this route would have required removal of many houses and probably some local businesses along that parallel route.
But if this correct decision had been made back in the 1970’s and 80’s, it would have been a lot less painful and expensive than the way it was actually built.
This route would have permitted construction to proceed without interference of ongoing Highway 54 traffic. It would also have provided the business route plus the interstate level highway for traffic flowing through Wichita to the east or to the west.
And it would have saved millions of tax dollars in construction costs over those 20 or 30 years of construction.
This mistaken route will cause much pass-through interstate type traffic and big 18-wheeler truck traffic to avoid passing through Wichita and take alternate routes around Wichita for many years.
Once again, no effective leadership and planning in Wichita.
Hey, it’s only been 16 years since we approved the funding of this project. Medieval cathedrals took hundreds of years to build. Wichita is lightning quick by comparison.
I agree. People can now fly through Wichita without touching the brakes even once to spend a dime in the city! Real smart. And to make sure they don’t get tempted to spend a dime in Wichita, lets elevate and tunnel the thing so they do not even SEE the businesses along Kellogg to remove all temptation to stop. Double smart!
I remember when Kellogg was a real street. I crossed it everyday for 5 years to go to Sunnyside School. Back then it was 4 lanes, easy to cross and was lined with commerce (Griffs, Pancake House, Kidwell’s Hardware, Doonan Electric, Kellogg Diner Wig Outlet- I remember them all!). I guess like everything in Wichita, it all had to die too!
I wish I’d invested heavily in the orange cone industry way back when. I’d be a billionaire by now!
In about 1931, the Empire State Building took a little over one year to be built in New York City. I thought the contractor was from Topeka, Kansas but I haven’t been able to confirm this recently.
This year, the fabulous 160 story multi-use building, The Burj Dubai, is nearing completion after five years construction in the middle east.
Here in Wichita it has taken decades to build the multi-use Highway 54/400/Kellogg. It will function as a business route as well as limited access high-speed freeway passing across the Wichita metro-area.
I wonder who designed this monstrosity? It must have been the basket weaving department of a local elementary school. I hope no Kansas professional engineers were involved.
Best radio line I ever heard was some years back on one of those morning drive-time buddy shows. One co-host read a factoid that said that scientists had determined that our Sun was going to burn itself out in about 40 million years. Without missing a beat, the other co-host said, “you know what that means don’t you”? “They’re going to have to finish Kellogg in the dark”.