City plans to tear up busy stretch of Wanamaker for public's safety
Originally published 09:37 p.m., September 5, 2008
Updated 10:38 a.m., September 5, 2008
Starting Monday, one of the busiest roads in Topeka might become more of hassle. For two months Wanamaker between 17th and Huntoon will be down to one lane for a major over-haul. The road construction is scheduled to be complete by November 7th. The construction is happening really sudden, and local businesses in the are going to be effected by the road work.
Candace Bullard, Manager at Discount Toner and Ink, said this is going hit her business hard, "Oh we're gonna suffer, everybody in this complex is going to suffer.We're gonna see it."
Bullard says the road construction beginning Monday will keep customers away. "Customers arent going to want to go clear across town to get something, you know they want to come here, but with the traffic, and everything going on, there going to be forced to go somewhere else, said Bullard.
Related documents
View a map of the area to be under construction (.pdf)
View the city of Topeka's press release about the project (.doc)
She told us she didn't know about the road work until this morning. "He came in and handed me a piece of paper, and then I read it, and was like oh yeah this is great," said Bullard.
The business next door, Audio Sound, said they didn't hear anything until today either. "Not until this morning, they came and dropped off a sheet of paper and left just as fast," said employee Scott Wiliams.
We wanted to know why it's starting so soon? City spokesman David Bevens said, "Why we're doing it right now at the first of September instead of waiting until the end of the year, or into next year I should say, that was because of the cost of materials. The costs are continuely climbing."
So money is moving the project along quickly, but accidents are the reason to extend the median.
Starting at Winding road, they're taking this median, and they are extending it all the way down to 17th street. They're blocking off this intersection where cars are turning in right now, so there won't be any more accidents.
Bullard says she hears accidents daily. "There are times I sit here and I listen to them all day, two three times a day I hear screeching of the tires, and I'm like oh here we go again," said Bullard.
But from a business stand point, she would have liked more notice. "It might make an improvement but right now it's not, we going to suffer, we are all going to suffer from this," said Bullard.
Wiliams said the same thing, "It's going to be an improvement, but its just going to take everybody a while to adjust to it."
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