Construction

Construction is underway on work to improve East 13th street. Crews will be working on reconstructing the corridor from Hydraulic to Oliver in 2012-2013. Workers began relocating utility lines in preparation for the construction this week. The reconstruction of 13th street from Hydraulic to Oliver is set to begin in 2012. The $12 million project will widen 13th to provide a center left-turn lane as well as a new sidewalk, storm drains and upgraded traffic signals.

Two Wichita men working road construction in Oklahoma were struck and killed in a work zone on Interstate 40 near Yukon.   The Oklahoma Highway patrol says 20-year-old Jose Hernandez and his 48-year-old uncle, Salvador Hernandez, died in the Wednesday night accident. The father of Jose Hernandez was also working at the site and witnessed it all.  Police say the two men were hit when an SUV left the westbound lanes of I-40, and hit gravel.

(WICHITA, Kan.) Another road project is set to begin in Wichita. Construction crews will shut down part of 17th Street today. They will rebuild the road between Hillside and Grove. The project costs $3.4 million. The city says it will improve more than just the street: Drainage in the area Build protected left turn lanes at Hillside New traffic signals will direct drivers at Grove And there will be new sewers and sidewalks in the area. They're additions residents in the area are happy about.

Call it what you want. "It gets a little dicey for drivers. " But inconvenient seems to sum it up pretty well. "Any project on Kellogg is an inconvenience, and especially when you're this close to the downtown area and this close to ramps," explains KDOT Spokesman Tom Hein. KDOT has wanted to do the patching project along Kellogg for years. It's necessary work to keep bridges like the one over Washington Street in good shape. The problem is the construction limits lanes, meaning some people have to come to a complete stop while waiting to merge onto one of Wichita's busiest roads.

Freddie Franklin enjoys bringing his kids to Sedgwick County Park. He says "We use it every weekend. " That's why he and other parents are excited about construction starting on the 13th Street bridge. Franklin says, "Crossing 21st, coming in and out of the park can get a little hectic. Especially around 5 o'clock. So, I think it will slow that down a lot because we'll have that bridge to get access to the highway. " Laura Kurniadi brings her kids to the park, too. She says, "Accidents happen often there and it would just be better for a mother with little ones.

Even more construction is planned for a busy highway into Manhattan. The state has committed to spending about $96 million to continue expanding K-18. It is the first project funded through T-Works, the new transportation system passed by the legislature last year. The improvements will turn parts of the highway into a freeway with exits, instead of street-level intersections. The project should be finished by fall. Federal stimulus funds have paid for the rest of the $140 million project.

Wichita City Hall was evacuated twice Friday due to construction on the roof. The city tells Eyewitness News workers were using a jackhammer when the vibration caused a fire sensor to go off. The city has disabled the sensor until the work is complete so it won't happen again. The alarm is still operational. The first evacuation happened around seven o'clock Friday morning. The second one happened early in the afternoon. More than 150 people were evacuated.

By Kim Hynes (WICHITA, Kan.) Work is underway to make a west Wichita intersection more safe. But in the meantime, some are concerned about their safety. They say construction at Maize and Pawnee is putting driver's at risk. "She went right past that stop sign and didn't even stop," said Valerie Boughman as she watched the intersection of Maize and Pawnee. Driving past the stop sign is easy to do, given it's several feet back from the actual intersection. "You can't see past the piles of dirt, you can't see where to turn.

Officials celebrate the completion of a major road project in Wichita. Wichita held a ribbon cutting ceremony reopening 17th Street between Hillside and Grove. The $3.4 million project started in July of 2009, creating headaches for a lot of WSU students. "You couldn't get through, you'd be late to class, you'd miss a test or miss a quiz or something like that," said Molly Baily. "You'd have to go out of your way two or three miles to get to campus," adds Keely Popejoy.

More than six months of construction will keep one of Wichita's busiest intersections bottled up. Work crews are adding dual left-turn lanes to all four approaches at the 21st and Maize intersection. They will also add a raised median on Maize Road to improve traffic flow turning into the area's retail locations. Construction is scheduled to be completed by Thanksgiving. Right now, workers are ripping up pavement in the northeast corner of the intersection. It will take workers six weeks per corner to instalL the turn lanes.

A Minnesota construction company will pay more than $43,000 in fines for more than 140 violations to the Kansas Consumer Protection Act. The company, Delta Construction of Woodbury, Minnesota, touted itself as a construction company specializing in roofing, siding, windows and gutters. The District Attorney says Delta entered into 242 contracts through door-to-door sales with consumers in Segdwick County between July of 2009 and May of 2011. The DA says the violations included not registering the business with the Kansas Secretary of State to do business in Kansas, not obtaining a transient merchant license while doing business in Sedgwick County, failing to furnish a consumer with a fully completed receipt/copy of contract and not including a mandated three-day “notice of cancellation” with each contract.

Reno County authorities have arrested a man accused of operating a fraudulent business. Tony Jeffery was booked into the Reno County jail on three counts of theft by deception. He was jailed on $3,000 bond. Investigators said he was contracted to finish various roofing and asphalt jobs that were never completed. Police said he targeted elderly victims. Jeffery gave estimates under the business name of Quality Construction. The Kansas Attorney General's office will be reviewing the case.

Derby police are looking for vandals who caused an estimated one-million dollars in damage to a Wal-Mart Market Place that is being built at 1106 S. Rock in Derby. Police say that between 6:30pm on Friday March 15th and 7:00am on Saturday March 16th, an unknown number of people entered the store through a plywood door. They used several of the scissor lifts units to ram freezer and cooler units located in the building. Nearly 50 units were broken. They also caused damage to the plumbing and electrical units.

There's not usually much to see at the corner of 1st & Waco in downtown Wichita. But drivers were stopping Tuesday just to catch a glimpse of recently uncovered history. "Never seen nothing like this before in my life," said Will Miller. "I think it's really neat," added Barbara Kinney, "I had to come and see it. " Last Friday construction crews working on a new apartment project unearthed what is believed to be an old railroad fuel tanker.  The site is part of what used to be Missouri Pacific train depot, from the early 1900s, until it was torn down in the mid-1960s.

Freddie Franklin enjoys bringing his kids to Sedgwick County Park. He says "We use it every weekend. " That's why he and other parents are excited about construction starting on the 13th Street bridge. Franklin says, "Crossing 21st, coming in and out of the park can get a little hectic. Especially around 5 o'clock. So, I think it will slow that down a lot because we'll have that bridge to get access to the highway. " Laura Kurniadi brings her kids to the park, too. She says, "Accidents happen often there and it would just be better for a mother with little ones.

Construction is underway for a garden to help veterans, their families and workers.  The Dole Veterans Affairs (VA) Center is hoping a new garden will help it better treat veterans suffering from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).  The Center broke ground on a new Peace Garden today.  The garden will be part of the Center's PTSD therapy services. "So veterans can actually be digging in the dirt," said Heidi Barrus, a nurse at the VA Center instrumental in organizing the garden.  "We're going to have raised flower beds, so it's accessible to all veterans.  We're going to have plants that are aromatic and soft to the touch for our veterans that are visually impaired.

Police in Arkansas City are asking for help after a construction vehicle is stolen. A skid steer was taken sometime between October 23rd and 24 from a construction site at Maple and Summit. The vehicle has rental station stickers on the arms and back door. It also has a sticker on the front that says, "no chain hook by hydraulics". More information about stolen skid row: MakeJohn Deere ModelJD315 Year2012 Serial #1T00315ATCG231566 OwnerThe Rental Station If you have any information you are asked to call the Arkansas City Police Department at 620-441-4444.

Authorities evacuate a home in Hutchinson because of a gas leak. The leak happened Tuesday morning at 32nd Terrace and Carnegie Place. A road construction crew struck a large gas line while working.  The residents living in the home will have to stay out until the Kansas Gas Company fixes the problem. No one has been injured and no major damage was caused by the leak.

Construction on an airport terminal to replace Mid-Continent is now underway. The city says crews are now clearing away current infrastructure and excavation from the new terminal site and its foundations. The new $160 million terminal will be built just northwest of the existing building. When complete, the terminal will include: Ticketing and baggage claim on the roadway entry level with significantly more space than the current terminal Upper level concourse with departure lounges, concessions and expanded passenger security screening to meet TSA's latest and potential future standards Twelve (12)

If you're headed to the Sunflower Showdown Saturday, allow yourself some extra drive time. KU will play K-State at 11 o'clock Saturday morning in Manhattan.  But drivers headed to the game, should expect to run into some road construction near Manhattan. Click here for photos from last year's game Transportation officials warn fans, be prepared and know where the construction zones are located.  Areas under construction include both east and westbound I-70, and spots along I-470 and HWY 24. Click here to see K-Dot's construction zone map.  While on the road, you can also call 511. Eyewitness Sports will be at the game.  Follow @BruceHaertl and @jennbates12 on Twitter for updates.  And head to kwch.com for photos and videos from the game.