63rd Street Reopens

Photo by Ellen Swanson 

After 10 months of construction, drivers of Johnson County can now drive in peace. With renovations of 63rd street finally done, getting around Mission Hills will go back to normal.

The city closed down 63rd Street for construction on Jan. 11, 2016 from State Line to Mission Road. The mayor hoped to get it back open by Tuesday, Nov. 1, but the deadline was pushed back past Thanksgiving after some complications.

Many changes were underway for the road’s renewal. Companies relined their gas and water lines underground. Brush Creek Bridge was being replaced after nearly 60 years of wear and tear at 63rd and Indian Ln. However, the rebuilding of the bridge had some difficulties. It went through six different changes and required re-designed structural pieces due to error in design.

Once the bridge was complete, fresh asphalt was laid. A driver of one of the gas companies drove through the fresh asphalt and due to the scheduling of everything, the re-lay had to be pushed back to over a month later.

63rd Street is mostly open now, aside from minimal touch ups from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. for the next few weeks that may cause difficulties. Indian Creek will now be closed down through February for similar renewals.