MARC JACOBS
Hutch Post
UPDATE: Woodie Seat Freeway reopens
ORIGINAL STORY:
The Woodie Seat Freeway will reopen to traffic Tuesday morning, marking the completion of a major phase of a long-term reconstruction project that has kept the roadway closed since February 2025.
The City of Hutchinson will host an official ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10 a.m. Tuesday to celebrate the reopening of one of the city's most important transportation corridors. Community members are invited to attend alongside city leaders and project partners. Public parking for the event will be available through the alley south of the water tower.
Following the ceremony, at approximately 11 a.m., RoadSafe crews will remove the barricades, officially reopening the freeway to traffic.
Phase II of the project included removing the bridges at Avenue A and Avenue B, lowering the roadway to ground level and constructing a new roundabout at Avenue A to improve traffic flow and safety.
The Avenue A roundabout opened to east-west traffic between Adams and Madison streets in January of this year while construction continued on the remainder of the project.
The reopening will also restore normal traffic patterns at the intersection of Avenue F and Main Street. Once the freeway opens, Main Street will again serve as the through street, while eastbound and westbound traffic on Avenue F will return to stop sign control. The Woodie Seat detour that has been in place during construction will also be removed.
Although the freeway is reopening, the city said the project is substantially complete with only a few punch-list items remaining. Installation of a short section of guardrail and one light pole by Evergy is expected within the next week. That work will require a temporary lane closure but will not affect the reopening of the freeway.
The reopening restores a key north-south transportation corridor through Hutchinson after nearly 17 months of detours for motorists. City officials encourage drivers to use caution as they adjust to the new traffic patterns, particularly at the Avenue A roundabout.