Courthouse Construction Affects Traffic on Central Ave. Starting Dec. 26

(Sedgwick County, Kan.) – A major project to upgrade the cooling system at the Sedgwick County Courthouse, 525 N. Main St., will close westbound traffic on Central Ave. from Main St. to Wichita St., starting Tuesday, Dec. 26, 2023. The area outlined in orange in the photo below shows the traffic lanes that will be affected.

The center westbound lane of Central Ave. will re-open several days later, but the other westbound lane will remain closed through completion of the project by mid-Feb. 2024. The intersection at Central Ave. and Main St. will stay open the entire time, and work will NOT block public access to the courthouse or the Sedgwick County Parking Garage, 603 N. Main St. 

Crews will spend three days, starting Dec. 26, setting up a large crane in front of the courthouse in the area outlined in red in the photo below.

 Semi trucks will then pull into the cut-out lane on Main St. to allow the crane to lift three large cooling towers and steel beams from the trucks onto the rooftop of the courthouse. Once installed, these cooling towers will provide a reliable way to air condition the courthouse built back in 1956. 

”Replacing and upgrading our cooling towers is a large undertaking, but necessary to keep the courthouse comfortable during the hot summer months and to ensure reliability,” said Andrew Dilts, Sedgwick County Director of Facilities. “Even though a giant crane will be part of the courthouse landscape for a few weeks, the only real inconvenience to the public should be the temporary lane closures on westbound Central.”