Fans heading to Manhattan on Saturday for K-State’s 6 p.m. contest against TCU are reminded to allow for additional travel time as road construction projects on Denison Avenue near Bill Snyder Family Stadium and I-70 in Junction City will impact traffic.
Since the Wildcats’ last home football game in September, construction on Denison has closed the road between the north entrance of the Manhattan Fire Department’s Headquarters Fire Station and the Agricultural Road intersection, affecting access for fans wishing to park in the Foundation and Equine lots. Please note, parking for the Foundation lot is now accessible only from the south off Kimball Avenue while the Equine lot is only accessible from the north off Marlatt Avenue. This closure is expected to remain in place through the remainder of the football season.
Kansas Department of Transportation officials are continuing to suggest that fans driving to Manhattan from the south or west who typically utilize I-70 through Junction City consider using an alternate route to avoid construction through a 5-mile stretch on I-70. A pavement replacement project is underway between Exit 295 on the west and mile marker 302 on the east of Junction City. Traffic is reduced to one lane in each direction and traffic has been moved to a head-to-head configuration between mile markers 299 and 301.
As an alternative to using I-70, fans traveling from the south on US-77 continue past the Junction City exit and stay on US-77 north through Riley, where US-77 merges into US-24. At the junction of Tuttle Creek Boulevard, turn south toward Manhattan, where fans can get to the stadium by either exiting at Seth Child Road on the west or staying on Tuttle Creek Boulevard to Marlatt or Kimball avenues on the east.
Fans driving from the west on I-70 could follow the same route by exiting at US-77 prior to reaching the construction in Junction City or exit at Abilene north onto K-15 to the junction of K-18, turning east to US-77 north of Junction City, then following US-77 north to Riley and into Manhattan.
To avoid potential traffic backups postgame on K-18 leaving Manhattan, officials encourage fans to use K-177 (Bill Snyder Highway) or McDowell Creek Road from the east side of the city to access I-70. Those utilizing K-18 should be prepared to reduce their speed and anticipate heavier than normal traffic.
Fans are encouraged to plan ahead and allow for additional travel time, as well as utilize a GPS system for seeking alternative routing.
Saturday’s game against the Horned Frogs, which will be shown on ESPN2, is sold out. K-State fans looking to purchase tickets through the secondary market are encouraged to do so through SeatGeek, K-State’s official secondary ticket partner. Fraudulent tickets are often seen on gamedays, and K-State Athletics can only verify secondary market tickets and assist fans with issues on gamedays with tickets that are purchased directly from SeatGeek.
