Lewis Avenue will undergo major changes when I-44 is widened to six lanes through the area. The 51st Street and Lewis Avenue intersction, which only has a southbound left-turn lane and a northbound right-turn lane along with four lanes on each approach, likely will received major improvements from the project, as will the Skelly Drive intersection in the distance. Presently, northbound traffic has a no-left-turn sign that is open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. As a result, northbound traffic wanting to travel east on I-44 from Lewis Avenue during these hours must travel to Harvard Avenue to access the highway, which contributes to the major backup in the eastbound left-turn lane at that location. Southbound traffic turns west on 51st Street and accesses the interstate at the bottom of the hill. Westbound traffic is a normal pattern, in that there is a frontage road with exit and entrance ramps. There is no timetable as to when construction will be done at this intersection. Photo taken July 1986.
