MANHATTAN, Kan. – K-State football fans heading to Manhattan on Saturday for the Wildcats’ Big 12 opener against UCF are reminded to allow for additional travel time as road construction on I-70 in Junction City will impact traffic.

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 6-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. The passing lanes in each direction are currently closed, 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 are asked to 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.

K-State and UCF kick off at 7 p.m., Saturday night inside Bill Snyder Family Stadium in a game televised by FS1. Standing-room only tickets remain for the game against the Knights, and those can be purchased online at www.k-statesports.com/tickets.