I-70 construction scratches old wounds in Topeka

TOPEKA (KSNT) - A local historian is making sure the memory of a lost Topeka neighborhood is preserved and shared for generations to come.

Dr. Tara D. James-Wallace is making sure the history of the old Topeka Bottoms area isn't lost to time as renewed construction efforts take place where it used to be located. Numerous residents who used to live in this neighborhood, which was beneath where I-70 exists in the present day, were forced to move to make way for the federal highway decades prior.

Members of the predominantly Black community left behind their homes, businesses and churches when I-70 arrived in Topeka in the 1950s and 1960s. The Kansas Department of Transportation's (KDOT) current $239 million I-70 reconstruction project on the Polk-Quincy Viaduct (PQV) is bringing back some of the memories associated with the exodus and erasure of the Topeka Bottoms.

"You're talking generations, you're talking to individuals that were impacted, their children, their children's children," James-Wallace said. "How did this situation impact the trajectory of their families over generations?"

James-Wallace, whose own ancestors were forced to move because of I-70, is encouraging people to take a closer look at the historical consequences associated with "redlining" in Topeka. Redlining refers to a discriminatory lending practice that primarily targeted Black neighborhoods and was used to deny mortgages, according to Forbes.

"I watched these individuals and the tone of their voice changed, their body language changed, the emotion on their face, changed," James-Wallace said. "That's the stuff that hasn't been touched. Nobody scratched the surface of that to understand generationally. What has this trauma done to your family? It's not just the money. It's not just the house."

One way people are remembering the history of the Topeka Bottoms is through art and film, such as the new documentary film, "Reclaiming Home: Remembering the Topeka Bottoms" released earlier this year. The film debuted in the North Topeka Arts District and can now be seen at Topeka's Great Overland Station.

KDOT workers are currently reconstructing Topeka's Polk-Quincy Viaduct for a project set to last through to 2027. It will eventually require the complete closure of the highway in the Capital City for several months in 2026. You can learn more about the archaeological digs that took place beneath the viaduct in 2024 by clicking here.

For more local news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here.

Follow Matthew Self on X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/MatthewLeoSelf