The Kansas Department of Transportation’s desire to finish the South Lawrence Trafficway is summed up in the agency’s permit application for filling portions of the Baker Wetlands.

The entry: “Construction of a four-lane freeway to establish a safer, more efficient transportation facility for users of K-10 highway and the surrounding state highway system.

www.southlawrencetrafficway.org

“The proposed highway would reduce congestion and time delays for K-10 through traffic, thus enhancing safety for both through traffic and local traffic motorists.”

Whether KDOT officials will get their way remains unclear.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is mulling whether to approve KDOT’s preferred route for the road along a 32nd Street alignment, through the Baker Wetlands or along a 42nd Street alignment, which dips south of the Wakarusa River.

Either one would carry traffic around Lawrence’s southern edge, although KDOT argues that the northern route would be most effective.

“We are neither an opponent nor proponent for this project,” said Robert Smith, trafficway project manager for the corps, the agency whose ruling later this year is expected to settle the road’s fate. “We are unbiased and we will make a decision that we think reflects the overall public interest.”

People on both sides of the controversial issue the highway remains half done 12 years after voters backed its development have their own ideas about what would best serve the public’s interest.

Either of the two options would carry more than 50,000 vehicles around the city, according to the corps study, and either one would damage environmental resources during construction and once in use.

That has both sides trafficway supporters and opponents alike grasping for ways to make their respective cases more convincing headed into the corps’ anticipated public hearing next month.

Jere McElhaney, chairman of the Douglas County Commission, said that building on 32nd Street would best serve the community through traffic efficiency, economic development and business activity.

“The public needs to participate some more,” McElhaney said. “The silent majority really hasn’t spoken up, and I know that they’re the ones wanting this trafficway completed.”

Bruce Plenk, an attorney for trafficway opponents, isn’t worried about public participation. The last time a federal environmental impact statement for the project faced a public hearing, in 1995, it drew comments from 630 people

More than 400 said they opposed building road through the wetlands, he said.

Today, with Lawrence continuing to grow, he doesn’t see how the groundswell of opposition will subside. Plenk said he would prefer that officials concentrate more on transit and other alternatives for carrying traffic brought on by a swelling population.

“It’s time to look at the big picture and not do something stupid,” Plenk said, “because otherwise, later on, people will shake their heads and say, ‘Gee, why’d we ever do that? That was so stupid we just rushed and rushed and rushed and all we ended up with was a lot of money going to highway contractors and some of their buddies.’ “

But doing nothing still would leave a substantial traffic problem in town, Rees said.

Douglas County officials would be prompted to study routes for carrying traffic, which then would push the county to extend 31st Street east to Kansas Highway 10.

“Then you’ve got an extremely major, inefficient bypass,” Rees said. “You get everything you don’t want. You have less control and it’ll carry the same amount of traffic, if not more. And you don’t get any amenities. You just get a major, urban arterial.”

The corps intends to accept public comments regarding the project through Sept. 30, then incorporate them into a final environmental impact statement that would select a final route for the road.

Copies of the draft document are available for public review at area libraries. For more information, click on www.southlawrencetrafficway.org.