To the editor:

If you build it, they will come. This road is for trucks, developers and a governor who is leaving soon for Washington, D.C., to run the national trucking industry. It is not a long-term solution to congestion on 23rd Street. In fact, it will create even more congestion for an already busy Kansas Highway 10 east of Lawrence.

Building multilane highways around cities encourages urban sprawl.

Be it unbroken prairie south of the river or the current wetlands project north of the river, this road will cause environmental damage.

The huge truck/rail exchange south of Kansas City (formerly Richards-Gebaur Airport) will have an impact. Every westbound truck out of that facility will be encouraged to use the new route instead of I-70 because it’s a few miles shorter. Can K-10 handle the increase? Is this good planning? Who pays to widen K-10 when it’s needed? I’m afraid we all do.

Steve King,

Lawrence