The city is nearing agreement with Home Depot to do the massive street improvements needed at 31st and Iowa streets to make room for the massive store and related development.

Officials aren’t giving specific numbers, but they say the city’s costs are going to be higher than the $1.1 million originally expected.

“It’s going to be higher than what was talked about last year,” Assistant City Manager Dave Corliss said Friday. “But the project is bigger than we talked about last year.”

The Lawrence City Commission in October approved rezoning for the Home Depot project, knowing the city would have to help pay to widen and improve the intersection.

City Manager Mike Wildgen asked commissioners at the time to put a cap on the city’s financial commitment, but they declined to do so.

The near-final design on the project includes dual left-turn lanes at all four approaches to the intersection, Corliss said.

The design also includes left-turn access for westbound traffic on 31st Street to the Kmart store on the southeast corner of the intersection. The owners of the Kmart property had threatened to sue when it appeared that access would be eliminated by the improvements. The Kansas Department of Transportation, however, has expressed concern about that provision.

City officials said they expect construction on the project to begin in April. Commuters through the intersection should expect a mess.

City officials hope to get final commission approval for the plan at its March 5 meeting.