A survey of 1,200 area residents is expected to give highway officials a better idea of what people think about the South Lawrence Trafficway.
Early survey results should be ready in about three weeks, officials said.
Nearly 1,000 telephone calls already have been made as part of the survey commissioned by Kansas Department of Transportation to get feedback on issues ranging from how people perceive traffic safety in Lawrence to their feelings about the Baker Wetlands.
"In this type of project, you really can't have too much public input," KDOT Chief Counsel Mike Rees said. "The other public involvement has really consisted of people who have taken the time to come to a meeting, so this may allow us to get a broader section of the community."
The survey, though, will not ask residents their opinions on a best route for the trafficway. There is some controversy about whether it should be north of the Wakarusa River through the Baker Wetlands or avoid the wetlands by going south of the river. Both options have been studied by KDOT.
"This survey isn't going to make the decision on the roadway, so that is one of the reasons why we specifically don't ask about a specific route," said Scott Russell, with HNTB, the engineering firm coordinating the survey.
Russell declined to release the questions being asked during the approximately 5-minute telephone interviews, fearful, he said, that advance knowledge of the questions might skew the results from those yet to be polled.
But Russell said the questions sought opinions on 23rd Street congestion, general traffic safety and the convenience of Lawrence's traffic system. Other questions are meant to gauge the importance of wetlands and American Indian issues associated with the road.
The results will be reviewed by state and federal officials as part of the road's environmental impact statement process.
Preliminary results should be completed in about three weeks, with final results expected in about a month and a half.
If completed, the trafficway would connect Kansas Highway 10 east of Lawrence with Interstate 70 northwest of Lawrence. The western 9 miles of the road are finished and open, but the eastern third remains in the planning stage.
The survey sample area included all of Douglas County and parts of Johnson and Shawnee counties. Russell said he didn't know how the survey participants were selected, but he said the selection wasn't completely random.
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