It’s difficult to understand the thinking behind the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers decision to review a new South Lawrence Trafficway route proposed by the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation.

After many years of study, the Corps announced in January that it had determined that a 32nd Street route, which would run just south of the current 31st Street, was the “least environmentally damaging practicable alternative available” for the trafficway. Factors that went into that decision included cost, safety, efficiency and environmental effects.

But now, the Potawatomi Nation, which doesn’t want to see the trafficway built through the Baker-Haskell Wetlands, has proposed a new route that would run south of the Wakarusa River. The Potawatomi route would be considerably less expensive than routes the Corps studied earlier in that area. The cost reduction makes a south-of-the-river route comparable to the cost of the 32nd Street route.

So after taking a look at the plan, the district engineer for the Corps agreed to review it. If the plan is given a full review, including a new environmental impact statement, the process would take at least six months. The planning delay may be secondary to the larger stumbling block of no state funds currently being dedicated to the project, but the additional review will be costly both in terms of time and money.

This decision raises a number of questions for people who have watched the South Lawrence Trafficway project’s twisted path. Why is this new route just now being investigated? The Kansas Department of Transportation looked at other routes south of the Wakarusa River. If this route provides a viable option at a more reasonable cost, why didn’t KDOT officials consider it sooner?

Or, in the reverse, if the Potawatomi plan has serious, obvious faults, why is it being considered now? If it’s simply a courtesy to the Potawatomi Nation, it is a costly charade.

It should be noted that a route south of the Wakarusa River could face serious roadblocks because of historical sites and opposition from property owners just as strong as that posed by Haskell Indian Nations University students and faculty. Also, if the trafficway is built south of the river, the present 31st Street almost certainly would be maintained, and possibly enlarged, to handle growing traffic demands.

As noted, the trafficway project has been put on the state’s back burner not only because of the controversy it spurred but because the state has dipped into highway funds to cover budget shortfalls. The study of an additional route may not delay the trafficway any longer than the budget barrier, but it raises serious questions about the Corps’ process for determining its “preferred route” for the road.

KDOT and Corps officials had maintained that they had looked at all viable options for the trafficway and taken every possible step to determine the best route. Their choice was 32nd Street. But observers may wonder how confident they are in their choice or their process if they are so willing now to consider another alternative.

Wouldn’t it be something if the Corps now determined that the Potawatomi Nation’s proposed route is better than anything state engineers had come up with before?