A bumpy ride between two of Lawrence’s busiest streets is about to be smoothed out.

The extension of Kasold Drive, from 31st Street to the South Lawrence Trafficway, will be paved this summer. The gravel road, known formally as East 1200 Road, will be stabilized with new rock and then covered with a thin layer of chip-and-seal asphalt.

The $30,000 job will be designed to cut down on blowing dust and sinking potholes that pester the road’s 1,200 daily drivers, said Keith Browning, Douglas County engineer and director of public works.

“It will make the road safer and more comfortable,” he said.

Douglas County and Wakarusa Township will split the project’s estimated $30,000 cost. Browning said he expected the work to be done in mid- to late summer.

County officials have struggled for years to deal with the road’s unique setting and challenges.

• The road has one of the few direct connections to the trafficway, making it a cut-through route for drivers trying to get into southwest Lawrence.
• Its intersection with “Kasold on the curve” — the joining of Kasold and 31st Street — poses safety problems, engineers have said, and prompted a consultant to suggest installing a roundabout at the intersection to safely manage traffic flow.

Average daily traffic counts in recent years for the extension of Kasold Drive, between 31st Street and the South Lawrence Trafficway, according to Douglas County Public Works:¢ 2003: 1,200¢ 2002: 1,400¢ 2001: 1,500¢ 1995: 500

• County commissioners have reviewed reconstruction options for the entire road, including installation of a new bridge, but thus far have rejected them as too expensive. Price estimates have ranged as high as $11 million.

But this year, officials are focusing on short-term needs. Simply applying dust palliative would cost the county anywhere from $2,500 to $3,000, Browning said, costs that should be recovered within five years by opting for pavement instead.