While Lawrence city officials prepare to spend $2.5 million rebuilding a pothole-ridden stretch of Kasold Drive, Douglas County commissioners are about to spend a little less to smooth things over on the road’s extension at the edge of town.

Try $2.485 million less.

Commissioners agreed Monday to spend $15,000 to help resurface a gravel stretch of East 1200 Road, which connects 31st Street at Kasold and the South Lawrence Trafficway.

Wakarusa Township crews are handling the work, and the township is splitting the estimated $30,000 cost with the county. And commissioners know they’re getting a deal.

Just last year, they were faced with plans calling for a complete reconstruction of the road, including a short stretch south of the trafficway. Estimated bill: $11 million.

Such a massive project for such a relatively calm road — the stretch averages about 1,400 vehicles a day — didn’t sit well with commissioners, who opted to search for a less-expensive option.

They found one with the township:

• Spread another 644 tons of gravel onto the road, to make the base stronger.
• Sprinkle in another 500 or 600 tons of recycled asphalt, mixed with oil, to help hold the road base together.
• Rent equipment to put down a new “chip-and-seal” surface — a mixture of gravel and oil — that will be flattened by traffic to create a hard surface suitable for plenty of traffic.

In the end, the overhauled road should be able to last another five to seven years without facing the chronic pothole problems that have irritated drivers since the trafficway opened in 1996, said Ernie Butell, township trustee.

Folks Road is getting the same treatment, from Trail to Peterson roads. Two roads south of Lawrence — East 1326 Road, plus a one-mile stretch of North 1100 Road, from East 1500 to East 1600 roads — are scheduled for chip-and-seal work later this summer.

“It turns the road almost like solid asphalt,” Butell said. “You can have a good road … and do it for a lot less money.”

Work on East 1200 Road started last week, and crews are set to close the stretch June 1 for more preparations, Butell said. The chip-and-seal surface is scheduled to be applied over a two-day period in mid-June.

City officials, meanwhile, are still deciding how to proceed with their reconstruction project. The estimated $2.5 million overhaul of Kasold, from 15th Street to Clinton Parkway, won’t begin any earlier than 2005.