The expansion project widening Sixth Street between Folks Road and the South Lawrence Trafficway that has been under way for more than six months will cost approximately $12 million.

The Kansas Department of Transportation is paying 80 percent of the construction costs between Wakarusa Drive and the SLT. The city will pay the full engineering costs, 20 percent of the construction costs west of Wakarusa Drive and all the construction costs between Folks Road and Champion Lane.

The construction costs of the project are set at $7.3 million while property acquisition, engineering and utility relocation make up the remaining costs.

“We don’t have 100 percent final numbers on that, yet,” city engineer Terese Gorman said in early March. “It is my understanding that the state doesn’t fully own all the property yet.”

A house was demolished in order to make way for the expansion. Steve Horton, an engineering specialist, said there were no plans for any more houses to be moved or demolished.

The contract regarding the state-funded project was approved June 25, 2004, and construction work finally got under way last fall. The expected completion date is summer 2006.

David Woosley, City traffic enginner, said that the expansion was “absolutely essential.”

In a five-year period statistics showed that Sixth Street between Folks Road and the SLT had recorded 149 accidents, resulting in 78 injuries.

In 1999, there were 24 accidents while in 2002 that number climbed to 26. The sharpest increase came in 2004 when the rate increased from 28 in 2003 to a total of 39 reported accidents last year.

Kansas University student Kelsey Coon said the expansion likely won’t alter her travel plans home to Topeka.

“I don’t use Sixth, it’s just too dangerous,” Coon said. “Even once they expand it, I’ll probably still use I-70 because it’s a straight road and you can use cruise control.”