Road construction shouldn’t hinder school traffic

The Wakarusa Drive route to Free State High will be open in time for the first day of school, city engineer Terese Gorman said.

The portion north of Sixth Street has been closed since early spring, but will open next week, perhaps as early as Monday if weather permits, Gorman said.

That means students will have both Wakarusa Drive and Folks Road for access to Overland Drive at the school.

“That was always our goal, and we achieved it,” Gorman said.

About 1,200 students will return to the high school Aug. 17 and 18.

Next week, the south leg of Sixth Street will be closed to traffic, but the north leg will be open, Gorman said.

Students should give themselves extra time to get to school.

“Things are slow out there,” she said.

The delays are caused by a $7.5 million reconstruction project on Sixth Street from the area of Folks Road to South Lawrence Trafficway. The project is transforming the road into a four-lane divided street.

The project started last summer and is expected to be finished in the late spring, Gorman said.