According to a report in the Jan. 15 Journal-World, it seems that at long last there is a realization within the City Commission that the east leg of the South Lawrence Trafficway must be completed soon to meet Lawrence’s ever-growing traffic needs. However, I think the mayor’s comment that we have the foundation for a consensus that we never had before is wishful thinking. In recent discussions with people with a wide range of backgrounds, I found they want the SLT completed, they care where it should be routed, and they do not want costs to escalate further.

It is a sad day when the mayor and Commissioners Rundle and Schauner, representing a small but vocal minority, feel they have to put their personal agendas before what is best for Lawrence. It seems they are paying lip service to the need for the SLT to be completed while making sure they can once again open up the can of worms involved with routing the trafficway south of the Wakarusa River. Those of us concerned about Lawrence’s future had long ago hoped that had been buried. The Feb. 17 editorial “Take a stand,” states clearly that city officials should step up and affirm their support for construction of the 32nd Street route. So, let us now look at the facts on a strictly nonpartisan, nonpolitical, engineering and planning basis:

¢ There is a strong feeling in Lawrence that we must complete the SLT soon to ease traffic flow through and speed traffic flow around the south side of the city.

¢ The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, after exhaustive studies and reviews with all concerned, recommended the 32nd Street route. It is strongly supported by the Kansas Department of Transportation. It has been approved by Baker, who owns the wetlands.

¢ The Corps of Engineers recommended that a substantial amount of land be made available, adjoining the present wetlands, to be converted into future wetlands. This would more than make up for the loss of wetlands involved. When one considers the present Baker Wetlands were agricultural land not so long ago, the new land will give a great opportunity for Baker and all other interested environmentalists to monitor and explore what happens as agricultural land converts into true wetlands. This would not happen if the SLT were rerouted south of the Wakarusa River.

¢ The Corps of Engineers recommends that 31st Street between Louisiana Street and Haskell Avenue be rerouted south, close to the 32nd Street SLT. This will give Haskell Indian Nations University ready access to considerably more land south of its present campus for cultural and other purposes. This would not take place if the SLT were re-routed south of the Wakarusa River.

¢ The 32nd Street route would position the SLT about nine blocks south of 23rd Street – close enough to give easy access to and from 23rd Street via Louisiana Street and Haskell Avenue while easing the load of through traffic on 23rd Street. The south-of-the Wakarusa route would be about 18 blocks south of 23rd Street.

¢ The 32nd Street route would locate the SLT basically along the north edge of the Wakarusa River flood plain. This would give minimal intrusion into the proposed Green Belt Central Park along the Wakarusa River which, including the expanded Baker wetlands, can be planned as a fully integrated whole.

¢ If the south-of-the Wakarusa SLT route were to be adopted, several things would happen:

1. The integrity of the proposed Green Belt Central Park would be destroyed by having the SLT cut across it to go south of the river and then cut back across the river as it heads toward Kansas Highway 10.

2. The present Baker Wetlands would stay as they are with no extra land offered by the Corps of Engineers.

3. 31st Street would not be rerouted. Haskell University would not gain any additional land to extend its campus to the south.

¢ After exhaustive studies, the 32nd Street route has been determined by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to be the best and most logically planned of the five different routes originally reviewed. This is supported by KDOT. It also is the least expensive, especially considering the way costs have escalated as a result of the interminable delays of the last 15-plus years.

Commissioner Schauner, who has come out in favor of reviewing again the rerouting of the SLT south of the Wakarusa River, at least had the grace to agree with Commissioners Amyx and Hack that the cost of the south-of-the-river route would be substantially higher than the 32nd Street route and that the city (i.e. the citizens of Lawrence) would have to fund the extra costs.

The move on the part of the mayor and Commissioners Rundle and Schauner to reopen the review of the route south of the Wakarusa River seems to be the height of fiscal irresponsibility. Short-range expediency and personal agendas have no place in determining what is best in the long term for Lawrence. Statesmanship, fiscal responsibility, the need for city and county cooperation, and the ability for all to work together are critically important for the future of Lawrence and Douglas County. It is vital to get construction of the urgently needed SLT started soon without additional taxes or mill levies.

The Corps of Engineers has done an exemplary job under extremely trying conditions. They have determined that the 32nd Street route is the best for the SLT. Their recommendation is supported by KDOT. U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts has arranged for $1.5 million to be made available to get the project rolling. Every effort has been made by the Corps of Engineers to mitigate problems, difficulties and concerns raised by all concerned. Baker, who owns the wetlands, supports the recommendations.

It is not good for those who are not engineers or planners to start second-guessing the experts. I would like to think that all commissioners have the best interests of Lawrence at heart, but this idea of starting another review of the south-of-the-Wakarusa route is misguided at best and a waste of time and money. It does not serve Lawrence well. The city commissioners need to show a level of statesmanship and fiscal responsibility that has not been evident up to now regarding this project. They, with their county counterparts, need to arrange as soon as possible for the Corps of Engineers to be given authorization to proceed with the planning, funding confirmation and construction of the four-lane, no-grade-level crossings east leg of the South Lawrence Trafficway.