Decision time is near for two county commissions weighing how to repair the Kansas River bridge at Lecompton, one of the stream’s few crossing points in the area.

Tonight, commissioners from Douglas and Jefferson counties will discuss whether to close the bridge or keep one lane open when repairs get under way next year. Other issues also must be decided. The joint meeting will begin at 6:35 p.m. in the Douglas County Courthouse, 1100 Mass.

The bridge, which spans the Kansas River on the county line, is on Douglas County Road 1029, a key link for the two counties, the towns of Lecompton and Perry, their joint school district and other area communities divided by the river.

The bridge deck needs repair, and commissioners also must decide whether it should be widened.

Earlier this month, about 75 people met in Lecompton to discuss the pending repairs. Most said they wanted one lane of the bridge left open during the project. A similar meeting last year with Douglas County commissioners also found most people in favor of leaving the bridge open.

Linda Kroeger, left, of Kroeger's Country Meats in Lecompton, sits with Lewis Kelly, 78, Lecompton, as he signs a petition Tuesday afternoon containing 500 names and their grievances on the possible closing of the Lecompton bridge.

“I’m trying as hard as I can not to make up my mind until I hear people talk” at tonight’s meeting, said Bob Johnson, Douglas County Commission chairman.

It will cost an estimated $4 million to make the repairs if one lane of the bridge is left open. That option would take about 10 months to complete, according to engineering estimates.

If the bridge is fully closed, the project’s cost would drop by an estimated $600,000 and could be completed in about four months.

A detour around a closed bridge would be about 33 miles. Traffic to and from district schools would take longer but not be disrupted.

Douglas and Jefferson County commissioners are pondering the closing of the Kansas River bridge at Lecompton for four months for repairs. Nearby residents are concerned about long detours.

The disadvantages of keeping one lane open include lengthy one-way traffic signals that could cause some motorists to become impatient and ignore them, and complete closure still would sometimes be necessary to keep traffic vibrations from causing problems during the pouring of the deck. Also, farm implements would not be allowed to cross because of the narrow width of the remaining open lane.

Johnson said he hoped he and fellow Douglas County commissioners Charles Jones and Jere McElhaney could reach a decision tonight. He also hopes they can agree with Jefferson County officials. The two counties will split the cost of the project, based on respective proportionate property valuations.

“The people of Lecompton need as much of a timeline for planning as they can get,” Johnson said. “If it is going to be closed, they need to know a long time ahead. And if it’s not, they still need to make plans, and the same is true for the school district.”

Jefferson County commissioners won’t take action at tonight’s meeting, Commissioner Francis Grollmes said. Instead, to comply with open meetings laws, they will wait to vote on the project during a meeting in their own county.