Wheel Genius: Road work planned this week

Entering and departing North Lawrence takes some doing these days, as two ongoing road projects are leading to delays for drivers:

• Reconstruction of the intersection of North Second and Locust streets has closed both lanes of North Second heading north through the intersection, and one lane heading south. Vehicles heading north are steered onto a detour involving Elm, North Third and — crossing the Union Pacific railroad tracks — Lyon streets. The restrictions are expected to last into late November or early December.

• Repaving of U.S. Highway 24, east from Williamstown in Jefferson County to the Douglas/Leavenworth County line. Work has limited U.S. 24 to one lane east of U.S. Highway 59, which is the extension of North Third Street north of the Kansas Turnpike. Vehicles on the highway will be guided through the work zone with help from flaggers and a pilot car through Wednesday. After a week or two, crews will return to place a sealant over the entire stretch of highway, with that work expected to last for a week or so.

That both projects are under way at the same time is just an unfortunate combination of project requirements and scheduling moves, said Steve Baalman, a field engineering administrator with the Kansas Department of Transportation.

“That’s just how it goes,” he said. “If it’s perceived as an inconvenience, we are sorry.”

Among other road projects scheduled in the area for the coming week:

Lawrence

• Traffic heading south along Naismith Drive will be reduced to one lane between 18th and 23rd streets, for repaving; lanes of Naismith also are expected to be closed at the intersection with 23rd, as that portion of the intersection is rebuilt.

• Ninth Street, between Tennessee and Iowa streets, will be down to one lane in each direction for finishing work on a repaving project.

• Drivers may encounter brief periods of slow traffic as construction continues for a new U.S. Highway 59 between Lawrence and Ottawa.

• Traffic continues to be limited along streets adjacent to the construction site for The Oread, near the northeastern end of Kansas University’s main campus.

Douglas County

• Two-lane traffic is expected to be restored by Monday along the Douglas County Road 1061 bridge that crosses the Kansas River, north of Eudora. The work had been scheduled to last until Aug. 14.

• Douglas County Road 438, also known as the Farmers’ Turnpike, is closed for reconstruction from the South Lawrence Trafficway to County Road 1029, which heads north toward Lecompton. A detour is available using the trafficway, U.S. Highway 40, and County Road 1029. The project is scheduled for completion by Thanksgiving.

• Douglas County Road 1057 is closed for pavement reconstruction between Kansas Highway 10 and County Road 442, about midway between Lawrence and Eudora. The project is expected to last until mid-August.

Kansas Highway 10

• Traffic heading east on Kansas Highway 10 will find the left lane closed from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday from Ridgeview Road to Renner Boulevard, for guardrail repair.

Interstate 35

• Traffic heading south on Interstate 35 will find the right lane closed for construction work from 5 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday between 175th Street and the interchange with 151st Street, Kansas Highway 7 and U.S. Highway 169.

• I-35 will be down to one lane in each direction, from Pflumm Road to 87th Street in Johnson County, until 6 a.m. Friday for a pavement-marking project.

Interstate 70

• Resurfacing work will close exit ramps on Interstate 70 at the Turner Diagonal in Wyandotte County for two-hour periods between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday.

• The right lane for traffic heading west on I-70 will be closed from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday at Carnahan Avenue/Deer Creek Parkway in Shawnee County for concrete repairs. The exit ramp there also will be closed.

U.S. Highway 69

• Traffic heading south on U.S. Highway 69 will find the right lane closed from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday between 87th and 103rd streets in Johnson County.

Kansas Highway 7

• A pavement-patching and resurfacing project is limiting traffic to one lane on Kansas Highway 7/U.S. Highway 73, north from the Centennial Bridge in Leavenworth to County Road 14 at Lowemont. Drivers should expect delays of up to 15 minutes, as flaggers coordinate with pilot cars to guide traffic through the project. Much of the work is taking place during daylight hours, although the section from Centennial Bridge to just past Seventh Street in Leavenworth is taking place between 7 p.m. and 6 a.m.; work is expected to last into October.

Kansas Highway 32

• Inspection work will limit the Kansas River bridge along Kansas Highway 32 to one lane in each direction from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Wednesday in Wyandotte County.

Kansas Highway 92

• A resurfacing project for 21.5 miles of Kansas Highway 92 — from the junction with Kansas Highway 16 in McLouth to 15th Street in the city of Leavenworth — is limiting traffic to get through the work zone with assistance from flaggers and pilot cars, leading to delays of up to 15 minutes. The project is expected to last into October.