The entire East Lawrence interchange on the Kansas Turnpike is back open for traffic, as crews finished a partial overhaul that started 10 days ago.

The entry and exit ramps for westbound traffic — drivers heading into Lawrence from the Kansas City area, and leaving town to go toward Topeka — had been closed since the morning of May 27.

That allowed crews to prepare for an even bigger project set for later this year: Moving all turnpike traffic onto a new Kansas River bridge, now being built along the north side of the turnpike.

Crews needed to raise the level of pavement for a ramp heading onto the turnpike. While that was going on, they took advantage of the closure to haul dirt into the ramp area, in preparation for construction of a roundabout that will serve the interchange.

The entire interchange, which is Exit 204, will be closed for eight months beginning in spring 2010. That project will add more lanes, plus build new ramps for incoming and outgoing traffic.

The work is all part of a $130 million overhaul to the turnpike as it passes through the northern edge of Lawrence. The West Lawrence interchange, which is Exit 202, already has been overhauled. Once construction of the first new river bridge is complete, traffic will be moved onto it so the two existing bridges can be removed to make way for another new span.

The entire project is scheduled to be finished by late 2011.