Lawrence city commissioners will be asked Tuesday to approve plans to rebuild Iowa Street from Yale Road south to Bob Billings Parkway.

The report from the city engineer leaves little doubt about the need for this work. State and local officials agree that the street, which is part of U.S. Highway 59, has deteriorated to the point that reconstruction is the most cost-effective option. City crews did extensive maintenance on the street last month but that is only expected to bridge the gap until reconstruction can be completed, in about two years.

The only real question before city commissioners on Tuesday is whether to simply rebuild the street or to add a center lane to accommodate left turns. The estimated cost of the project without the lane is $4.5 million; with the lane, the price tag is $5.5 million.

Although some residents of the neighborhood east of Iowa Street continue to express concerns that a turn lane will encourage more traffic in their neighborhood, the safety advantages the lane would provide to motorists on Iowa override those concerns. The volume of traffic on Iowa still won’t make it easy to turn left, but it will make it safer not only for the vehicle making the turn but for all the vehicles around it. As a matter of safety, if commissioners don’t want to add the turn lane, they should consider simply banning left turns on that stretch of Iowa Street.

This street not only carries extensive local traffic but also is a major entry point for Kansas University visitors. It will be an expensive project so it’s important to do it right for the long-term. Rebuilding the stretch with a center turn lane is the best course.