Work on the Kasold Curve will begin soon and the city is already warning motorists. Construction is expected to last for most of 2011. One lane of traffic each direction will be maintained.

Message boards went up along Kasold Drive this week preparing motorists for a year’s worth of roadwork.

On Monday crews will begin rebuilding Kasold Drive from Clinton Parkway to 31st Street. The $4.2 million project, which will include utility upgrades, is the biggest road improvement project the city will see in 2011. It’s also an extension of the 2008 project that rebuilt Kasold Drive from Bob Billings Parkway to Clinton Parkway.

The aging road was never designed for the amount of traffic it sees daily, which has led to accelerated deterioration, Assistant Public Works Director Mark Thiel said.

“It’s in pretty bad shape right now,” he said.

The four-phase project will turn the three-quarter-mile stretch of Kasold Drive into a four-lane road with center turning lanes and medians.

Throughout the construction, travel will be limited to one lane of traffic in both directions. Minor delays are expected.

Thiel is asking drivers to take other routes if possible. For the residents who live along the road, he asks them to bear with a year of delays, construction dust and noise. The project is scheduled to be completed by December 2011.

“We are asking them for patience and we are trying to minimize the amount of inconvenience as much as possible,” Thiel said.

On Tuesday, city commissioners approved a $4.2 million bid from King’s Construction to rebuild the road. The Kansas Department of Transportation is contributing about $1 million toward the project. The city of Lawrence is footing the rest of the bill.

The first phase of the project, which starts Monday, includes installing new storm sewers and relocating water lines. It is expected to last three weeks and end by Christmas weekend. Both lanes of traffic will reopen during the Christmas holiday.