Traffic along Interstate 70 just east of Lawrence will return to two lanes in each direction this week — giving commuters something to celebrate.

By tonight, the Kansas Turnpike Authority expects to finish rebuilding a three-mile stretch of road that runs from the East Lawrence interchange to the Lawrence service area. It should be ready for commuter traffic by Thursday morning.

The road closure, which squeezed four lanes down to two, caused major headaches for motorists during the past few months. The worst traffic jams came on Friday evenings when delays could be an hour or more, and cars were backed up for several miles.

“We are very pleased,” said KTA spokeswoman Lisa Callahan, who noted that drivers will be just as happy to hear the news.

KTA had expected the project to last until Thanksgiving.

However, Callahan cautioned drivers not to get too excited about the road opening. Come March, crews will be back on the turnpike reconstructing another three-mile section. That work will run east of the Lawrence service area and traffic will narrow to one lane in each direction through the construction zone. Work is expected to be finished in 2011.

Both road closures are part of a $23 million project to rebuild the 50-year-old highway. Crews are replacing the concrete road surface — the last stretch of the original turnpike — with one that has a 10-inch rock base and 18 inches of asphalt.