Topeka ? Groups opposed to the planned South Lawrence Trafficway have asked the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to stop the $188 million project.

The filing with the Denver-based court by six environmental groups and the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation says that the proposed route through the Baker Wetlands violates federal environmental law.

“Our main objective is to protect the wetlands,” said attorney Bob Eye, who filed the appeal.

The Federal Highway Administration and Kansas Department of Transportation have 60 days to respond.

The appeal represents another step in the battle over attempts to connect Interstate 70 and Kansas Highway 10.

In November, U.S. District Judge Kathryn Vratil issued a 59-page decision that affirmed the process used by the FHA to align an extension of the trafficway along what would be 32nd Street.

Vratil also said the federal agency incorrectly estimated that the 32nd Street alignment would cost less than a route farther south.

The environmental groups challenging the project are the Sierra Club, Jayhawk Audubon Society, Wetlands Protection Organization, Save the Wakarusa Wetlands, KU Environs and EcoJustice.