From the Lawrence Daily Journal-World for Feb. 4, 1971:

• State highway officials told city and county commissioners that during the next eight to 10 years, traffic in the Lawrence area would increase enough to justify a bypass to the southeast “for through traffic to Clinton and Perry recreation areas.” Part of a recent study also addressed the “Kaw River bridge problem,” proposing the closure of Massachusetts Street to southbound traffic and the building of a second bridge from the Santa Fe underpass in North Lawrence to Sixth and Tennessee.
• After several hours of morning sleet, Lawrence area drivers were experiencing slick road conditions. The forecast was going from bad to worse, with near-blizzard conditions expected overnight.