Over the next several months, the Kansas Department of Transportation will spend $100,000 to establish a plan on how to cope with growth near the intersection of Kansas Highway 10 and Sixth Street.

The area, which encompasses a 1.5-mile segment of Sixth Street from George Williams Way to East 800 Road, has been slated for future development. With this growth, transportation issues are expected to emerge, said KDOT spokeswoman Kim Qualls.

The idea, Qualls said, is to create a map for future development that accounts for traffic volumes, safety concerns and pedestrian access.

“It’s a big-picture plan for the corridor, so it’s not being done piece by piece,” she said.

To gather feedback from those who live nearby or travel the stretch of road and other stakeholders, KDOT is hosting an open house from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the Lawrence Indoor Aquatic Center at Free State High School, 4706 Overland Drive.

KDOT staff and other members of the planning team, which includes the city of Lawrence, Douglas County and the Lawrence-Douglas County Metropolitan Planning Organization, will be there to answer questions on the project and gather input and ideas for the plan.

The plan, which will be done by local engineering firm BG Consultants, is expected to be finished by the end of this summer.

Already, KDOT is designing improvements to the Sixth Street and K-10 interchange that will include dual left turning lanes and traffic signals at the ramps between K-10 and Sixth Street.

The hope is to help ease traffic congestion, particularly during afternoon rush hour.

Longer term, KDOT is looking at widening the Sixth Street bridge over K-10 to allow for additional left-turn lanes and pedestrian access.

As of now, KDOT hasn’t found a way to fund the improvement projects.