Douglas County Route 9 — closed for seven months by work on Kansas Turnpike — now open

A road at the edge of North Lawrence is back open, now that the bridges above it are finished along the Kansas Turnpike.

A half-mile stretch of Douglas County Route 9, from the Kansas Turnpike north to U.S. Highway 24-40, had been closed for the past seven months, as contractors for the Kansas Turnpike Authority worked to finish new turnpike bridges over the road. The construction was part of a $130 million project to replace the larger Kansas River bridges and other associated work as the turnpike cuts through the northern edge of Lawrence.

The closure of Route 9, which is East 1500 Road, was the last of several on-again, off-again disruptions that stared in fall 2009, said Terese Gorman, the county’s engineering division manager.

Drivers who travel on Route 9 — about 650 vehicles use the road each day — not only will welcome the reopening, Gorman said, but also enjoy the new smooth surface put in place by the turnpike’s contractors, who repaired the damage their work had caused.

“It’s in good shape now — excellent shape, in fact,” Gorman said. “We’re very happy to have it open, and we’re sure everyone who lives up in that area is happy.”