To motorists who only occasionally drive Kansas Highway 10 between Lawrence and Johnson County, the work that has been under way for more than a month may look like just a run-of-the-mill repaving project.

But to motorists who regularly drive that route, it is clear the state has made a significant safety improvement to the heavily traveled highway. The $4.3 million project included a 1.5-inch thick layer of new pavement for the highway’s four lanes — the first major repaving in 12 years. The project, however, also paved the shoulders of the road, and added “rumble strips” that alert drivers when they drift out of their driving lane. The Johnson County portion of the highway has had paved shoulders and rumble strips for some time, but the Douglas County stretch has had only gravel shoulders that make a slip of the wheel more harrowing than it should be.

The Kansas Department of Transportation should be thanked for finding a common sense way to address at least some of the safety concerns that exist on K-10. The department also did a fine job of trying to limit the inconvenience of the project to motorists. Much of the work — which is expected to wrap up in the next week or two — was done during overnight hours when traffic was lowest. Even when crews did work during the day, they weren’t on the job from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. and from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. to avoid rush hour traffic. Work also was prohibited on Kansas University home football dates.

Otherwise, crews were encouraged to work seven days a week to shorten the duration of the project as much as possible. Workers often were on the job on Saturdays and Sundays battling not only the crisp fall air but the ever-present danger of fast-moving traffic.

Another positive aspect of the project is that the contract was awarded to Perry-based Hamm Construction, which was able to employ a large number of local workers.

All in all, the project was a success on several levels. Hopefully the state and city officials will use the same approach when they tackle future projects in and around the Lawrence area.