Kansas transportation officials recently released some disturbing statistics about the safety of the western leg of the South Lawrence Trafficway.

When the SLT’s eastern connection to Kansas Highway 10 is completed, those safety and traffic flow issues will be greatly magnified, which is why it’s good to see Kansas Department of Transportation officials putting together a strategy to improve the road.

In February, KDOT released figures showing that the number of fatalities on the existing road is about 55 percent higher than for similar Kansas highways. From 2000 to 2013, there were nine fatal accidents on the SLT; three of those occurred from 2009 to 2013.

It’s not difficult for anyone who travels that road to understand the dangers. First it is a two-lane road, instead of a four-lane divided highway as it was originally envisioned. The other, perhaps even more significant, factor is the at-grade intersections, including a heavily traveled route to the sports complex at 27th Street and Wakarusa Drive and the uncontrolled intersection at Kasold Drive.

At a public meeting last week, KDOT officials presented a number of ideas for how to improve the western leg of the SLT and prepare it to handle the additional traffic that will come with the opening of the eastern leg in the fall of 2016. Expanding the road to four lanes is a given. The existing stretch of road currently carries between 6,000 and 12,000 vehicles per day; when the eastern leg is complete, KDOT expects that number to increase almost immediately to 15,000 to 20,000 per day. By 2040, that number is expected to grow to about 29,000. If the road isn’t expanded it will become far less convenient and far more dangerous.

KDOT also is looking at a new configuration for access points on the SLT. There won’t be any at-grade intersections, and some of the current access points may be moved. At least one bend in the road may need to be eased to accommodate 70 mph traffic. The goal is to improve traffic flow and safety for motorists crossing the SLT or entering it at various points in Lawrence as well as for through traffic.

Once KDOT and the community formulate a plan for SLT improvements, the next major concern will be finding the money to pay for those improvements. We were fortunate that funding to complete the SLT already was in place before the recent raids on KDOT’s coffers to help balance the state budget in other areas. Unfortunately, no funding has been set aside for what are sure to be expensive upgrades to the existing road.

The planning that’s currently underway indicates that KDOT officials understand the urgency of improving this highway to address issues that will become much, much worse when the eastern leg of the SLT is complete. We can only hope that the state’s financial situation improves enough to allow KDOT to respond to these urgent needs in a timely fashion.