Students leaving Broken Arrow School and South Junior High approach the crosswalk at 27th and Belle Haven Drive, Friday, April 24, 2015, as school lets out.

The number of vehicles on 27th Street has increased by at least 6,000 vehicles per day since state officials temporarily closed a portion of 31st Street between Haskell Avenue and Iowa Street, a new city report has found.

But city officials aren’t sure there is a quick fix to address the growing traffic problem along 27th Street, which is lined with homes and leads to both South Middle School and Broken Arrow Elementary.

“We call the street I-27 anymore,” said Laura Gloeckner, a resident of the neighborhood who has been lobbying for safety improvements.

The section of street previously had about 3,300 cars per day on it, and it now has about 9,500.

A new City Hall report estimates that about $200,000 worth of traffic circles, speed cushions and other traffic-calming devices could help slow traffic on the stretch of 27th Street between Iowa and Louisiana streets. The report also found that $140,000 to build a new sidewalk on the north side of the street and a new pedestrian activated beacon near where 27th Street intersects with Naismith Valley Park would help improve safety.

But none of the projects could be completed before midsummer, which is when the Kansas Department of Transportation expects to have the portion of 31st Street west of Louisiana Street reopened. The busy section of 31st Street has been closed as part of the South Lawrence Trafficway construction since last June.

Neighbors, though, still want to have a discussion about what can be done for the long term. Gloeckner said residents of the area are concerned the long-term closure of 31st Street has created a new driving habit for motorists looking for a route between Iowa and Louisiana streets.

“There is a big concern that people have been conditioned to use 27th Street,” Gloeckner said. “Some of them probably will continue to do that once 31st Street reopens.”

Residents, though, are looking for some steps that can be taken right away too. The idea of additional stop signs on 27th Street has been raised, but the city’s engineers have expressed concern that stop signs may exacerbate parts of the problem. They point to research that streets with large numbers of stop signs often cause drivers to speed up between stop signs.

Mayor Jeremy Farmer said he’s not sure there is a ready solution.

“I’m not sure anything I’ve seen yet is the answer,” Farmer said. “We need to continue to have conversations with the neighbors.”

Farmer said the City Commission also needs to have a discussion about how it can prepare for such construction-related traffic issues better in the future.

“I wonder how we didn’t anticipate this taking place,” Farmer said of the large jump in traffic on 27th Street. “To me, that is the biggest issue. It is really about figuring out how to not let something like this happen again.”

Traffic issues on 27th Street, though, aren’t new. The City Commission in January 2013 approved placing traffic-calming devices on 27th Street, including a raised crossing, speed cushions and possibly traffic-calming circles. But, commissioners did not provide any funding to actually build the devices. That has been common for traffic-calming requests at City Hall.

The city now has a list of 22 approved traffic-calming projects that are awaiting funding. Some of the projects date back to 2004. The city has not dedicated funding to traffic-calming issues during its budget process, but rather has attempted to add traffic-calming devices when crews are doing other work in the area. For example, when a street is getting repaved, the city will add traffic-calming to the job, if the area already has been approved for a traffic-calming project.

Farmer said he wants the City Commission to have a discussion about how to address the list, but he said he stopped short of saying the city would find a way to fund it in the 2016 budget.

“There are a lot of things to pay attention to in this budget season,” Farmer said.

Farmer, though, said he is concerned that if commissioners continue to add projects to the list it may become more daunting for a future commission to tackle. There also are signs that the costs for projects on the list are growing. Back in 2013, the city’s engineering staff estimated 27th Street would need about six traffic-calming devices for a total of $90,000. That’s compared with the more recent estimate of $170,000 to $230,000 for traffic calming on 27th Street.

The most recent estimate, though, is more extensive. One option presented by engineers called for five speed cushions, a traffic-calming circle at 27th and Ridge Court and another traffic-calming circle at 27th and Alabama, plus various other devices.

Commissioners meet at 5:45 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall.