This aerial photo from Sept. 5 shows the interchange of Iowa Street and the west leg of the South Lawrence Trafficway. The east leg is still under construction but on track for completion in fall of 2016. The bridge that will connect the east and west legs of the SLT at this interchange is already complete.

One possible solution for expanding the west leg of the South Lawrence Trafficway to four lanes, matching its eastern counterpart, would eliminate the interchange at Clinton Parkway. However, that change could have a major impact on business as well as the nearby Clinton Lake and surrounding park.

To expand to four lanes, the tight curve where the SLT — also Kansas Highway 10 — turns from nearly due east and west to due north and south would need to be flattened. This area of the road does not meet freeway standards in speed or rate of curvature, said Steve Baalman, a metro engineer with the Kansas Department of Transportation.

Because the Clinton Parkway interchange surrounds the elbow of that curve, it would need to either be eliminated or completely reconstructed.

“Not having (an interchange) there is obviously cleaner for us for the freeway section that we have to slip through there, and it’s easier for us,” Baalman said.

In general, Baalman said, the plans to modify the road would help prevent traffic backups and remove several conflict points, many of which include at-grade intersections.

“It’s separating local traffic from K-10 traffic, and that will improve safety,” Baalman said.

However, Greg DiVilbiss, a local developer who owns some commercial property nearby, said removing the Clinton Parkway interchange could be “devastating” for property values.

“You would basically eliminate any outside traffic from Lawrence coming to that (potential) shopping center, because the only people who would be going to Clinton Lake (from Clinton Parkway) would be people who live in Lawrence,” he said.

He cited some shopping centers in Overland Park that aren’t conveniently accessible from the highways, many of which have several vacant storefronts. That’s because people don’t want to go to the trouble, he said.

DiVilbiss also said properties near the interchange that is under construction at Bob Billings Parkway would see increased value as more traffic was diverted that way.

“It also eliminates competition from that standpoint because they’ve got full access to their center and we don’t,” he said. “So it makes it a nonviable commercial property.”

Kim Qualls, a spokeswoman for the KDOT northeast district, stressed that these plans for modifications to the SLT are simply part of a study — there is no design plan, nor funding to make it happen. Regarding property values in the area, she said the department “can’t even begin to speak to that.”

“(A study is) as far as it will go at this point,” she said. “(…) This study just addresses where interchanges would be, but includes no design work. Again, there is no money to construct this.”

‘A good, safe road’

If the Clinton Parkway interchange were eliminated, a frontage road would likely be constructed to connect Bob Billings Parkway to Clinton Parkway. That road would cross some land owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, said Sue Gehrt, operations project manager for the Corps of Engineers at Clinton Lake.

Gehrt said the Corps has met with representatives of KDOT, and although she would have to see more specific plans to be certain, any of the options she has seen so far “would be workable.”

“(The South Lawrence Trafficway) would be a good road, a good, safe road, which is very important,” Gehrt said, noting a high rate of accidents on the SLT. The Journal-World reported earlier this year that the number of fatalities on the western leg of the SLT is about 55 percent higher than the average for similar Kansas roads.

“(These changes) would definitely make it safer for people getting here, especially when they’re hauling campers and things like that,” Gehrt said. “I don’t see any huge impact there to our visitors.”

Megan Hiebert, owner of Clinton Marina, said more than one-third of visitors to Clinton State Park are boating or fishing and 22 percent are camping — and the majority of both are hauling a boat, camper or tow vehicle.

“For safety and convenience when towing anything, the bigger the road the better,” Hiebert said in an email. “It is a very simple and clean exit as it’s currently built, but 70 mph would be too fast for the curve.”

Hiebert said so far not many customers have asked about the possible change to the road, but “that simply means that people aren’t informed.”

“I doubt patrons will avoid Clinton Lake simply because removing the Clinton Parkway exit adds an additional half-mile to get here, but the rest remains to be seen,” she said.

Baalman said KDOT is “cognizant” that the change breaks the direct connection with Clinton Lake, and that is one reason officials are still discussing the options.

“They’re still putting all the pros and cons up on the table and discussing them,” he said.

Gehrt said if this construction happens, it shouldn’t have an environmental impact on the lake itself because the work should all be downstream, although some sediment control may be needed.

Qualls noted that as with all studies like this one that KDOT conducts statewide, the department has been in contact with the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism, the Kansas Historical Society, and other entities, such as the Army Corps of Engineers.

“There’s a series of steps we go through and we look at all kinds of impacts there could be, so there’s a variety of partners,” she said.

Qualls said the public should expect an open house in late October, which will be the last opportunity for public comment on the issue. KDOT has not yet set a date.

By the end of December, Qualls said KDOT should have a decision about which plan is the best alternative, with all concerns taken into consideration.