photo by: Nick Krug

An aerial view shows Kasold Drive looking northwest as it elbows near the intersection Harvard Road.

The Lawrence City Commission will take a closer look Tuesday at reconstruction plans for a portion of Kasold Drive that could reduce the number of lanes when the street is rebuilt next year.

City staff members are recommending that the section of Kasold Drive that runs from Sixth Street and Bob Billings Parkway be reduced to one lane of traffic in each direction, down from the current configuration of two lanes in each direction. But some commissioners aren’t sure that reduction would be the right move for the long-term.

“We build these things with a life expectancy of 50 years, and you know whatever decision we make is going to have a very, very long impact on this community, and we need to be careful of that,” said Lawrence Mayor Mike Amyx.

The City Commission will review a concept study for the reconstruction of Kasold Drive at a work session Tuesday. The study compares a traditional five-lane option with a “complete streets” three-lane option, which is designed to be safer for pedestrians and cyclists.

The traditional five-lane street option includes the installation of a traffic signal at the Harvard-Kasold intersection. It calls for two northbound lanes, two southbound lanes and a center turn lane.

The complete streets three-lane option includes the installation of a single-lane roundabout at the Harvard-Kasold intersection. It calls for one northbound lane, one southbound lane and a center turn lane.

A key factor in the reconstruction is the effect a reduction in lanes would have on future traffic flow. The study indicates that traffic on Kasold has remained relatively stable since 1992, and significant increases in the future are not projected. Currently, Kasold Drive sees about 14,700 vehicles per day, and projections for 2040 call for about 16,600 vehicles per day, according to the study.

Amyx said that despite those projections, he thinks the potential for changes on the yet-undeveloped land at the southeast corner of Kasold Drive and Bob Billings Parkway should also be taken into consideration.

“I think it’s going to have a tremendous impact on Kasold and Bob Billings, and I think that we need to remember all of that as we go through the decision-making process,” Amyx said.

City Commissioner Lisa Larsen said she is currently undecided on which option she will support, but that input from the public, as well as the specifics and cost of each design, will be important factors to consider.

“I haven’t decided on either one for sure yet until we get an opportunity to really take a look at the details of the design,” Larsen said.

Both options include bike lanes, sidewalks and the potential installation of a traffic signal at the intersection of Eighth Street and Kasold Drive, which is currently a three-way stop. The complete streets three-lane option would allow for wider driving lanes, bicycle lanes and medians, as well as a buffer between traffic and bike lanes.

The project has a design and construction budget of $5.35 million, which will be funded with infrastructure sales tax funds. The three-lane option would be about $1.16 million less than the five-lane option, according to the study.

Amyx said while he respects the city staff’s recommendation of the three-lane over the traditional five-lane option, he’d like to hear more about what the city would have to do in order to provide a combination of both configurations.

“The big thing for me is what would we have to do to retain the four lanes of traffic and to be able to incorporate the other things on the complete streets (design),” Amyx said.

Commissions are expected to vote on the Kasold Drive reconstruction at an upcoming meeting, though a specific date has yet to be scheduled. Design planning for the project is scheduled for the fall and winter, with construction slated to begin in 2017.

The City Commission will convene at City Hall, 6 E. Sixth St., at 5:45 p.m. Tuesday for the work session.