Date set for Lawrence City Commission to review Kasold and Wakarusa street projects

A rendering of the two reconstruction options for the intersection Kasold Drive and Harvard Road. The complete streets option, left, includes reduced lanes and a roundabout in exchange for more bike and pedestrian paths. The typical streets option, right, calls for the installation of a traffic signal at the intersection.

Lawrence city commissioners will discuss on Aug. 9 two large upcoming road projects on Kasold Drive and Wakarusa Drive.

In his recommended 2017 budget, City Manager Tom Markus is proposing funding the reconstruction of Kasold Drive from Sixth Street to Bob Billings Parkway and Wakarusa from Inverness Drive to Harvard Road. Commissioners will review designs for both projects — but not vote on them — during an Aug. 9 study session at City Hall, 6 E. Sixth St.

As is, the 2017 capital improvement plan allocates $5 million for the Kasold Drive project and $3 million for Wakarusa.

Last fall, the city heard from dozens of residents off Kasold Drive with concerns about its reconstruction. The city is proposing two options for the project, one of which is a “typical street” option calling for four 11-foot traffic lanes and a center turn lane. It includes the installation of a traffic signal at the Harvard-Kasold intersection.

The other option, and the one recommended by city staff, is a “Complete Street” design allowing for a buffer — 3 feet wide — between a 12-foot traffic lane and an 8-foot bike lane. It also includes a roundabout at the intersection of Harvard and Kasold.