A rendering of the planned reconfiguration of the Ousdahl Road-19th Street intersection.

Construction will begin this spring on what will eventually be the primary entrance to Kansas University’s redeveloped Central District, pending Lawrence City Commission approval Tuesday.

As it is proposed, a key portion of 19th Street will be closed to all traffic for much of the summer to accommodate construction near 19th Street and Ousdahl Road.

The intersection of Ousdahl Road and 19th Street — as well as the length of 19th from Iowa Street to Naismith Drive — was slated for future construction, but KU and city officials decided to expedite the process in advance of the planned $350 million in improvements KU is making to its central campus. Nineteenth Street is the southern boundary of those improvements.

“With the central district plan proceeding, both city and KU staff agree that planning for the coordination of these projects is essential,” states a city memorandum from Public Works Director Chuck Soules.

A rendering of the planned reconfiguration of the Ousdahl Road-19th Street intersection.

And the intersection of Ousdahl and 19th is a “key component.”

If commissioners agree with a proposed design Tuesday, the intersection would be slated for construction this spring and summer. The remainder of 19th Street would be rebuilt in the summer of 2017.

The intersection is currently three-way. KU plans to build Ousdahl Road north of 19th Street and include a traffic signal at the intersection. The new road will be an entrance to the Central District, which will be constructed over the next few years and include new dorms, student union and parking deck, among other things.

The city would be responsible for the financing of the remainder of the intersection.

The total expected construction cost is $860,000 — with KU contributing approximately $250,000 to $300,000.

On March 2, approximately 40 people attended a public meeting about the construction.

In an effort to prevent traffic to and from KU from cutting through the residential area south of 19th Street, planners decided vehicles traveling on Ousdahl would only be able to make right or left turns onto 19th Street.

“The intersection will be designed with raised islands to prohibit through traffic either northbound or southbound,” City Engineer Dave Cronin has said. “[Drivers will] only be able to turn left or right, to prevent cut-through traffic into the neighborhood.”

According to the memo, construction on Ousdahl Road north of 19th Street would start in April or May. The intersection would close after KU Commencement in late May, and it would reopen before classes started again in August.

A rendering of the proposed plan for the intersection of Iowa and 19th streets. If approved, construction on this part of the 19th Street project would begin in 2017.

The southern portion of Ousdahl Road would be constructed in August and September.

For the rest of 19th Street from Iowa Street to Naismith Drive, the city is planning three lanes, one lane in each direction plus a center turning lane. Under the proposed design, there would be dedicated bike lanes in each direction, and an 8-foot sidewalk would be installed on the north side of the street. There is already a sidewalk on the south side.

At Iowa Street, 19th would be widened to include more turning lanes.

Completion of that project is expected sometime in 2017 or 2018.

Commissioners will specifically be asked Tuesday to OK a $43,000 agreement with an engineering firm for the final design of the 19th and Ousdahl intersection.

The City Commission meets at 5:45 p.m. at City Hall, 6 E. Sixth St.