Lawrence Journal-World opinion section

Plans to improve 19th Street to accommodate a new development at Kansas University are on the fast track.

Engineers have come up with what looks like a reasonable design for 19th between Naismith Drive and Iowa Street, but the public hasn’t had a lot of time to examine the plan. About 40 people attended a public meeting on Wednesday that outlined the project. Tonight, less than a week later, the public will have what probably will be its last opportunity to comment on the design before Lawrence city commissioners OK an engineering contract for the final design of the redesigned intersection at Ousdahl Road and 19th Street.

This is a key intersection for KU’s new Central District development. Ousdahl, which now ends in a T-intersection at 19th Street will be extended to the north to provide access to parking, student housing, a new student union and other facilities in the Central District. The challenge was to handle increased traffic in that location without pushing more vehicles into the residential area south of 19th Street.

The city plans to accomplish that by placing raised islands that block through traffic from the north and south. Vehicles on Ousdahl will be forced to turn right or left at the intersection. East-west traffic on 19th Street will be able to turn in either direction on Ousdahl, and a traffic light will be installed to handle increased traffic at the intersection.

This intersection will become a major entry point for KU and hopefully is designed to handle heavy traffic after big events like a KU basketball game. The plans call for 19th to have one lane in each direction plus a left-turn lane and bicycle lanes on both sides.

The new intersection will cost about $860,000, of which KU will pay $250,000 to $300,000. Officials are in a hurry to get this project approved because they hope to have it completed before the fall semester at KU. That means the project needs to be bid in April.

That, of course, means that stretch of 19th Street is a place drivers will want to avoid this summer. Officials expect the 19th and Ousdahl intersection to be closed after KU commencement and open (they hope) by the time classes resume in August.

Residents will just have to deal with the inconvenience of construction, but if they have any concerns about the design itself, they’d better make those issues known tonight.