photo by: Nick Krug

Vehicles pass through the intersection of Harvard Road, left to right, and Kasold Drive, pictured Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2016.

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

Though commissioners have indicated they are leaning away from the design option that includes a lane reduction, city staff members are still recommending that reconstruction design over one that would maintain the four lanes of traffic currently in place.

A traffic study presented by city engineers indicated that traffic flow on Kasold has remained relatively stable since 1992. The lane reduction would only affect an approximately one-mile stretch of the roadway that runs from Ninth Street to 14th Street. City staff members are recommending that that section be reduced to one lane of traffic in each direction, down from the current configuration of two lanes in each direction.

The “complete street” option, also known as the “road diet,” is designed to be safer than the current configuration. City engineers told commissioners at their work session last month that having one lane of traffic in each direction would reduce speeding on the street, making it safer for all users of the roadway: motorists, cyclists and pedestrians.

Other elements of the roadway also differ between the two designs. The traditional 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 median with turn lanes.

The complete street option calls for one northbound lane, one southbound lane and a median with turn lanes, and includes the installation of a single-lane roundabout at the Harvard-Kasold intersection.

Both options include bike lanes, multi-use paths and sidewalks, as well as the potential installation of a traffic signal at the intersection of Eighth Street and Kasold Drive. That intersection is currently a three-way stop.

The complete street three-lane option would allow for wider driving lanes and a three-foot buffer between traffic and bicycle 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 more than $1 million less than the five-lane option, thanks in part to a grant from the Kansas Department of Transportation for the roundabout at the Harvard-Kasold intersection.

Design planning for the project is scheduled for the fall and winter, with construction slated to begin in 2017.

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