In this file photo from August 2014, 23rd Street is pictured extending west from the east edge of Lawrence, in foreground.

One of the city’s main thoroughfares is preparing for a major makeover.

As part of an agreement with the Kansas Department of Transportation, 23rd Street is due to receive $5.5 million in state funding for four projects.

The agreement is tied to the completion of the South Lawrence Trafficway in November. Now that the trafficway is open, 23rd Street will lose its designation as a state highway, and financial responsibility for its repair will fall to the city.

Repair arrangements are typical as part of such transfer agreements, and city engineers identified deficiencies in the street’s infrastructure for the state to address. The “turn-back” agreement with the Kansas Department of Transportation provides the city with funding for the following projects on 23rd Street, according to a staff memo provided to the City Commission.

• $700,000 for drainage improvements at 23rd and Ousdahl Road. The total cost of the project is estimated at $3.8 million. The project has been bid and will begin this summer, according to Public Works Director Chuck Soules.

• $500,000 to construct a center turn-lane on 23rd Street between Massachusetts Street and Louisiana Street. Including right-of-way, design and utilities, the total cost of the project is estimated at $1.15 million. The project is on the city’s draft capital improvement plan for next year.

• $300,000 for mill and overlay on 23rd Street from Iowa Street to Ousdahl Road. The total cost of the project is estimated at $500,000. The project is on the city’s draft capital improvement plan for next year.

• $4 million toward the reconstruction of 23rd Street from approximately Haskell Avenue to East Hills Drive. The total cost of the road reconstruction, including design, right-of-way and utilities, brings the project’s total to about $12.5 million. The project is planned for 2021 or 2022, according to Soules.

The total cost of the four projects is about $18 million, with the city’s share estimated to cost $12.5 million. The funding from the state provided through the turn-back agreement will be reimbursed once the city completes the projects.