photo by: Rochelle Valverde/Journal-World

Lawrence City Hall, 6 E. Sixth St., is pictured on Jan. 31, 2023.

City leaders will soon decide how much extra money, if any, they would like to spend to landscape entry points to the city as part of the upcoming expansion of the South Lawrence Trafficway.

As part of its meeting Tuesday, the Lawrence City Commission will consider approving a landscaping allocation for the entry points, which are located at Clinton Parkway and East 900 Road; Wakarusa Drive and 27th Street; and Iowa Street, according to a city staff memo. Basic landscaping will be done as part of the state project, but city staff is recommending spending about $1.36 million for additional landscaping.

The Kansas Department of Transportation plans to solicit bids for the expansion project in June 2024, according to the memo. The project will expand the west leg of the SLT, from two to four lanes from U.S. Highway 40 (Sixth Street) to U.S. Highway 59 (Iowa Street), according to the memo. The eastern half of the SLT already has four lanes of traffic.

As part of the project, KDOT will construct new city streets to connect into the expanded highway at the three entry points, and, at no cost to the city, will install sod and the required street trees. However, to take advantage of the cost-savings of including the work as part of KDOT’s project, the city is recommending a $1.36 million landscaping concept that includes other features and plantings.

Initially, KDOT provided the city an estimated cost of $4.66 million for the landscaping concept preferred by the city, but then the lower price was arrived at by having the city handle some components. The memo states that the revised landscaping concept would have KDOT construct all the “hard” features, such as stamped concrete, pavers and water supply, while the city installs the “soft” features, such as plantings and aesthetics. The installations the city would be in charge of would be done “on a schedule and budget more favorable to the city.”

City staff is recommending the $1.36 million option over the $4.66 option, though the memo also notes the city could opt not to do any landscaping beyond the sod and trees KDOT will provide at no additional cost. The lower cost also accounts for some “concessions” that KDOT will provide the city for trees and landscaping that will be lost with the elimination of an existing roundabout at Lake Pointe Drive and Clinton Parkway. Both options include $300,000 for landscape design costs. The landscaping costs would be in addition to $7 million in matching funds the city has already budgeted for the project.

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