photo by: Bremen Keasey

The intersection of Bob Billings Parkway and Monterey Way in Lawrence facing east is seen on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025. City crews will close down multiple lanes of Bob Billings Parkway between Kasold Drive and Monterey Way starting Monday, Dec. 8 as part of a road reconstruction project that is expected to last about a year.

The City of Lawrence will begin a major reconstruction on a stretch of Bob Billings Parkway in West Lawrence starting next week, which will cause lane reductions on the route as the city estimates the construction will go on for about one year.

The city shared in a press release Monday that starting next week on Dec. 8 it will begin construction work on Bob Billings Parkway from Kasold Drive to Monterey Way. The work will include a full reconstruction of that stretch of roadway, as well as eventually a repaving of the road to Wakarusa Drive, which is expected to start in summer 2026.

During construction, the city said that traffic will be reduced to one lane in each direction, but access to all properties will be maintained. As part of the full reconstruction of Kasold Drive to Monterey Way, the improvements will include new pavement and medians, a new shared used path on one side and reconstructed sidewalk on the other, water main replacement and storm sewer upgrades, according to the city’s website.

The full work along Bob Billings Parkway is expected to take approximately 12 months, according to the city, pending weather and unforeseen delays. The project comes at a time when Ninth Street — another key east-west corridor in the city — is closed between Indiana Street and Louisiana Street as part of work on a stormwater project, as the Journal-World reported. City officials have been weighing the option of keeping that portion fully closed until July 2026 or temporarily reopening the stretch from April 2026 to December 2026 before closing it again.

Residents and travelers can keep informed of the construction process and traffic impacts of the Bob Billings project via the city’s weekly traffic update emails, which are sent every Friday, or on the city’s specific project page on its website.