photo by: Screenshot

The proposed Wakarusa Drive Extension project would extend Wakarusa Drive south from the K-10 Highway and across the Wakarusa River to East 1000 Road.

Douglas County commissioners will consider an agreement to complete an environmental assessment for the Wakarusa Drive Extension project – a key hurdle the U.S. Corps of Engineers says must be cleared before the project — which has drawn opposition on environmental grounds — can move forward.

The proposed road will connect to existing county-maintained roads on federal property managed by the Corps of Engineers, land that is also leased by the City of Lawrence. Douglas County Public Works has been working with the Corps of Engineers for the last two years to obtain authorization for the new road, but in Feb. 2026, the Corps of Engineers said an environmental assessment would be required to authorize the project, a memo to commissioners said.

The engineering services contract that commissioners are considering on Wednesday would be with HNTB Corporation to conduct the assessment for the project, and the project will not be able to proceed unless the assessment is completed. The cost for the assesment services will not exceed $276,835, according to information provided to commissioners.

The scope of work includes collecting environmental and mapping data; coordinating with federal, state, local and tribal agencies; conducting cultural resource investigations, such as surveys of historic buildings, archaeological testing along the proposed corridor; and verifying wetlands, assess threatened and endangered species habitat, and evaluate impacts related to soils, floodplains, water quality, wildlife, noise, hazardous materials, recreation and public safety.

Archaeologists are also planning to dig shovel tests every 15 meters along portions of the route and conduct deeper testing at about 45 locations to identify possible cultural or burial sites.

The proposed road will extend Wakarusa Drive south from Kansas Highway 10 and across the Wakarusa River to East 1000 Road. The road will be a two-lane rural highway with paved shoulders and a design speed of 45-55 mph, and it is anticipated to carry 3,650 vehicles per day. The project also includes a parallel 10-foot-wide concrete shared-use recreation path, which will provide new pedestrian and bicycle access to city park facilities on U.S. Army Corps of Engineers lands at Clinton Lake.

Plans also include a screening berm along the Eagle Bend Golf Course after concerns were expressed by Lawrence Parks and Recreation. Maps for the project show the route crossing the Wakarusa River with a three-span bridge and affecting roughly 3.5 acres near wetlands and recreational land.

As the Journal-World reported, the project has not been without some controversy. The Lawrence City Commission withdrew support for the project in 2024 after concerns about the environment and the road damaging land sacred to the Native American community. Despite the city pulling out of the project, county commissioners have decided to continue moving forward with the plan after hearing about needs for a new north-south route for rural residents.

In 2025, the Wakarusa Drive Extension project was anticipated to cost almost $10.3 million, with $681,000 in engineering fees. While the current Capital Improvement Plan has this amount allocated towards this project, Public Works will be updating these costs in the 2027 CIP to reflect construction increases and the additional work required for the environmental assessment.

When the assessment is completed, the Corps of Engineers will hold a 30-day public and agency comment period on its process and findings. This period is currently anticipated for July 2026. Public Works will also share a summary of findings with the County Commission during a future meeting which is scheduled for Oct. 2026.

If the Corps of Engineers gives Public Works permission to proceed with the project by the end of this year, the timeline has the project beginning construction in April 2028 and concluding in Nov. 2028.

IN OTHER BUSINESS, COMMISSIONERS WILL:

• Consider entering into a contractual agreement with Kansas Legal Services, KLS, for a tenant eviction defense pilot program at a cost not to exceed $40,000 for 2026 beginning June 1 through Dec. 31, 2026. As the Journal-World reported, the goal of the program is to provide access to free legal defense services to eligible tenants in Douglas County and assist participants in stabilizing their current housing situation.

The decision was between KLS and Kansas Holistic Defenders, KHD, and staff are recommending KLS because it “demonstrated capacities and experience that are compelling in advancing this pilot program,” a memo in the agenda said. These capacities include a history of work in the housing arena, working with state agencies and municipalities across the state, and the ability to provide assistance to special populations from seniors to veterans for eviction defense and beyond.

Meanwhile, several advocates disagree with county staff, and are actually saying KHD is the better option. An argument is that KHD has been present at Douglas County eviction answer dockets every Friday for years, meeting directly with tenants facing eviction. Supporters say that means KHD already knows the court process, judges, landlords and tenant population, so county funding would expand an existing system rather than build a new one from scratch.

Another reason some groups favor KHD is its willingness to represent undocumented immigrants. KHD said in its proposal to the county it “has no statutory limitation on representing undocumented individuals.”

• Consider approving a state of local disaster emergency declaration for the FIFA World Cup base camp operations, which would go into effect June 7. According to a memo in the agenda, hosting a tournament team has the potential for a temporary increase in population and demands on critical infrastructure and resources.

These conditions may require assistance from other counties and cities, and to access additional resources, the declaration must be on file, the agenda said. The declaration will continue past June 7 until it is rescinded.

• Consider a memorandum of understanding with the State of Local Cybersecurity for a grant award in the amount of $15,120. The grant will fund a new security solution for vulnerability scanning to identify risks such as misconfigurations, weak passwords, outdated software and unauthorized services on county devices. A condition of the grant award is a cost match of $3,780.

The County Commission’s business meeting will begin at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Douglas County Commission meeting room at 1100 Massachusetts St. The meeting will also be available via Zoom.