photo by: Chris Conde/Journal-World

Traffic is backed up heading north at the intersection of North Second and Locust streets on Nov. 27, 2024, in North Lawrence.

Traffic to and from North Lawrence has been challenging, with road construction projects on both ends of the Kansas River Bridge, and residents are worried that first responders won’t arrive in time for emergencies.

The project in North Lawrence from the Kansas River Bridge started in July. Since then the road has been an obstacle course of orange cones and large trucks, limiting traffic to a single lane. The project on Sixth Street near downtown has confused drivers no matter which direction they are traveling.

The two projects happening simultaneously is a disaster waiting to happen, said Ted Boyle, the president of the North Lawrence Improvement Association.

“They’re playing the odds that something won’t happen,” Boyle said.

His biggest concern is the response time from Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical crews in case of an emergency. He said that in the past it was standard procedure for LDCFM crews to station a medical unit at the Union Pacific Depot during special circumstances to reduce the response time to reach the 3,200 North Lawrence residents and businesses.

Boyle said he and other North Lawrence residents would feel safer if LDCFM would at least station a medic in North Lawrence during rush-hour traffic when the river bridge is most congested. He said that way, medical crews wouldn’t risk getting to someone in crisis too late.

“The first five minutes are critical for someone having a heart attack,” Boyle said.

With a medic already in North Lawrence, the ambulance wouldn’t have to risk getting across the bridge twice, which could add an extra 15 minutes of response time both ways, Boyle said.

LDCFM Fire Chief Rich Llewellyn said that the department does typically station a response vehicle at the depot for special occasions like a parade or during races. He said it is usually a medical unit or a brush truck, which is a smaller truck for fighting brush fires. He said that all LDCFM crew have medical training so even the small truck is staffed with emergency medical personnel.

He said that hasn’t been necessary during the construction because day-to-day response times have been minimal with Station 1, 746 Kentucky St., being so close to North Lawrence.

“Our response times into North Lawrence have historically been very good, and this is primarily a factor of the proximity to a fire station,” Llewellyn said.

Llewellyn said that in light of the construction in North Lawrence the department has worked with Lawrence’s Municipal Services and Operations, or MSO, which oversees road construction in the city, to ensure that emergency responders have a clear path into North Lawrence. He said that when the intersection at Sixth and Kentucky streets closed the department coordinated with MSO to create a travel route that went against the flow of traffic on Vermont between Sixth and Seventh streets to get to North Lawrence faster.

“We believed that we were able to adequately address the potential risks and that the benefits outweighed these risks,” Llewellyn said.

He said in a worst-case traffic scenario the department still had options and responders could either go around the long way taking I-70 or the department could call in one of its mutual aid partners.

“We have initiated discussions with the City of Tonganoxie, whose fire station is actually closer to some parts of North Lawrence,” Llewellyn said.

In general, Llewellyn said he is confident that LDCFM crews can and will make it to emergencies in North Lawrence in time because the department is constantly getting updates and communications about the ongoing construction and traffic patterns throughout the city.

“Our goal is to address issues in a proactive manner, and we discuss significant travel impacts during online morning meetings that are attended by officers from all our stations. Our employees are very knowledgeable about our community, and we use technology, such as in-vehicle mapping programs, to enhance and complement this knowledge,” Llewellyn said.

Construction on both ends of the bridge is set to last at least another couple of weeks as the project in North Lawrence was extended three weeks beyond its original anticipated November finish date, said Michael Leos with MSO.

“This delay is due to unforeseen conflicts with utilities as well as some additional storm sewer repairs,” Leos said.

He said the project should finish in December, barring any new problems or weather delays and that the current lane closures will allow crews to finish manhole and valve adjustments and install pavement markings.