Lawrence city staff members are recommending closing portions of Ninth Street for construction continuously through summer 2026 without opening for the World Cup. Lawrence city commissioners will consider the plan during their Tuesday meeting.

The project team will ask commissioners to approve changes to the agreement with the construction contractor, Kissick Construction Co. Inc. One of these changes includes “extending the installation of a new storm tunnel west on 9th Street to Mississippi Street,” per the agenda item report.

The team is also requesting the commission approve an additional $4.82 million to pay contractors to align with the new Jayhawk Watershed Middle Reach Project construction plans.

The Jayhawk Watershed Improvements Project kicked off late March 2025 to address stormwater infrastructure and flooding throughout Old West Lawrence and along Ninth Street, with a future project planned for south of Ninth Street.

Some business owners along affected block of Ninth Street found out this fall that the thoroughfare would be closed to through traffic come December. Ninth Street between Indiana and Louisiana Streets closed to traffic starting Dec. 1, but phasing for the rest of the project is yet to be solidified.

City staff members met with some concerned business owners Oct. 30 and announced two proposals to complete the Ninth Street portion of the watershed project.

Under Option 1, portions of Ninth Street would close once, for approximately eight months — from December 2025 through July 2026. 

Under Option 2, portions of the street would instead be closed for two five-month periods, from December 2025 through April 2026, and again from December 2026 through April 2027. This would allow the street to reopen during next year’s World Cup, when the city is expected to see a significant influx in visitors and traffic.

The city issued a survey to some business owners and employees that yielded 17 responses. Ten respondents preferred Option 1, three preferred Option 2, and four had no preference. Survey respondents also indicated that they want the city to prioritize making the closure as short as possible.

City staff will recommend Option 1 during Tuesday’s city commission meeting.

“This aligns with feedback we received from businesses along 9th Street as well as other considerations,“ according to the agenda item.

The report also states that, if approved, this altered plan will mean that Ninth Street won’t need to be closed for the future project to the south.

When the impending closures were announced this fall, some businesses expressed shock over the short turnaround time and alarm that it would have major impacts on their businesses’ vitality.

This portion of the Jayhawk Watershed Project was bumped up in priority when the city commission approved a special tax district for the KU Gateway Project in August, according to the agenda item. The city will get $14.5 million from the tax incentive district; $13.5 million of that money is also budgeted for Jayhawk Watershed and Mississippi Street improvements.

“The Jayhawk Watershed & Mississippi Street Improvements Project … should be constructed in coordination with the Phase 2 Gateway Project,” the item report reads. “Construction of improvements south of 9th Street will likely be scheduled in 2027 and/or 2028.” 

The project team’s request for the city commission also includes expanding the project near the Outdoor Aquatic Center. They decided the project needed to be altered once they began excavating the sewer tunnels in May.

The new proposal “includes extending the project area north through Watson Park to the south side of 7th Street. This work includes abandoning the storm sewer under the pool and installing approximately 500 feet of new 7′ x 7′ storm sewer,” per the agenda.

Of the approximate $4.82 million proposed in the change order commissioners will consider, about $4.6 million would go to redesigning the Ninth Street storm sewer and installing new sewer south of Seventh Street while abandoning the pool’s sewer system, and $202,000 would address smaller alterations, such as design changes for the storm system on Eighth Street west of Tennessee Street.

Meeting info

The city commission meeting will start at 5:45 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 9 in the City Commission Room on the first floor of City Hall, 6 E. Sixth St.

The commission accepts written public comment emailed to ccagendas@lawrenceks.org until noon the day of meetings. The commission also hears live public comment during meetings, both in person and virtually.

City commission meetings are no longer livestreamed on YouTube. In order to watch the meeting online remotely, attendees must join via Zoom at this link, which also allows participants to provide public comment virtually. Meeting recordings are uploaded to the city’s YouTube channel the next day.

See the commission’s complete meeting agenda at this link.

Wulfe Wulfemeyer (they/them), reporter and news editor, has worked with The Lawrence Times since May 2025. They can be reached at wulfe@lawrencekstimes.com.

Read their complete bio here. Read their work for the Times here.

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