The end of full road closures on Ninth Street is in sight as the Jayhawk Watershed Project progresses. Plus, the city plans to replace the basketball court torn out of Watson Park.
Varying parts of Ninth Street between Indiana and Mississippi streets have been closed to all through traffic since December.
The street will reopen to traffic the week of Monday, Aug. 31, according to an update from Nick Hoyt, city engineer, and Michael Leos, a spokesperson for the city’s Municipal Services & Operations department.
Leos said via email that the street will be open before KU’s Friday, Sept. 4 football game.
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The city is wrapping the street closure a month later than initial projections indicated when they were shared with business owners in late October.
In November, when the city considered different phasing plans for Ninth Street closures, Leos wrote that it would “would only close once for 8-months (Dec. ‘25 — July ‘26)” under the plan that business owners ultimately voted on.
By May, Leos wrote, “The Jayhawk Watershed project remains on schedule, with the City anticipating the reopening of 9th Street to both directions of traffic in August 2026.”
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Friday, he wrote that the city “anticipated 9th Street to be officially reopened either September 2nd or September 3rd.”
The parallel parking the city installed in the middle of the street in January will stay open through the Ninth Street reopening block party, but come down before the street reopens.
That event, which also celebrates Owens Flower Shop’s 80th anniversary, will start at 6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 29.
The party is free and open to the public, with live music from Son Venezuela, Limestone, and DJ Proof. There will also be food trucks, local vendors and face painting.
After opening Ninth Street in early September, crews will need to complete some work along the road, including restoring the surface of the road between Louisiana and Vermont streets.
They will also put down pavement markings, install bike lanes and sidewalks, and work on other improvements, according to Hoyt and Leos.
Watson Park basketball court
What used to be a basketball court in Watson Park, 727 Kentucky St., is currently a hole in the ground.
The city announced in December that it would remove the court, which is prone to flooding, during construction. Staff wasn’t sure at the time whether it would be replaced.
Leos said Friday that the city will build a new basketball court in Watson Park.
“There is not a specific design plan for the basketball court in Watson Park,” he said. “The project team is waiting to see how the work impacted several trees in the park before laying out the court. As the storm sewer work wraps up, we will look at different options for a new basketball court.”
The funding for the court could come from the Jayhawk Watershed project budget, depending on what other restoration work the park needs, like tree replacement.
“Parks, Recreation, and Culture funding may be needed to supplement project funding on a new basketball court,” Leos said.
A look at the full project timeline
Closures on Ninth Street and construction to sections of Watson Park are steps in the larger Jayhawk Watershed project, a city initiative to replace outdated stormwater infrastructure in central Lawrence.
Leos said the full project is on track for completion in early 2027.
Here are some other parts of the project that contractors and city crews will work on after Ninth Street reopens, per Hoyt and Leos:
• Installing permeable brick pavement on the 800 block of Louisiana Street
• Replacing the curb on the east side of Tennessee Street between Sixth and Eighth streets
• Mill and overlay work, which replaces the top layer of asphalt to extend the street’s life, on Tennessee Street between Sixth and Ninth streets
• Installing a traffic circles in Old West Lawrence along Eighth Street at Indiana, Mississippi and Illinois streets
• Restoring Watson Park
Read more about this project and its impact on business owners on Ninth Street at this link.
Get updates from the city on the project website at this link.
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Wulfe Wulfemeyer (they/them), reporter and news editor, has worked with The Lawrence Times since May 2025. They can be reached at [email protected].
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Jacob Rice (he/him), photo correspondent, has worked with The Lawrence Times since March 2026. He studied journalism and mass communications at Iowa State University, where he spent four years as the visuals editor for the Iowa State Daily.
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