Lawrence city commissioners on Tuesday voted 4-1 in favor of a plan to reconfigure Ninth Street between Illinois and Kentucky streets to three lanes from four.
The reconfiguration is part of the larger Jayhawk Watershed Middle Reach Project. The project will replace a stormwater tunnel, among other infrastructure improvements, while also aiming to incorporate safety and accessibility upgrades for all users of streets.
The watershed project will require workers to dig a 20-foot-deep trench along parts of Indiana and Ninth streets. Nick Hoyt, engineering program manager, said he anticipates there will be points in the project when Ninth Street will have to be completely closed to traffic.
The move to three lanes from four aims to enhance safety and accessibility for all modes of transportation, including motorists, cyclists and pedestrians. The plan includes wider bike lanes with physical buffers to make cycling safer and a wider parking lane to improve ease of parking and maintain traffic flow.
Commissioners heard from a several members of the public who supported the lane reduction and wider, protected bike lanes. Kristin Eldridge, a local business owner, voiced concerns about the potential impacts of construction on businesses along Ninth Street. Cynthia Eubanks, office administrator for the Ninth Street Missionary Baptist Church, raised concerns about potential parking changes near the church, but Hoyt said they wouldn’t be losing any space and parking would not be less safe with the changes.
To ensure smooth traffic flow through the corridor, the city’s traffic engineering firm, Olsson Associates, recommended maintaining an eastbound right-turn lane at the intersection of Ninth and Tennessee streets and implementing protected/permissive left turns at both Tennessee and Kentucky streets.
The commission approved moving $139,000 from the 2024 pavement marking rehab project to cover the bicycle and pedestrian pavement markings for the Ninth Street lane reconfiguration. The funds are available within the city’s budget because the previous pavement marking project costs came in lower than expected.
Commissioners also requested that a study be conducted on the eastbound turn lane configuration at Mississippi Street.
Construction is expected to start in spring 2025, focusing initially on the Old West Lawrence neighborhood, with major utility improvements along Ninth Street set to start in late 2025 and continue through most of 2026.
Commissioners voted 4-1 on the motion, with Commissioner Brad Finkeldei opposed. See the complete agenda item at this link.
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Mackenzie Clark (she/her), reporter/founder of The Lawrence Times, can be reached at mclark@lawrencekstimes.com. Read more of her work for the Times here. Check out her staff bio here.
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