News Releases
Court Affirms South Lawrence Trafficway Alignment
(Sent: 2012-07-10 13:00:24)NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 10, 2012
News contact: Josh Powers (785) 296-6580; joshuap@ksdot.org
Court Affirms South Lawrence Trafficway Alignment
(Topeka, Kan.) - Following a decision by the U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver, the Kansas Department of Transportation will continue the process of acquiring the right of way necessary to construct the South Lawrence Trafficway (SLT) in Douglas County.
The 10th Circuit upheld the ruling of the United States District Court for Kansas that affirmed the process used by the Federal Highway Administration in selecting the 32nd Street alignment for the project.
This decision allows KDOT to proceed to build the Trafficway as planned. The SLT will be a six-mile, four-lane freeway connecting the existing west leg of the K-10 corridor to K-10 at a point east of Lawrence, via a route around the southern edge of the city. The $150 million project is expected to have an economic benefit to the region of $3.7 billion, the largest of any project under the 10-year, $7.9 billion T-WORKS transportation program. The project will include the creation of more than 300 acres of new wetlands as well as bike paths and a camping grounds area.
"With the court ruling now behind us, KDOT can work in earnest to complete the project plans and meet the current schedule of beginning construction in Fall 2013," said State Transportation Engineer Jerry Younger, KDOT's Deputy Secretary of Transportation.
Preliminary right of way appraisal efforts began in December of 2011 with the staking of potentially affected properties. Following a review of the initial appraisals, KDOT will present offer letters to property owners this summer. Property owners who have questions regarding the right of way process can contact Rob Stork, Operations Assistant in the KDOT Bureau of Right of Way, at (785) 296-0305 or at RStork@ksdot.org. For general information about the South Lawrence Trafficway, please contact Josh Powers, Public Involvement Liaison, at (785) 296-6580 or joshuap@ksdot.org; or Kimberly Qualls, Public Affairs Manager, at (785) 296-3881 or kqualls@ksdot.org.
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