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The South Lawrence Trafficway

• SLT Agreement Final Draft • Seeking direction: A guide to the South Lawrence Trafficway • Osprey Group Study

Mayor moving forward on SLT
Tuesday, April 19, 2005
Lawrence Mayor Boog Highberger is receiving county support -- and some criticism -- for his efforts to revolve the longstanding impasse over the South Lawrence Trafficway.

New mayor wants South Lawrence Trafficway settled
Wednesday, April 13, 2005
Boog Highberger, Lawrence's new mayor, describes himself as both idealistic and pragmatic. He'll likely need both qualities if he hopes to accomplish the task he's put at the top of his to-do list during his one-year mayoral term.

City Commission hopefuls back trafficway
Thursday, February 17, 2005
A pair of city commission candidates both voiced support Wednesday to restart the South Lawrence Trafficway project by looking for a way to build the road outside the Haskell-Baker Wetlands.

Education, city growth expected to be among big stories in 2005
Sunday, January 2, 2005
Will a new lawsuit opposing the South Lawrence Trafficway be filed in 2005? Will officials finally figure out how they want to plan for the city's growth? Will voters approve bonds to pay for the renovation and reconstruction of aging schools?

Growth gives new direction for roads
Monday, December 20, 2004
Wider roads and good coffee. What more could a driver want? Several hundred million dollars' worth of road projects are either under way or in the works for northeast Kansas.

Dead end in sight for trafficway
Thursday, September 30, 2004
Maybe never. But certainly no sooner than 2012. That was a state highway official's prediction Wednesday for building the final leg of the long-controversial and long-uncompleted South Lawrence Trafficway.

Local transportation issues at stake
Thursday, September 30, 2004
State and local officials touched on a number of long-range transportation issues during a meeting Wednesday in Lawrence.

Key events in the South Lawrence Trafficway's history
Thursday, September 30, 2004

Commission delays road projects proposal
Thursday, September 30, 2004
Douglas County commissioners are ready to plan ahead for extending 31st Street, rebuilding roads in Eudora and tackling dozens of other major construction projects in the coming years.

SLT completion not expected for at least eight years
Wednesday, September 29, 2004
(Updated Wednesday at 8:41 a.m.) Completion of the South Lawrence Trafficway can't be expected until 2012 -- if, in fact, it's ever built. That estimate came during a meeting this morning of Lawrence and Douglas County officials with planners from the Kansas Department of Transportation.

State sets deadline for trafficway foes
Monday, August 16, 2004
Opponents of plans to complete the South Lawrence Trafficway have until the end of the summer to file their lawsuit.

Rezoning would open gateway to city
Tuesday, May 4, 2004
Lawrence's great leap westward may get under way tonight. The City Commission will consider rezoning for a nearly 100-acre proposed development at the southeast corner of Sixth Street and the South Lawrence Trafficway -- an intersection expected to serve as a significant point of entry to the city.

New lawsuit expected in SLT route dispute
Friday, April 30, 2004
It'll be at least two more years before legal disputes are settled over plans to route the proposed South Lawrence Trafficway through the Baker Wetlands, lawyers for both sides said Thursday. Bob Eye, a Topeka attorney representing several groups opposed to building the trafficway in the wetlands, said he expected to file a lawsuit in the next four to six weeks in U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Kan.

Corps' permit clears way for trafficway project
Friday, March 5, 2004
The Kansas Department of Transportation can go ahead and finish the South Lawrence Trafficway along a route through the Baker Wetlands, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said Thursday. Col. Donald R. Curtis Jr., the corps' district engineer in Kansas City, Kan., issued a permit Thursday that gives the state permission to run a four-lane highway along a 32nd Street alignment.

Permit gives green light to trafficway
Thursday, March 4, 2004
(Updated Thursday at 6:38 p.m.) The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued a permit Thursday to allow completion of the South Lawrence Trafficway.

Sebelius asks cities to support highway plan
Thursday, January 29, 2004
(Updated Thursday at 6:40 p.m.) TOPEKA - Gov. Kathleen Sebelius today urged city officials to support her proposed re-structuring of the comprehensive highway plan.

New budget plan preserves Sixth St., U.S. 59 projects
Wednesday, January 14, 2004
Projects to rebuild Sixth Street and relocate U.S. Highway 59 remain on track under Gov. Kathleen Sebelius' proposal to restructure the state's transportation program. But don't look for any money to finish the South Lawrence Trafficway in her budget proposal.

KDOT stops buying trafficway land
Monday, January 12, 2004
The Kansas Department of Transportation has spent $3.6 million buying land for completion of the South Lawrence Trafficway. But don't expect more checks to be cut anytime soon. KDOT won't spend another dime on land -- or any other tangible item connected with the project -- until an anticipated lawsuit to halt the highway's approved path through the Baker Wetlands is filed and works its way through the courts, said Sally Howard, the department's chief counsel.

Trafficway opponents prepare for fight
Saturday, January 3, 2004
Opponents of the state's plans for completing the South Lawrence Trafficway are mustering their legal forces and preparing to file a lawsuit this month to stop the project. Bruce Plenk, an attorney for the Wetlands Preservation Organization, said opponents would argue that the Kansas Department of Transportation and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers broke federal laws in their planning for and approval of a project to build a highway through the Baker Wetlands.

KDOT may start to move wetlands
Tuesday, December 16, 2003
A state transportation official Monday said that even though Kansas didn't have the money to complete the South Lawrence Trafficway, it could start on preliminary work by moving parts of the wetlands that American Indians say are sacred.

Corps selects route for SLT
Saturday, December 13, 2003
Federal officials on Friday gave final approval to a 32nd Street route to complete the South Lawrence Trafficway -- action that brought praise from supporters and promises of lawsuits from opponents. Even with permission, however, state officials said Friday they could not afford to build the $110.2 million road now.

6News video: South Lawrence trafficway plans finalized
Saturday, December 13, 2003
The Army Corps of Engineers and KDOT have decided on a 32nd Street alignment for the long-awaited and controversial South Lawrence trafficway.

32nd Street alignment approved for SLT
Friday, December 12, 2003
(Updated Friday at 5:33 p.m.) The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Friday afternoon approved a 32nd Street alignment for the South Lawrence Trafficway.

Army Corps of Engineers press release on SLT alignment
Friday, December 12, 2003
Online editor's note: The following is the text of a press release from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Friday, Dec. 12, 2003, regarding the South Lawrence Trafficway.

Wetlands protection may be curtailed
Wednesday, November 26, 2003
Federal protection could be lifted for "a big chunk" of wetlands in Kansas, officials say, but the Baker Wetlands south of Lawrence should remain relatively safe. Proposed revisions to the federal Clean Water Act would allow development of "isolated" wetlands, which are now off-limits to construction.

City takes intersection plan slowly
Wednesday, November 19, 2003
A long-delayed development proposal for the intersection of Sixth Street and the South Lawrence Trafficway was delayed again Tuesday. The Lawrence City Commission last week approved a "nodal plan" that designates the eastern half of the intersection for commercial development. But commissioners wouldn't give approval Tuesday to a proposal that seemingly fits that plan.

6th, SLT design guidelines forwarded
Thursday, October 23, 2003
Someday there may be a McDonald's restaurant located at the intersection of Sixth Street and the South Lawrence Trafficway.

6News video: Planning commission consider development of SLT
Thursday, October 23, 2003
The commission has already delayed a final decision about the intersection of 6th street and the South Lawrence Trafficway earlier this year.

Corps to review alternate SLT route
Sunday, October 12, 2003
An American Indian tribe is making one last push to convince federal officials to put the brakes on plans for completing the South Lawrence Trafficway through the Baker Wetlands. The officials are listening.

Wetlands advocates take lawmakers on tour
Wednesday, September 24, 2003
Four members of a legislative committee studying issues affecting Kansas Indian tribes toured the Haskell and Baker wetlands Tuesday.

Sixth and SLT plan too short on details to pass official muster
Thursday, September 4, 2003
Planning for the intersection of Sixth Street and the South Lawrence Trafficway is going to get the extra scrutiny that a major gateway into Lawrence deserves, Lawrence-Douglas County planning commissioners decided Wednesday. The commission delayed approval of a "nodal plan" to guide development at the 640-acre intersection, saying it wants more specifics to ensure the corridor gives visitors a good impression of the city.

Tribe to sue corps over trafficway decision
Wednesday, August 27, 2003
An American Indian tribe is ready to go to court to prevent the South Lawrence Trafficway from being built through the Baker Wetlands. The Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation is asking the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to take another look at options for a highway south of the Wakarusa River, an option rejected by the corps eight months ago.

6News video: Tribe asks for SLT to be moved
Wednesday, August 27, 2003
The tribe says that the Army Corps of Engineers improperly dismissed alternate routes.

6News video: SLT final decision coming
Tuesday, August 26, 2003
Proposed mitigation measures have removed the last roadblocks in the project. The last hurdle is finding the money to actually build the trafficway.

SLT route to get green light
Monday, August 25, 2003
Regulators are poised to clear a path next month for completion of the South Lawrence Trafficway, even if the state doesn't have the money to build it. The estimated $110.2 million project -- which would connect U.S. Highway 59 at the southern end of Lawrence with Kansas Highway 10 southeast of town -- still must follow a route through the Baker Wetlands, said Bob Smith, trafficway project manager for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

State says it has no funds to finish SLT
Sunday, August 3, 2003
The state has no money to complete the South Lawrence Trafficway. Even if the project gains the necessary federal permits and survives legal challenges, there are no funds to finish the $115 million highway connecting the Kansas Turnpike with Kansas Highway 10 east of the city along a route near 31st Street, transportation officials said Friday.

City won't be shut out of SLT plan
Thursday, July 3, 2003
State officials Wednesday told Lawrence city commissioners to relax. Plans for the South Lawrence Trafficway won't be completed before Kansas Department of Transportation officials consult with the city.

6News video: South Lawrence Trafficway planning will involve city officials
Thursday, July 3, 2003
The Kansas Department of Transportation promises that it will not act without city input.

City, county hesitate to spend on traffic projects
Monday, June 30, 2003
Lawrence and Douglas County officials aren't in a hurry to speed up plans for congestion-easing traffic signals along a busy street in southeast Lawrence. Not with a $110 million highway project in limbo and multimillion-dollar budget deficits looming.

Trafficway foes stage prayer vigil
Saturday, June 21, 2003
With birds chirping and traffic whizzing by, activists who view the Baker Wetlands as sacred to American Indians conducted a sunrise prayer service Friday to draw attention to a highway project they feel threatens the preserve.

Sixth St. and SLT pegged as latest 'gateway'
Saturday, June 14, 2003
The next gateway into Lawrence the area around the intersection of Sixth Street and the South Lawrence Trafficway would include a broad range of land uses under a plan unveiled Friday by city planners. And it would allow the sort of development proposed late last year that prompted creation of the guidelines.

6News video: City planners want to guide development
Saturday, June 14, 2003
The area around Sixth Street and the South Lawrence Trafficway will be convered under the proposed development plan.

Trafficway project still ‘behind the curve'
Saturday, April 12, 2003
Finishing the South Lawrence Trafficway remains little more than a vision on paper, as project opponents, transportation officials and federal regulators brace themselves for another few years of indecision.

City plans for southern growth
Thursday, March 13, 2003
In place of sparsely populated farmland, imagine 20,000 Lawrence residents living south of the Wakarusa River. That scenario will become reality by 2025, officials said, part of a boom that will raise the city's population to 150,000. And a consultant is recommending that the city and county build a new wastewater treatment plant on the Wakarusa River to accommodate the growth.

Local Briefs
Wednesday, February 19, 2003
• KU greeks lend hand with Girl Scout cookies
• Elections: Meet the candidates series begins today
• Lawrence schools: Fifth-grader suspended after incident with knife
• Trafficway plans: Corps adds two weeks to SLT comment period
• World Online: Live Eagle Cam focuses on roosting tree
• Gasoline: Pump patrol tracks down lowest prices in Lawrence

Deadline for comments on South Lawrence Trafficway extended
Tuesday, February 18, 2003
(Web Posted Tuesday at 3:18 p.m.) There's still time to chime in with questions, comments or concerns about plans to finish the South Lawrence Trafficway.

6News video: Mike Rees steps down as counsel for KDOT
Friday, January 24, 2003
Rees has been the public face of KDOT's efforts to finish the South Lawrence Trafficway.

Champion of SLT leaving KDOT post
Friday, January 24, 2003
For nearly three years, Mike Rees has been the public -- some would say divisive -- face of KDOT's efforts to complete the South Lawrence Trafficway. No longer.

Rees won't be retained as KDOT's chief counsel
Thursday, January 23, 2003
(Web Posted Thursday at 4:43 p.m.) Mike Rees, chief counsel for the Kansas Department of Transportation and that agency's public face in the fight to complete the South Lawrence Trafficway, will not keep his job in the new administration.

SLT opponents discuss plans to save wetlands
Sunday, January 19, 2003
With the benefit of some breathing room, South Lawrence Trafficway opponents Saturday discussed plans to save the Baker Wetlands and ways to keep the issue in the city's spotlight.

Trafficway put on back burner
Friday, January 17, 2003
A change in administration and a squeeze on highway funds is pushing completion of the South Lawrence Trafficway off the fast track. Deb Miller, who took office this week as the state's transportation secretary, said Thursday that she would not spend any of the $14 million set aside for the project until two things happened: • The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issues its "record of decision" in selecting a route for the road, expected to run through the Baker Wetlands.

6News video: South Lawrence Trafficway progress slows
Friday, January 17, 2003
Lawsuits and state budget woes take the SLT off the fast track.

EPA limits protection of nation's wetlands
Saturday, January 11, 2003
The Environmental Protection Agency took action Friday to curb the authority of its field agents to enforce rules protecting the nation's wetlands, and it began a process that could cut wetlands protection even further.

KDOT designee Miller worked on trafficway
Wednesday, January 8, 2003
The state's new secretary of transportation will be tackling a familiar issue early next week when she moves into the Docking Office Building, but she's not quite sure how she intends to handle it.

Feds approve 32nd Street alignment
Tuesday, January 7, 2003
The federal government says driving a highway through the Baker Wetlands is the best direction for completing the South Lawrence Trafficway, but a coalition of opponents isn't about to give the project a green light.

6News video: US Army Corps of Engineers endorses path through wetlands
Tuesday, January 7, 2003
6News reports on the ruling given Monday by the US Army Corps of Engineers on the path of the South Lawrence Trafficway through the Baker Wetlands.

Turnpike plan to add 2 lanes moves forward
Tuesday, December 24, 2002
By 2007, the Kansas Turnpike between Lecompton and Topeka will be six lanes wide. The estimated $108.6 million job of adding two lanes is expected to begin in 2004 and last through at least 2006, Michael Johnston, the turnpike's president and chief executive officer, said Monday.

No call made yet on SLT
Tuesday, December 24, 2002
All Mike Rees wanted for Christmas was a final decision on a route for completing the South Lawrence Trafficway. Now he's left hoping for a preliminary resolution by the new year.

Wetlands denied landmark status
Wednesday, November 27, 2002
A proposed historic district that includes the Baker Wetlands should not be designated a national landmark of spiritual or religious significance, a federal official ruled.

6News video: NPS says Wetlands area not worthy of historic, religious protection
Wednesday, November 27, 2002
6News reports on the opinion given by a National Park Service official on the possibility of an area in the Baker Wetlands being classified as a historic district.

Trafficway includes plan for noise control
Sunday, November 24, 2002
State transportation officials still want to spend $105 million to drive a new highway through the Baker Wetlands. And they’re willing to spend another $2 million to keep it quiet.

6News video: Noise from SLT wouldn't be an issue
Saturday, November 23, 2002
6News reports on the plan to reduce noise and light from a 32nd Street SLT alignment.

Budget crisis may delay completion of trafficway
Friday, November 22, 2002
Moves to buy land, draw up plans and compile bid documents for completing the South Lawrence Trafficway are speeding up in an effort to avoid the state's expanding financial pothole. The Kansas Department of Transportation is continuing its push to have construction crews ready to start moving dirt for the trafficway's eastern leg by year's end, said Mike Rees, the department's chief counsel.

6News video: SLT progress may be thrown off-track by state budget woes
Friday, November 22, 2002
The financial concerns could add further delays to the South Lawrence Trafficway.

Corps hints it prefers 32nd route for SLT
Thursday, November 21, 2002
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is inching closer to signing off on a 32nd Street alignment for completion of the South Lawrence Trafficway. In a letter mailed Wednesday to Mary R. Allman, Kansas’ state historic preservation officer, the corps said concerns about landmark buildings on the Haskell Indian Nations University campus or the historic character of the nearby Baker Wetlands would not stand in the way of the highway being built.

Planner blasts city commissioners
Thursday, November 21, 2002
It was “bad business” for the Lawrence City Commission to table a proposed development at Sixth Street and the South Lawrence Trafficway, Planning Commissioner Ron Durflinger said Wednesday.
“This validates the complaint that dealing with municipal government is shooting at a constantly moving target,” Durflinger said. “We will never attract quality development if we don’t show integrity in our dealings.”

6News video: 32nd Street route for SLT gets federal approval
Thursday, November 21, 2002
The U.S. Army Corp of Engineers believes the 32nd Street alignment would not harm the historic Baker Wetlands.

6th and SLT development put on hold
Wednesday, November 20, 2002
The city’s march toward the northwest slowed Tuesday night. City commissioners on Tuesday tabled a proposal for a 92-acre residential and commercial development on the southeast corner of Sixth Street and the South Lawrence Trafficway.

6News video: West Lawrence rezoning tabled by commissioners
Wednesday, November 20, 2002
6News reports on Tuesday's city commission decision to put on hold a request for rezoning an area in West Lawrence.

Thorny city issues thwart consensus
Sunday, November 10, 2002
It came to a head with the debate about American Eagle Outfitters. Then came a making-up period - ECO2, the Tax Abatement Task Force, the Bert Nash Community Summit, The World Company’s “Lawrence is Growing: Finding Common Ground” project.

Kasold Road extension plan skids to halt
Tuesday, October 8, 2002
A road whose traffic has ballooned since opening of the South Lawrence Trafficway must wait for reconstruction or relocation, as Douglas County commissioners study how the road fits into the community's growth.

Wetlands pact wins county's approval
Thursday, September 26, 2002
Accused of ignoring public comment and turning a deaf ear to American Indian concerns, a divided Douglas County Commission stood its ground and moved ahead with its support for finishing the South Lawrence Trafficway through the Baker Wetlands.
During a meeting Wednesday night, Commissioners Bob Johnson and Jere McElhaney approved an interlocal agreement specifying terms for an $8.5 million wetlands mitigation plan designed to account for damage to the wetlands, should the trafficway be built along a 32nd Street alignment.

6News video: Douglas County Commissioners support wetlands compromise
Thursday, September 26, 2002
Voices were raised at the meeting, which ended with an agreement on a wetlands mitigation plan.

Extension denied
Thursday, September 26, 2002
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Wednesday rejected requests from the Wetlands Preservation Organization to extend the deadline for public comments regarding plans for completing the South Lawrence Trafficway.

County to mull trafficway pact
Wednesday, September 25, 2002
A divided Douglas County Commission is poised to approve an $8.5 million wetlands mitigation plan that members hope will drive the project to completion through the Baker Wetlands.

6News video report: Commissioners to consider Wetlands mitigation plan
Wednesday, September 25, 2002
6News reports on the latest round of talks concerning the South Lawrence Trafficway.

Early SLT opponent dies at age 85
Sunday, September 22, 2002
The long and tortured history of the South Lawrence Trafficway might have been much shorter had Leslie Blevins Sr. not intervened. Blevins, who died Friday at age 85, filed the first-ever SLT-related lawsuit in 1987. He joined two other plaintiffs in a second suit in 1990.

City looks south to grow
Thursday, September 19, 2002
City officials have one fewer reason to put the brakes on growth south of the Wakarusa River.
Sewer service, long considered to be an expensive hindrance to southern development, could be extended to serve 20,000 people south of the river by 2025, a consultant said Wednesday.

County to move on SLT next week
Thursday, September 19, 2002
Next week Douglas County commissioners will consider endorsing an $8.5 million wetlands mitigation plan for the South Lawrence Trafficway, despite objections from Commissioner Charles Jones.
During the commission's weekly meeting Wednesday night, Jones accused his fellow commissioners of rushing ahead with the plan in hopes of "pushing through" the trafficway along a 32nd Street alignment, which would cut through the Baker Wetlands.

Wetlands advocate seeks delay in South Lawrence Trafficway call
Tuesday, September 17, 2002
A vocal opponent of building a highway through the Baker Wetlands is asking for a delay that could push a decision about the road project into next year � and further into financial limbo. But the man who will be making the decision says such a delay is unlikely.

6News video report: Wetlands Preservation Organization asking for more time
Tuesday, September 17, 2002
6News reports on the request made by the Wetlands Preservation Organization to the Army Corps of Engineers to allow for more time for public comment on the South Lawrence Trafficway alignment.

Trafficway arguments aired
Friday, September 13, 2002
An American Indian chanted and lit incense. Protesters waved their signs and plead their case. And the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce president was the target of a cake-thrower.
But when Thursday's public hearing about the future of the South Lawrence Trafficway was finished, the final decision still rested in the hands of a federal engineer.

Rezoning plan filed for SLT area
Friday, September 13, 2002
Developers have begun laying the groundwork to bring commercial and residential development to the intersection of Sixth Street and the South Lawrence Trafficway.
Officials with Diamond Head Limited Partnership, owners of the property, recently filed requests with the Lawrence-Douglas County Planning Office to rezone 67 acres of land at the southeast corner of the roads, which also are known as U.S. Highway 40 and Kansas Highway 10.

6News video: The community is still divided over two possible options for trafficway
Friday, September 13, 2002
The Army Corps of Engineers held a public hearing about proposed routes for the South Lawrence Trafficway.

Officials gear up for SLT hearing
Thursday, September 12, 2002
When it comes to reviewing plans for completing the South Lawrence Trafficway, organizers of tonight's public hearing have some advice.
People with questions or needing clarification about the project should show up by 5:30 p.m., when an hourlong informal information session will be conducted. Engineers, consultants and Kansas Department of Transportation officials will be available to respond to specific inquiries.

Nature center fears SLT effects
Wednesday, September 11, 2002
Prairie Park Nature Center might have a little less nature if the South Lawrence Trafficway is completed along 32nd Street. Marty Birrell, a nature interpretive supervisor at the center, told a meeting of the Lawrence Parks and Recreation Advisory Board that a highway would cut off a natural pathway for animals between the Baker Wetlands and Prairie Park.

Group backs SLT completion
Tuesday, September 10, 2002
A pair of Lawrence businessmen have started a group they hope will help persuade federal and state transportation officials to complete the South Lawrence Trafficway along a route through the Baker Wetlands.

KDOT eyes land purchases for SLT
Monday, September 9, 2002
Even without an approved route to follow for the South Lawrence Trafficway, state highway officials know where they want to go � and they're preparing to buy enough land to get there.

Wetland preservationists discuss strategies
Monday, September 9, 2002
For opponents of the South Lawrence Trafficway, a Sunday night meeting served as something of a last-minute pep talk � a chance to crystallize thoughts and figure out the best game plan.

Baker leader backs KDOT plan
Sunday, September 1, 2002
Others may talk about the Baker Wetlands, seek to protect the Baker Wetlands, stake a claim to the Baker Wetlands or profess to know what's best for the Baker Wetlands.

Mitigation offers Baker $8.5 million in incentives
Sunday, September 1, 2002
The Kansas Department of Transportation wants to build a highway through the Baker Wetlands, and it's offering $8.5 million in incentives to help drive it through. Baker University embraces the deal because the money would help make the area bigger, more accessible and open for education and research, said Dan Lambert, university president.

SLT's 32nd Street supporters devise strategy
Sunday, August 25, 2002
Supporters of finishing the South Lawrence Trafficway through the Baker Wetlands hope to have dozens of supporters in their corner next month for a public hearing that could determine the road's fate.

Corps sets Sept. 12 hearing date for draft statement on trafficway
Wednesday, August 21, 2002
People concerned about the proposed completion of the South Lawrence Trafficway will be able to meet face-to-face next month with the man whose decision could settle the issue.

County to discuss plan to turn over 31st Street
Wednesday, August 21, 2002
If a trafficway is to cut through the Baker Wetlands, Douglas County would give part of 31st Street back to Haskell Indian Nations University.

Trafficway's companion now a lost highway
Monday, August 19, 2002
When voters entered their polling booths a dozen years ago, the two highway projects they were voting to help pay for stood on equal footing.

6News video report: Community members on both sides of SLT issue lining up support
Wednesday, August 14, 2002
6News reports on the ongoing SLT fight and the support that some community members are trying to get on both sides of the issue.

Corps of Engineers study endorses two routes
Friday, August 9, 2002
By Mark Fagan

Finishing the South Lawrence Trafficway through the Baker Wetlands stands the best chance of meeting the city's growing traffic, safety and development needs, a federal study concludes.
But building the four-lane highway south of the Wakarusa River would best protect existing wetlands and preserve cultural and historic resources, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said in a study released Thursday.

6News video reports: The SLT's environmental impact statement has been released
Friday, August 9, 2002
The Army Corps of Engineers has approved two possible routes, one north and one south of the Baker Wetlands.

Corps releases SLT environmental impact statement
Thursday, August 8, 2002
(Web Posted Thursday at 11:55 a.m.) By Mark Fagan

A roadmap for completing the South Lawrence Trafficway hits the streets Thursday. The project's draft environmental impact statement, compiled for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, includes recommendations that the proposed four-lane highway connecting U.S. Highway 59 and Kansas Highway 10 be built along one of two routes.

Corps narrows SLT options
Thursday, August 1, 2002
By Mark Fagan

The estimated cost for finishing the South Lawrence Trafficway ranges from $105 million to $130 million, a transportation official said Wednesday.
That assumes the federal government signs off on a plan, the courts clear any legal obstacles, and the state can come up with the money.

KDOT pushes ahead on SLT
Wednesday, May 22, 2002
By Mark Fagan

In their drive to complete the South Lawrence Trafficway, state transportation officials are pushing to have a route chosen by year's end, even as opponents maintain that they don't stand a chance.

City mum on SLT intersection
Wednesday, May 1, 2002
By Joel Mathis

Lawrence city commissioners want to wait until an alignment for the completion of the South Lawrence Trafficway is chosen before deciding where they want to see intersections go.

Grave seekers steering clear of wetlands politics
Monday, April 29, 2002
By Mark Fagan

The last time Larry Conyers dragged his ground-penetrating radar equipment through the Baker Wetlands, the electromagnetic pulses revealed only natural environmental features � and dredged up a handful of hate mail sent to his office at the University of Denver.

6News video report: The search continues for burial sites in the wetlands
Saturday, April 27, 2002
6News reports on the ongoing search for burial grounds in the Baker Wetlands.

Wetlands search yields no bodies
Wednesday, April 24, 2002
By Mark Fagan

After turning 472 shovelfuls of soil in the Baker Wetlands, a state archeologist couldn't uncover any evidence of humans buried beneath the soggy earth in the path of the proposed final leg of the South Lawrence Trafficway.

Community activists gather to protest South Lawrence Trafficway
Monday, April 22, 2002
By Matt Merkel-Hess

A protest of the South Lawrence Trafficway stretched Sunday from Douglas County's seat of power to the edge of the Baker Wetlands on 31st Street. "This is where it started, with Douglas County," said Anjanette Bitsie as she pointed toward the Douglas County Courthouse.

Plans for trafficway realign Louisiana
Saturday, April 20, 2002
By Mark Fagan

Plans for replacing wetlands to make way for completion of the South Lawrence Trafficway also could reduce traffic cutting through the edge of the Indian Hills neighborhood, officials said.

Plan seeks wetlands reconstruction
Monday, March 25, 2002
By Mark Fagan

Seeing a beaver dam is nothing new for Roger Boyd, but the biologist can't help but marvel at the simple, natural construction that helps keep life-giving water in the Baker Wetlands.

SLT interchange planning rolls on
Friday, March 15, 2002
By Mark Fagan

Mike Rees isn't wasting any time. The general counsel for the Kansas Department of Transportation is laying groundwork for an interchange east of town linking the South Lawrence Trafficway and Kansas Highway 10.

6News video report: Construction of the SLT could start by the end of the year
Friday, March 15, 2002
Alison Mann reports on the current South Lawrence Trafficway Interchange plans from KDOT.

Tribal congress opposes trafficway
Wednesday, March 6, 2002
By Mark Fagan

Opponents of the South Lawrence Trafficway say a newly minted resolution means more than 500 American Indian tribes support efforts to block the road's construction. But federal officials say they still prefer to hear from each tribe individually before deciding if the bypass should be built through the Baker Wetlands.

Survey: Bypass generally favored
Sunday, March 3, 2002
By Chad Lawhorn

Northeastern Kansans generally support completion of the South Lawrence Trafficway but will be less likely to use it the farther south it is, according to a new state-sponsored survey.

Commissioners back Haskell, wetlands for national register
Wednesday, February 27, 2002
By Joel Mathis

Lawrence city commissioners agreed Tuesday to back the eligibility of Haskell Indian Nations University and the adjacent Baker Wetlands as a joined district on the National Register of Historic Places.
� Extra online-only: Vote in the poll.

KDOT explains 32nd St. details
Saturday, February 23, 2002
By Chad Lawhorn

Up to five businesses might be moved if the latest plan to complete the South Lawrence Trafficway comes to pass. And state officials might eliminate a key local interchange from the project unless city officials show more support for the road.

Corps asks for input from tribes
Friday, February 8, 2002
By Chad Lawhorn

About 560 American Indian tribes across the country are being invited to share their views about the uncompleted South Lawrence Trafficway.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Thursday sent letters to the tribes asking for feedback on the trafficway project, particularly how the road would affect the Baker Wetlands and Haskell Indian Nations University.

Debate around 31st St. unsettled
Wednesday, January 30, 2002
By Joel Mathis

Lawrence city and Douglas County commissioners couldn't agree Tuesday whether to spend money on proposed 31st Street improvements � or even what they want the road to look like.

SLT survey gathers opinions
Tuesday, January 29, 2002
By Chad Lawhorn

A survey of 1,200 area residents is expected to give highway officials a better idea of what people think about the South Lawrence Trafficway. Early survey results should be ready in about three weeks, officials said.

Baker, KDOT agree on bypass
Saturday, January 26, 2002
By Chad Lawhorn

Baker University and Kansas Department of Transportation officials have tentatively agreed to an $8.5 million package that would allow the South Lawrence Trafficway to be built through the university's wetlands.

6News video report: Budget cuts wouldn't pose problem for SLT
Saturday, December 22, 2001
Marta Costello reports on the impact that cuts in the state budget would have on the South Lawrence Trafficway.

Decision may erect roadblock to SLT
Friday, December 21, 2001
By Chad Lawhorn

More than 500 Indian tribes will have the opportunity to become involved in the future of the South Lawrence Trafficway, creating concern among road builders that the project may become hopelessly bogged down in federal red tape.

6News video report: Consultation could slow SLT
Friday, December 21, 2001
Marta Costello reports on the Army Corps of Engineers' decision to notify more than 500 Indian Nations about the Eastern leg of the South Lawrence Trafficway.

State continues to seek SLT permits
Friday, December 21, 2001
By Chad Lawhorn

The South Lawrence Trafficway is on the state's budget chopping block, but that apparently isn't stopping transportation officials from trying to obtain proper permits for the project.

31st Street study raises concern
Wednesday, December 19, 2001
By Joel Mathis

Lawrence city commissioners expressed concern Tuesday about the impact of a proposed 31st Street expansion on nearby neighborhoods.

Commissioners re-evaluating SLT possibilities, improvements
Tuesday, December 18, 2001
By Chad Lawhorn

A new or improved road through the Baker Wetlands seems inevitable, the consultant charged with studying possible improvements to 31st Street told county commissioners Monday.

Report: Regardless of SLT, 31st Street needs repairs
Saturday, December 15, 2001
By Chad Lawhorn

The portion of 31st Street that runs through the Baker Wetlands will have to become a four-lane road even if the South Lawrence Trafficway is built, according to a report released Friday.

6News video report: 31st St. could get facelift before SLT decided
Saturday, December 15, 2001
Marta Costello reports on the a possible repair of 31st Street before any decisions are made on the South Lawrence Trafficway.

SLT inclusion in cuts disappoints officials
Saturday, December 15, 2001
By Mindie Paget

City and county officials are disappointed that funding to complete the proposed eastern leg of the South Lawrence Trafficway made Gov. Bill Graves' list of proposed budget cuts. But SLT opponents said the dollar drain would give stakeholders a chance to re-evaluate the highway's necessity.

Aerial photographs highlight unique aspects of area's wetlands
Monday, December 3, 2001
By Terry Rombeck

Mike Houts said he doesn't want to take a stance on the controversial plan to build the South Lawrence Trafficway through the Baker Wetlands.
But he does want people to have all the information available on the area.

Commissioners divided on 31st Street improvements
Tuesday, November 27, 2001
By Chad Lawhorn

Douglas County commissioners couldn't agree Monday on the idea of the state possibly partnering with the city and county to expand 31st Street instead of building the final, eastern leg of the South Lawrence Trafficway.

Oldest farm in county could fall victim to southern traffic bypass
Sunday, November 25, 2001
By Joy Ludwig

The Baker Wetlands isn't the only historically significant property that could be undone if the eastern leg of the South Lawrence Trafficway is built. Bill Meairs' family farm overlooking the Wakarusa River predates the Civil War.

Corps official blasts KDOT
Saturday, November 24, 2001
By Chad Lawhorn

A top regional official with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said Friday the Kansas Department of Transportation is trying to undermine a key environmental study of the South Lawrence Trafficway.

KDOT casts eyes on 31st St.
Thursday, November 22, 2001
By Chad Lawhorn

With the South Lawrence Trafficway getting more bogged down in federal bureaucracy, it's time for the state to start working with Lawrence and Douglas County to improve 31st Street, a state transportation official says.

6News video report: SLT hits another bump in the road
Thursday, November 22, 2001
Marta Costello reports on the potential problems caused by an Army Corps of Engineers decision.

Sierra Club joins SLT fight
Sunday, November 18, 2001
By Matt Merkel-Hess

The Kansas Chapter of the Sierra Club wants to keep the South Lawrence Trafficway out of the Baker Wetlands. Following a meeting Saturday of the 13-member executive committee, the Kansas Chapter announced it is committed to preserving the wetlands and will call upon the resources of the national Sierra Club to accomplish its goals.

Forum to address transportation modes
Sunday, November 11, 2001
Commuter rail and other alternatives to highway development will be discussed at a public forum at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Lawrence Public Library, 707 Vt. St. The event is sponsored by the Wakarusa Group of the Kansas Sierra Club, and is being held, in part, because of discussions about route options for the uncompleted South Lawrence Trafficway.

Lions Club gets earful on SLT plans
Thursday, November 8, 2001
By Mindie Paget

The River City Lions Club convened Wednesday night to get an update on the South Lawrence Trafficway. They also got a taste of how American Indians feel about proposals for the incomplete eastern portion of the road.

Missing records raising questions
Sunday, November 4, 2001
By Chad Lawhorn

City officials have conceded they cannot find legal documents showing permission was granted by Haskell Indian Nations University to run through its campus a city sewer line that serves thousands of Lawrence homes.

Consultant foresees wetlands on register
Wednesday, October 31, 2001
By Chad Lawhorn

The Baker Wetlands are eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, according to a consultant hired by the Kansas Department of Transportation. And that might complicate completion of the South Lawrence Trafficway.

County backs 32nd St. route
Thursday, October 25, 2001
By Chad Lawhorn

Two-and-a-half hours of public comment didn't sway Douglas County commissioners from their previous positions as they agreed on a 2-1 vote Wednesday to recommend a 32nd Street route for the South Lawrence Trafficway.

City stalls over route
Wednesday, October 24, 2001
By Chad Lawhorn and Joel Mathis

A majority of city commissioners favors a south-of-the-river route for completion of the South Lawrence Trafficway, but their opinions won't go down as the official city endorsement. Commissioner Jim Henry reversed his stance Tuesday night and joined Mayor Mike Rundle and Commissioner David Dunfield in expressing support for routing the SLT south of the Wakarusa River.

Stakeholders split on SLT route
Thursday, October 18, 2001
By Chad Lawhorn

A group of 14 community stakeholders learned it is nearly evenly divided on a route for completion of the South Lawrence Trafficway and the road's key environmental report is likely to be delayed several months. Community stakeholders at a Wednesday meeting convened by a consulting firm hired by state transportation officials did not make an official recommendation for a route.

Stakeholders weigh in on trafficway issues
Tuesday, October 16, 2001
By Chad Lawhorn

The South Lawrence Trafficway has always inspired a lot of opinion.
Environmentalists have decried it as a threat to wetlands habitat, taxpayers have bemoaned its cost, motorists have yearned for its traffic-easing promise, and American Indians have worried about its impact on sacred and historic sites.

Bypass history pitted with politics, contention
Monday, October 15, 2001
By Chad Lawhorn

Bob Johnson looks at the stalled South Lawrence Trafficway project and sees a roadblock between Lawrence and its destiny.
"I believe the completion of this road will mark the high point of where we are now and will be the line of demarcation that shows when this community moved on to a new level," said Johnson, chairman of the Douglas County Commission.

Timeline details key events in SLT history
Monday, October 15, 2001
1930
� Hare and Hare Landscape of Kansas City, Mo., produces a "Major Thoroughfare Plan" for the Lawrence Planning Commission. The resulting map shows an early concept of a "boulevard" looping south around the city. The "southern" route is drawn along 20th Street.

Wetlands at heart of bypass dispute
Sunday, October 14, 2001
By Chad Lawhorn

Biologist Roger Boyd enjoys sitting on the Baker Wetlands boardwalk. The walkway, nestled in the 573-acre wetlands south of 31st Street between Haskell Avenue and Louisiana Street, is a great place to enjoy nature, he said. "You are basically talking about a 1-mile-square area and we have recorded 250 species of birds here," said Boyd, chair of Baker University's biology department.

Political, legal quagmire exists within wetlands
Sunday, October 14, 2001
By Chad Lawhorn

It is impossible to understand the controversy surrounding the South Lawrence Trafficway without understanding the history of the ground that has produced not just a wetlands but a legal and political quagmire.

Haskell, BIA want trafficway south of river
Saturday, October 13, 2001
By Dave Ranney

Haskell Indian Nations University and federal officials Friday issued a letter intended to remove any confusion about their stance on the final leg of the long-disputed South Lawrence Trafficway. It belongs south of the Wakarusa River, they said.

Graves talks to corps officials about bypass
Saturday, October 13, 2001
In a meeting with the leader of the key regulatory agency reviewing the South Lawrence Trafficway, Gov. Bill Graves expressed his strong desire that the project's last leg be well under way before his term ends in January 2003.

Wetland replacement stirs concern
Friday, October 12, 2001
By Mindie Paget

Is a replica as good as the original when it comes to restoring wetlands?
That's one of the questions Sharon Ashworth, an expert in wetland mitigation, says community members must ask themselves as the end of negotiations for completion of the South Lawrence Trafficway approaches.

6News Video: 32nd St. route for the SLT gets support
Tuesday, October 9, 2001
The Lawrence-Douglas County Planning Commission has voted to put the SLT through the Baker Wetlands.

32nd Street option wins with city planners
Tuesday, October 9, 2001
By Chad Lawhorn

Building the uncompleted South Lawrence Trafficway on a 32nd Street route north of the Wakarusa River is preferable to a south-of-the-river option, a divided planning commission decided Monday.

32nd Street wins support
Wednesday, October 3, 2001
By Chad Lawhorn

A 32nd Street route for the uncompleted eastern alignment of the South Lawrence Trafficway won twin victories Tuesday: It won recommendation from a Lawrence task force and a vote of confidence from Baker University. The task force convened by the Lawrence-Douglas County Planning Commission recommended the trafficway follow a 32nd Street route and that a part of 31st Street running through Haskell Indian Nations University be moved south onto Baker-owned land.

Task force calls for 32nd Street route for SLT
Tuesday, October 2, 2001
(Web Posted Tuesday at 6:16 p.m.) A 32nd Street route for the uncompleted South Lawrence Trafficway won a pair of victories Tuesday by receiving a recommendation from a Lawrence task force and a vote of confidence from a Baker University representative.

New wetlands option under fire
Monday, October 1, 2001
By Joel Mathis

Creating new wetlands is complicated work. According to a recent report from the National Academy of Sciences, it isn't even always successful.
That's why Lawrence residents should be cautious about the state's proposal to build more than 400 acres of new wetlands to replace any in the Baker Wetlands destroyed by completion of the South Lawrence Trafficway, local environmentalists say.

BIA demands 31st be vacated
Friday, September 28, 2001
By Chad Lawhorn

Any South Lawrence Trafficway route north of the Wakarusa River will face opposition from the Bureau of Indian Affairs unless county commissioners agree to vacate a major portion of 31st Street, an attorney representing the bureau said Thursday.

BU survey finds support for wetlands protection
Thursday, September 27, 2001
By Joy Ludwig

A majority of Baker University students do not want a four-lane bypass to follow a 32nd Street route through the Baker Wetlands, according to a new informal survey. Members of Earth We Are, a Baker student environmental organization, over the past week surveyed 173 students to gauge their opinions about placement of the eastern leg of the South Lawrence Trafficway.

SLT task force split on proposed route decision
Tuesday, September 25, 2001
By Chad Lawhorn

A task force trying to recommend a route for completion of the South Lawrence Trafficway couldn't agree Monday if the road should go north or south of the Wakarusa River.

Louisiana ramp off trafficway a no-go
Friday, September 21, 2001
By Chad Lawhorn

South Lawrence Trafficway task force members agreed Thursday that if or when the bypass is completed, there should be no access to it from already-congested Louisiana Street.
"If Louisiana has an access off of the new trafficway, I think we are going to create a lot of concerns, and rightly so, from the neighborhood along Louisiana," said John Haase, a planning commissioner and task force member.

SLT hits more roadblocks
Wednesday, September 19, 2001
By Chad Lawhorn

Disagreement about where Lawrence will grow has made it more difficult for a South Lawrence Trafficway task force to endorse a route for the controversial highway. Bob Johnson, Douglas County Commission chairman and a member of a special SLT task force created by the Lawrence-Douglas County Planning Commission, said he doubted new growth projections by the Planning Office that forecast large amounts of urban housing south of the Wakarusa River by 2025.

Commissioners: Abandoning 31st doubtful
Wednesday, September 19, 2001
By Chad Lawhorn

Abandoning a portion of 31st Street as part of a South Lawrence Trafficway plan to ease traffic near Haskell Indian Nations University now seems unlikely, all three county commissioners have conceded.

KDOT counsel sets summer deadline for SLT
Thursday, September 13, 2001
By Chad Lawhorn

A state transportation leader told city and county commissioners that it is important a route for the South Lawrence Trafficway be decided on and approved by next summer, or else the state may choose to drop its involvement.

Effort to go farther south with SLT nears time crunch, KDOT warns
Friday, September 7, 2001
By Joy Ludwig

Building the eastern leg of the South Lawrence Trafficway just south of 31st Street may not be the most farsighted way to handle future traffic in Lawrence and Douglas County.
And to that end, several community members representing different organizations on Thursday contended that the Kansas Department of Transportation should look farther south of the Wakarusa River to complete the trafficway.

6News: SLT meeting brings a surprise
Friday, September 7, 2001
SLT opponents and proponents may be surprised by an announcement by KDOT's chief counsel Mike Rees.

Haskell students air concerns about trafficway to KDOT
Thursday, September 6, 2001
By Dave Ranney

The communications gap between state highway officials and Haskell Indian Nations University students isn't quite as wide as it used to be. For the first time, the Kansas Department of Tranportation's chief legal counsel, Mike Rees, on Wednesday went to Haskell for the sole purpose of hearing students' concerns about routing the proposed eastern alignment of the South Lawrence Trafficway near or through the Haskell and Baker wetlands.

Consultants' report draws concerns
Thursday, September 6, 2001
By Joy Ludwig

Fairness questions are being raised about a South Lawrence Trafficway survey commissioned by the state highway department. The survey was done last month by Colorado consultants hired by the Kansas Department of Transportation. KDOT is trying to determine a viable route for the trafficway's uncompleted eastern leg that is broadly accepted by the community.

SLT construction plans progress
Friday, August 31, 2001
By Joy Ludwig

Community members with environmental, traffic, cultural and other concerns met Thursday to discuss the unfinished eastern segment of the South Lawrence Trafficway. More than 200 people attended a "public scoping" meeting sponsored by the Kansas Department of Transportation and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at the Douglas County 4-H Fairgrounds.

Baker U. to explore wetlands mitigation
Friday, August 31, 2001
By Joy Ludwig

Baker University is ready to consider a South Lawrence Trafficway built through the wetlands that bear the school's name. Baker President Dan Lambert said Thursday that though the university still prefers a 31st Street route for the road, he will appoint a six-member committee to study potential benefits of a wetlands mitigation plan offered by state road officials.

SLT routes under review
Wednesday, August 29, 2001
By Joel Mathis

The state highway department's point man for the embattled South Lawrence Trafficway said Tuesday that proposed 32nd and 42nd street routes are the leading candidates for completion. Mike Rees, chief counsel for the Kansas Department of Transportation, made the statement to the Lawrence-Douglas County Planning Commission.

By law, Indian tribes must be consulted
Wednesday, August 29, 2001
By Joel Mathis

Environmental impact studies on proposed alignments for the South Lawrence Trafficway could be complete by next spring, Mike Rees said Tuesday, but there is one wild card: A federal requirement that American Indian tribes be consulted in the process.

Opinions sought for SLT environmental statement
Tuesday, August 28, 2001
By Joy Ludwig

Public comment is an important part of the process toward the possible completion of the eastern leg of the South Lawrence Trafficway.

Haskell stands by wetlands' sanctity
Thursday, August 23, 2001
By Dave Ranney

There is a "good possibility" that there are Indian graves in the Haskell-Baker Wetlands, a highway department consultant conceded Wednesday. Haskell Indian Nations University officials met here with Kansas highway department consultants to discuss various proposed routes for the eastern leg of the South Lawrence Trafficway.

Planners seek role in trafficway routing
Thursday, August 23, 2001
By Joel Mathis

The Lawrence-Douglas County Planning Commission is forming a committee to review state proposals for the completion of the South Lawrence Trafficway. "Here comes an event ... that is perhaps the single most important planning event in this community in the next 10 years," Commissioner David Burress said Wednesday night.

Haskell regents say wetlands are sacred
Wednesday, August 22, 2001
(Updated Wednesday at 6:21 p.m.) By Dave Ranney,
Journal-World reporter

BOULDER, Colo. � Haskell Indian Nations University's regents made it clear Wednesday to consultants for the South Lawrence Trafficway � they want to protect the wetlands area south of Haskell from development.

Haskell members arrive at SLT forum
Tuesday, August 21, 2001
By Dave Ranney

Haskell Indian Nations University officials arrive in Boulder, Colo., this afternoon for a day-and-half-long discussion about the South Lawrence Trafficway.
The talks are part of a Kansas Department of Transportation effort to find which of five proposed routes for the controversial road has the best shot at overcoming opposition from environmentalists and Haskell officials.

Crossroads with the past
Monday, August 20, 2001
By Mindie Paget

Norman Leary's family has lived on the same Douglas County farmland for so long that a nearby road is named for them.
Leary Road, as it's fondly referred to by Douglas County old-timers, is officially North 1100 Road.

Regents plan SLT junket
Tuesday, August 14, 2001
By Joy Ludwig

The state highway department will pay to send 15 members of the Haskell Indian Nations University Board of Regents next week to a meeting in Colorado. The Kansas Department of Transportation, through HNTB, a Kansas City, Mo., engineering firm, plans to pay all expenses for regents to attend the two-day meeting in Boulder, Colo., officials said Monday.

Haskell praises trafficway talks
Friday, August 10, 2001
By Chad Lawhorn

There's a lot going on in and around Haskell Indian Nations University, and President Karen Swisher said Thursday that she's pleased one of the activities is a new round of dialogue on the South Lawrence Trafficway project.
Swisher, who spoke Thursday afternoon to Lawrence Kiwanis Club, said she's pleased that state transportation officials have convened a stakeholders group to further discuss the incomplete South Lawrence Trafficway.

6News: Swisher optimistic about progress
Friday, August 10, 2001
Dr. Swisher discusses the South Lawrence Trafficway and Haskell Indian Nations University's past, present and future.

6News report: an SLT plan around the wetlands
Thursday, August 9, 2001
Marta Costello reports on Wednesday afternoon's meeting with KDOT concerning the placement of the SLT.

Survey finds bits of SLT consensus
Wednesday, August 8, 2001
By Dave Ranney

A glimmer of consensus is emerging among key Lawrence residents involved with the controversial eastern leg of the South Lawrence Trafficway. Most folks, according to a study sponsored by the Kansas Department of Transportation, see the need for a thoroughfare, respect the wetlands, and prefer either the 32nd Street or south-of-the-Wakarusa River alignment.

Community perspectives about the South Lawrence Trafficway
Wednesday, August 8, 2001
The South Lawrence Trafficway, or SLT, has a long and controversial history. The SLT is partially constructed, but has remained incomplete for years. The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT), through its engineering consultant, HNTB, contracted with The Osprey Group to launch an effort that will generate useful input to KDOT about the concerns and issues in Lawrence relating to the Trafficway.

KDOT, county review traffic models
Saturday, July 21, 2001
By Joy Ludwig

Even if the eastern leg of the South Lawrence Trafficway is built, state traffic engineers are projecting the new road won't reduce Lawrence traffic. Instead, they predict the road, connecting Kansas Highway 10 east of Lawrence to Interstate 70 west of the city, will shift regional traffic off city streets, such as 23rd Street, and steer local traffic away from neighborhood streets, which are being used as shortcuts through the city.

County backs off 31st St. route
Tuesday, July 17, 2001
By Joy Ludwig

Two of three Douglas County commissioners Monday expressed support for abandoning a one-mile section of 31st Street, if that will advance construction of the eastern leg of the South Lawrence Trafficway.
The roadway, between Louisiana Street and Haskell Avenue, should only be vacated to make room for the trafficway along a 32nd or maybe 35th Street alignment, commissioners said.

KDOT requests second look at 31st
Saturday, July 14, 2001
By Joy Ludwig

Vacating 31st Street will be at the forefront of county commission discussion Monday. At his request, commissioners will meet with Mike Rees, chief counsel for Kansas Department of Transportation, to talk about abandoning the roadway. "If vacation of 31st Street is to be carried forward as a component of any route alternative, this concept must be resolved in detail," Rees said in a memo to commissioners.

Firm offers 11 SLT routes
Tuesday, July 10, 2001
By Joel Mathis

Consultants unveiled 11 "hot off the press" maps Monday, revealing more than ever about various routes being considered by the state for the eastern leg of the South Lawrence Trafficway.
"These are preliminary, they may move and shift, and there may be many more," said Terry Flanagan, vice president of HNTB, a consulting firm hired by Kansas road officials to develop the plans. "As we can show this kind of detail, we may get a little more and a little better input from folks."

KDOT lends ear to road worries
Friday, June 15, 2001
By Joy Ludwig

For more than 15 years, Becky and Mike Manley have put their hearts and souls into restoring their home just south of the Wakarusa River.
"I can see the river from my kitchen window," Becky Manley said.

Consultants examine wetlands
Saturday, May 26, 2001
By Joy Ludwig

State-hired consultants working on the South Lawrence Trafficway project took a firsthand look Friday at the Baker Wetlands. Environmental consultants hired by the Kansas Department of Transportation led a tour of the existing wetlands and offered information about proposed man-made wetlands. KDOT is considering creating about 400 acres of wetlands adjacent to the existing Baker Wetlands as part of a plan to mitigate damage from the trafficway.

Consensus committee may seek SLT route
Friday, May 25, 2001
By Cody Howard and Joy Ludwig

The state highway department may be willing to let a specially convened committee determine the route of the eastern leg of the South Lawrence Trafficway.
Mike Rees, chief counsel for the Kansas Department of Transportation, said Thursday that Haskell Indian Nations University was working to bring together representatives of several groups to try to find the best route for completion of the trafficway, which has been tied up in controversy for years.

State SLT timeline draws fire
Thursday, May 24, 2001
By Joy Ludwig

State highway officials have released their schedule for construction of the eastern leg of the South Lawrence Trafficway.
But the timeline drew fire from County Commissioner Charles Jones, who said it had too little detail to suit him.

Proposal to move SLT south rejected
Tuesday, April 24, 2001
By Joy Ludwig

Two Republicans on the Douglas County Commission rejected the sole Democrat's call for a South Lawrence Trafficway south of the river.
Commissioner Charles Jones said he was worried that the plan of the county and city to improve 31st Street will by muddied by the Kansas Department of Transportation's goal to complete the trafficway, possibly along a 32nd Street alignment.

City, county seek SLT time line
Thursday, April 19, 2001
By Joel Mathis

City and county officials are demanding a time line for South Lawrence Trafficway construction so they can know how to proceed with their own study of 31st Street. The demand came Wednesday morning during a joint meeting of the Douglas County Commission and the Lawrence City Commission with Mike Rees, chief legal counsel for Kansas Department of Transportation.

KDOT gets earful about SLT plans
Saturday, April 14, 2001
By Terry Rombeck

Kansas Department of Transportation consultants on Friday were in Lawrence to discuss a nature center proposed as part of a compromise to get the South Lawrence Trafficway completed. But they spent as much time hearing from people who don't want the southern bypass finished � with or without the research center and expanded wetlands.

KDOT makes land purchase for trafficway's eastern leg
Thursday, April 12, 2001
By Dave Ranney

Though an exact route for completion of the South Lawrence Trafficway remains undecided, state transportation officials have begun buying land near the Haskell and Baker wetlands. "We have acquired 90 acres to the south of 31st Street and to the west of Louisiana," said Michael Rees, chief legal counsel for the Kansas Department of Transportation.

BIA takes Haskell out of SLT equation
Tuesday, April 10, 2001
By Dave Ranney

The federal agency that oversees Haskell Indian Nations University has agreed to drop the university's longstanding opposition to the South Lawrence Trafficway.
State highway officials and at least one Haskell official say the agreement could pave the way for completion of the long-fought route. Opponents said the agreement changes nothing.

County waits on Kasold extension
Tuesday, February 27, 2001
By Joy Ludwig

Safety concerns about reconstructing Kasold Drive near the South Lawrence Trafficway prompted Douglas County commissioners to think twice Monday.

31st Street plan ditched
Thursday, February 22, 2001
By Dave Ranney

State highway officials say they've given up on building the proposed South Lawrence Trafficway along 31st Street. In a letter faxed to Haskell Indian Nations University on Wednesday, Kansas Department of Transportation Chief Counsel Michael Rees said the department intends to begin buying land needed to put the trafficway along an undefined route between 31st Street and the Wakarusa River.

KDOT studies Baker Wetlands
Wednesday, January 24, 2001
By Joy Ludwig

State-hired consultants later this week will be in Lawrence searching for graves and listening to public reaction to an idea for a new wetlands. Both activities stem from efforts to revive possible completion of the South Lawrence Trafficway.

KDOT studying wetlands options
Thursday, January 18, 2001
By Joy Ludwig

New and bigger wetlands might be in the making. Construction of about 400 acres of new, man-made wetlands just south of Lawrence is being considered by state highway official.
Their idea is to get the troubled bypass, originally envisioned as hooking Kansas Highway 10 east of Lawrence and Interstate 70 northwest of Lawrence, back on track.

Top stories of 2000
Monday, January 1, 2001

31st Street upgrade to be local effort
Tuesday, December 19, 2000
By Joy Ludwig

Secretary of Transportation Dean Carlson Monday told city and county officials that improving 31st Street west of Iowa Street should be a local effort.

SLT may move farther south
Tuesday, December 12, 2000
By Joy Ludwig

An attorney for the state highway department said Monday that a Colorado consulting firm will study the possibility of building a component or substitute for the South Lawrence Trafficway south of the Wakarusa River.

City shares concerns for building on 31st Street
Wednesday, December 6, 2000
By Mike Belt

Lawrence city commissioners promise to move cautiously when it comes to development and annexation in the 31st Street area. That promise was made during commissioners' Tuesday meeting after discussions with South Lawrence residents about potential development projects and their ramifications on quality of life.

KDOT cuts city cord on SLT
Wednesday, December 6, 2000
By Joy Ludwig

The state highway department's top attorney has written a letter to Mayor Jim Henry telling him the city has no remaining interest in the South Lawrence Trafficway agreement that once wed city, county and state road builders to the controversial road's completion.

KDOT may weigh in on 31st Street
Tuesday, December 5, 2000
By Joy Ludwig

Douglas County Commission Chairman Tom Taul said Monday that he doesn't want to alienate the Kansas Department of Transportation from discussions of proposed improvements for 31st Street.

KDOT 'interference' berated
Friday, December 1, 2000
By Joy Ludwig

With the South Lawrence Trafficway presumed dead, Douglas County officials thought they had a plan with the city to improve 31st Street.
But the chief attorney for the Kansas Department of Transportation said Thursday that he still is working to complete the eastern leg of the trafficway somewhere. Though the state hasn't made a commitment to any set alignment, he said he hasn't ruled out 31st Street.

31st Street at crossroads
Monday, November 6, 2000
By Kendrick Blackwood

In light of their decision to improve 31st Street independent of the Kansas Department of Transportation, Lawrence and Douglas County commissioners now must determine the future of the road. Will it be four lanes or two? Will it be lined with homes or businesses? Will it be a green belt as part of the Wakarusa River flood plain?

HINU won't stop KDOT study of burial sites
Friday, September 22, 2000
By Kendrick Blackwood

Though they took no vote Thursday, the Haskell Indian Nations University Board of Regents seemed interested in seeing a thorough study of possible student graves in the Baker Wetlands.

The next step
Sunday, September 17, 2000
Journal-World Editorial

The South Lawrence Trafficway has reached a dead-end, and local officials need to back up and consider other ways to address local traffic issues.

Gears shift on 31st Street
Friday, September 15, 2000
By Cody Howard

City and county officials have decided they want to go it alone on 31st Street. In a meeting here Thursday, Lawrence Mayor Jim Henry and Douglas County Commission Chairman Tom Taul told Kansas Transportation Secretary Dean Carlson they were no longer interested in fighting to complete the eastern segment of the South Lawrence Trafficway.

Graves wants leadership on SLT
Friday, September 1, 2000
By Dave Ranney

Without mentioning names, Gov. Bill Graves on Thursday urged Lawrence leaders to get their acts together on where to put the proposed South Lawrence Trafficway. "This community just has to have a link around the south side of the city," he said. "The question isn't 'If,' it's 'When?' and 'What's the alignment going to be?'"

State pushes 31st Street
Thursday, August 31, 2000
By Kendrick Blackwood

Unlike the South Lawrence Trafficway itself, the quest to revive the controversial road has come full circle. Mike Rees, chief counsel for the Kansas Department of Transportation, is trying to gain support from environmentalists and others for a completed trafficway along 31st Street.

A true bypass
Tuesday, August 22, 2000

Wetlands may sink SLT again
Friday, August 18, 2000
By Tom Meagher

Latest proposal for trafficway goes nowhere fast. A meeting intended to allow public comment on the completion of the South Lawrence Trafficway quickly became mired in heated argument about building a road through the Baker Wetlands.

Hodges seeks bypass input
Wednesday, August 16, 2000
By Kendrick Blackwood

Lawrence City Commissioner Erv Hodges wants the city to take a more active role in the ongoing debate about the completion of the South Lawrence Trafficway.

Officials seek public input on South Lawrence Trafficway plans
Monday, August 14, 2000
By Kendrick Blackwood

State and Lawrence officials wanting to complete the eastern leg of the South Lawrence Trafficway will conduct a public meeting Thursday to get input on their plans. It is important that the decisions be made in the public eye, said Mike Rees, chief counsel for the Kansas Department of Transportation.

SLT discussion leads to more questions
Thursday, August 10, 2000
By Kendrick Blackwood
Journal-World Writer

Chamber of Commerce board members are awaiting a plan for a completed South Lawrence Trafficway they can support.

SLT revival progresses
Wednesday, July 26, 2000
By Kendrick Blackwood
Journal-World Writer

Kansas Transportation Secretary Dean Carlson is in support of an effort to complete the eastern leg of the South Lawrence Trafficway and is willing to pay for a study that may be a first step to getting it done, Lawrence City Commissioner Erv Hodges said Tuesday.

A dead horse
Tuesday, July 18, 2000

SLT's pulse beating
Friday, July 14, 2000
By Kendrick Blackwood
Journal-World Writer

Thursday's private meeting signifies the possible revival of the South Lawrence Trafficway.

Attorney tries to resuscitate SLT
Thursday, July 6, 2000
By Kendrick Blackwood
Journal-World Writer

A KDOT lawyer is working the back channels to revive the South Lawrence Trafficway. But opponents continue to say "no way" to building in the Baker Wetlands.

South Lawrence Trafficway steps closer to death
Wednesday, March 8, 2000
By Kendrick Blackwood

The proposed eastern segment of the South Lawrence Trafficway is taking one more step toward death this week with the release of a federally mandated study recommending the road not be built.