During the Lawrence City Commission’s June 21 discussion of the City’s draft Five-Year Capital Improvement Plan (CIP), several Commissioners expressed the need to include funding for construction projects that would complete the Lawrence Loop by 2027.

Projects being considered in the proposed CIP include:

• 2023/2024 construction of the Lawrence Loop section from Michigan Street to Sandra Shaw Park
• 2023 construction of the section from 8th and Delaware to the Santa Fe Station
• Design and construction of the “downtown section” from the Santa Fe Station to Constant Park
• Design and construction of the section from Queens Road to Kasold Drive

Construction of the Michigan Street to Sandra Shaw Park segment should begin next summer, with 80% of the construction costs being funded by a Department of Transportation (KDOT) grant. If approved, construction of the short segment from the corner of 8^th and Delaware to the Santa Fe Station would also begin next year, funded 100% from local sources.

The route of the Loop through downtown Lawrence has yet to be determined. One option under consideration is a dubbed the Powerhouse Meadow Path. It is included in the proposed CIP as “Kaw River Commons – Phase A,” part of a four-phase plan that envisions a series of trails in and around downtown that create stronger connections between historical, cultural, recreational, natural, and other resources, with a strong emphasis on connections to the Kansas River.

The proposal was developed by a local group of citizens led by retired architect Steve Evans and public space artist Kent Williams. This proposed item in the CIP calls for $700,000 in planning and development funding during 2023 and 2024, and construction in 2025, with an estimated total construction cost of $7 million. It is assumed that the majority of the construction costs would be covered by grant funds.

The last section of the Loop would be built in northwest Lawrence, connecting the Queens Road end of the Baldwin Creek Trail to an existing shared use path on Kasold Drive. The city would acquire land and design the trail in 2025 and 2026 and construct it in 2027. Total estimated costs are $4.8 million.

FLAT is in favor of including funding for all Lawrence Loop gaps in the 2023-2027 CIP. A final CIP will be approved by the City Commission later this summer. We will continue to monitor Lawrence’s budget and CIP process and will keep you informed.