9th St. closure to extend west beginning February 16

The City of Lawrence continues work on the Jayhawk Watershed project along 9th Street, an important investment in stormwater infrastructure that will improve drainage and reduce flooding risk while rebuilding the corridor for long-term reliability.

Beginning Monday, February 16, City contractors will extend the current roadway closure west on 9th St. from Louisiana St. past Indiana St. toward Mississippi St. as crews move into the next phase of construction. Mississippi St. will remain open to northbound and southbound traffic.

This project phasing schedule is designed to allow crews to quickly install storm sewer infrastructure in an expedited manner, which supports the project’s long-term drainage improvements while also helping restore more convenient pedestrian access for nearby businesses as soon as possible.

February: installing storm sewer and extending the 9th St. closure
As of today, the new storm sewer tunnel has been installed from 9th St. and Indiana St. to 8th St. and Tennessee St. Crews will continue installing inlets and branch lines that connect to the new storm tunnel so that the old storm sewer can be abandoned.

Then, on Monday, February 16, contractors will extend the 9th Street closure west from Louisiana St. past Indiana St. toward Mississippi St. Drivers should follow marked detours and signage in the area.

March: alley work impacts north-side pedestrian travel
Then, in mid-March, crews will shift work to the alley between Indiana St. and Louisiana St. on the north side of 9th Street.

During this work, pedestrians traveling west along 9th Street will need to use the sidewalk on the south side of 9th Street to travel west, and cross north at Mississippi St. to access businesses on the north side. This routing is expected to remain in place until April.

April: pedestrian traffic to switch to north side
Beginning in April, crews will reopen the sidewalk on the north side of 9th St. for pedestrians. This will restore the shortest route from the temporary parking area to the businesses on the north side.

Crews will then close the south sidewalk along 9th St. to complete work on that side of the street.

Businesses remain open and temporary parking is available
Businesses in the project area remain open during construction, and the City encourages residents to continue supporting them when possible.To help improve customer access, temporary parking is available on 9th Street and is free to use. Motorists should follow posted signage and use caution when entering and exiting parking areas near active construction.

Stay informed
Project updates, maps, and access information are available on the project webpage: lawrenceks.gov/mso/jayhawk-watershed.

Contact: City Communications, citycommunications@lawrenceks.gov