CITY MANAGER’S REPORT
19th and Louisiana reopened to traffic on schedule
The 19th & Louisiana project was reopened to traffic the evening of August 4th as scheduled. The project features 10” concrete pavement in the 19th & Louisiana intersection and on 19th Street west to Indiana Street. New curb and gutter, sidewalk, traffic signals, and a bus turn out for Lawrence High School were also included in the project. Please see the attached report for photos and more details.
Traffic signal upgrades continue
The traffic signals at 19th and Massachusetts were recently upgraded from pavement loop to video detection. Replacement of the pavement loops would have been necessary following the mill and overlay project, but upgrading to video detection was comparably priced and thus favored. Please see attached photos of the project. Signals at 23rd and Harper were also upgraded during the recent KDOT Geometric Improvement project. LED signals with a new traffic control cabinet and battery backup were installed, and detection was upgraded to video. Please see attached photos of the project.
Transit ridership grows 8 percent in July
Ridership on the T increased 8.3 percent for the month of July. Last month, the fixed-route system provided 33,292 rides, compared to 30,751 in July 2007. A year ago, the transit system began the first of a two-part fare increase, raising the cost of a ride from $.50 to $1.00. Ridership began to decline after the increases, as projected by staff, but revenues went up. From January through July 2008, farebox and pass sales have increased 54 percent over the same period last year. Year to date ridership for January to July 2007 is 237,754 and for January to July 2008 is 218,424.
Planning and Development Services Department launches new website
The Planning and Development Services Department has launched a new website that merges the former Planning and Neighborhood Resources sites. The site can be found at www.lawrenceks.org/pds. The department will continue to add features as needed to serve its customers and the public as effectively as possible.
Lawrence brick street project featured in KC Star
The brick reconstruction of Ohio Street was recently featured in an article in the Kansas City Star.