Memorandum
City of Lawrence
Department of Public Works
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TO: |
David L. Corliss, City Manager |
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FROM: |
Shoeb Uddin, City Engineer |
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CC: |
Chuck Soules, David Woosley, Mark Thiel |
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DATE: |
December 7, 2011 |
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RE: |
December 20, 2011 City Commission Agenda Item Request for Qualifications/Proposals – Geometric Improvements / Westbound Left Turn Lane at 6th and Iowa
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Background
In June of this year, upon authorization from the City Commission, staff submitted two projects (westbound left turn lane at 6th and Iowa, intersection improvements at 23rd and Iowa) to the Kansas Department of Transportation for the state wide geometric improvement (GI) funding. Engineers from KDOT performed a field visit in September of this year. Based on our recent conversation with KDOT, 23rd and Iowa project has been recommended for partial funding. The award decision will be made public in the near future. The schedule, financing plan and other details of the 23rd and Iowa project will be presented to the commission for consideration at a future date.
KDOT is supportive of the proposed improvements at 6th and Iowa; however, this project was not recommended as the competition was very intense due to limited funding availability. There is no other state or federal funds currently available for this project. Consequently, the 6th and Iowa project has to be entirely financed with city funds.
Project Details
This is a busy transportation node in Lawrence with about 30,000 vehicles per day. The proposed improvements would include a dedicated left turn lane for westbound traffic. This is a “T” intersection with two through lanes each in the east-west direction. Westbound left turning (to go south onto Iowa) volume is high and causes a long queue during morning and afternoon peak hours. Based on our preliminary traffic analysis, the proposed left turn lane would reduce the average intersection delay from 89 seconds to 27 seconds and, thereby, would improve driver’s satisfaction, reduce accidents and improve traffic flow in a significant way.
There are multiple utilities, including a traffic signal pole, that would require relocation; the sidewalk on the north side will have to be widened as well. The existing guard rails on both the north and south side of 6th Street will likely be replaced with concrete safety barriers. This turn lane can be accommodated by widening the roadway on the south side and by reducing the width of the existing lanes to 11 feet.
Project Cost / Funding
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Total Construction Cost: $800,000 |
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Engineering Design $50,000 |
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Construction Inspection/Testing $50,000 |
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Total Project Cost $900,000 |
As there are no other state or federal funding sources available at this time, it is anticipated that 100% of the project cost will be financed by issuing General Obligation (GO) bonds. Staff recommends that this project be placed as a project in the 2013 capital budget. As part of the 2013 capital budget, this project will be part of the approximate $5million in capital projects which the City Commission will consider and approve as part of the adoption of the 2013 capital budget this summer.
Project Schedule
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Consultant Selection: |
2011/2012 |
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Engineering Design and Construction Plans: |
2012 |
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Construction: |
Summer of 2013 |
As West 6th Street/US 40 is part of the City Connecting Links of the State Highway system, the engineering design and construction plans for this project will have to be reviewed and approved by KDOT. Due to KDOT review, the engineering design of this project will take a little longer with anticipated completion by the end of 2012/early 2013.
Staff Recommendation
Staff strongly recommends the geometric improvements at 6th and Iowa to provide a dedicated left turn lane for west bound traffic. The next step is to hire a consultant for the engineering design and construction plans.
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Action Requested |
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Attachments