Corridor Studies

Although transportation planners are responsible for developing plans which examine the entire community, it is necessary sometimes to view certain corridors individually. The following is a series of completed and ongoing corridor studies in the Lawrence/Douglas County Area.


US Highway 40 / K-10 Highway Interchange – Area Transportation Plan

The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) has partnered with the Lawrence-Douglas County Metropolitan Planning Organization (L-DC MPO), the City of Lawrence and Douglas County to fund an access management/traffic/land use study along a section of US40/6th Street between George Williams Way in Lawrence and E 800 Road in unincorporated Douglas County. This area plan will serve as a framework for potential highway enhancements, identification and preservation of right-of-way that may be necessary to accommodate projected enhancements, access management objectives for the highway and for the connecting roads, and the effective inter-connectivity of the local street/road network with the highway. This plan was completed in early 2013 and approved by the MPO on April 19, 2013.

To view this plan and other plans for Northeast Kansas click the links below:

US-40/K-10 Interchange – Area Transportation Plan
Topeka/Lawrence Metro Area Projects and Studies page


US-56 Corridor Management Plan

The L-DC MPO, Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) and its partners worked together to create a corridor management plan for a 22-mile stretch of US-56. The corridor planning area spans from US-59 west of Baldwin City in Douglas County to I-35 on the northeast edge of the City of Gardner in Johnson County. The Corridor Management Plan is the first step to improve access management and capacity along US-56 in a way that supports the needs and addresses the concerns of the Corridor community. The Study was completed in June 2010.


5-County Regional Transportation Planning Study

The 5-County Regional Transportation Planning Study is a two-phase study that involves residents, community leaders and transportation representatives to assess changing transportation needs in five northeast Kansas counties (Douglas, Johnson, Leavenworth, Miami and Wyandotte). The 5-County Regional Transportation Study has three goals: assess the multi-modal transportation needs of the region, prioritize the needs, and develop strategies to address them. The study was initiated to develop recommendations that are technically feasible, politically acceptable, and financially realistic.

Phase One of the study assesses the multi-modal transportation needs of the five-county region and was completed in December 2010.

Phase Two of this study prioritizes the identified transportation needs and develops strategies to address them. Phase Two was completed on April 26, 2013.

For more information visit the Project Web Site.


23rd Street Major Corridor Study

In 1999, the City of Lawrence commissioned TranSystems, Landplan Engineering and Jane Mobley Associates to conduct a Major Corridor Study of 23rd Street (Kansas Highway 10) between Iowa Street (U.S. 59) and Noria Road (E 1750 Rd.) A final draft of the study was completed by the Lawrence/Douglas County Metropolitan Planning Office and has produced two series of public meetings and much discussion about the future of 23rd Street. The chapters of the study may be viewed in pdf below:

In 2019, the MPO commissioned Olsson to conduct the 23rd Street Multi-modal Corridor Study (23rd St. from the Haskell Bridge to O’Connell Rd). The study developed a vision and implementation strategy for East 23rd Street. The process provided an opportunity for the public to reimagine the street laying the foundation for the design when it is reconstructed in 2021-22. The study took into consideration current and future land uses, multi-modal traffic counts, access management, crash history, and multimodal infrastructure needs epescially since East 23rd Street is no longer K-10


31st Street Corridor Study

The City of Lawrence and Douglas County, Kansas commissioned TranSystems to produce a corridor feasibility of 31st Street from Iowa (U.S. 59) to Kansas Highway 10. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the existing roadway from Iowa to Haskell and investigate future improvements which will help traffic flow and congestion. The study was completed in 2003.

Click here to view the study.


K-10/South Lawrence Trafficway Study

For more information about the SLT design and construction, visit: https://slt-ks.org