Turnpike staff members have met with Lawrence residents, businesses and leaders, including at the University of Kansas, to let them know about the plan. The information effort will continue for the project's duration, using many methods to advise about progress and traffic changes.

Road enhancements have begun already to ward off or ease bottlenecks caused by the coming partial or complete closings of Lawrence interchanges. An additional lane at the South Lecompton interchange, Plaza 197, is in place, as is an acceleration lane for traffic getting onto K-10 heading to Lawrence's burgeoning west side. In addition, an extra K-TAG lane will be built at the East Lawrence interchange (Plaza 204) to alleviate extra traffic expected to use that exit while the West Lawrence (Plaza 202) interchange is partially closed.

K-TAG is quite possibly the most effective tool a motorist - particularly commuters - can use to ease their way into and out of Lawrence. The electronic passes, as always, will bring quicker trips through plazas. Even travelers who don't visit Lawrence as often - such as Jayhawk hoop and football fans - benefit from K-TAG.

The project is necessary because the bridges, while well maintained and safe, are predicted to reach the end of their natural lives in 2012. A new three-lane westbound bridge will be built north of the existing bridges, constructed in 1955, and all traffic shifted onto it. A new eastbound bridge will then go up and the old spans removed. The Lawrence interchanges will be rebuilt to accommodate a shift in traffic flow and to handle the increased traffic on the busy Kansas City to Topeka corridor.

At an estimated $140 million, the project is the costliest ever undertaken by the Authority. Its cost approximates the same amount spent to construct the full 236-mile Turnpike in the mid-1950s. To finance work of this scale, the Authority has been structuring its finances over the past several years in anticipation of this project.

Many questions and issues, expected and unexpected, will undoubtedly arise before work concludes in mid-2011, and the Turnpike plans to keep all parties apprised until then.

One question sure to come up is: Will you blow up the current bridges and can I watch?

Sorry, don't know yet.