Maple Lane, 19th Street project nears finish, reopening expected in June
19th Street is set to reopen in early June after months of closure, restoring a key east-west route and easing school and neighborhood travel.
Drivers who have been detouring around 19th Street and Maple Lane should see the corridor reopen in the first week of June, restoring a key east-west connection in Lawrence after months of utility and street work.
The City of Lawrence said the project is in its final phase, with pavement markings scheduled for the week of May 25 before the road reopens. If that timetable holds, 19th Street between Haskell Avenue and Harper Street will return to traffic in early June, ending a closure that has affected school access, neighborhood travel and daily commutes through the area.
The work has been underway since 2024 and is far more than a basic repaving job. City project materials say the Maple Lane and 19th Street project includes reconstruction of Maple Lane north of 19th Street and 19th Street between Almira Avenue and Harper Street, along with water main, sanitary sewer and stormwater improvements. The plans also call for a new sidewalk, ADA accessibility upgrades and a new bus stop along the corridor.
City traffic updates showed the shutdown intensifying in April. On April 20, eastbound 19th Street between Haskell Avenue and Harper Street closed for asphalt mill and overlay work, with westbound traffic initially still open. By May 8, the city said the work was nearing its final phases and was tracking ahead of schedule. Contractors were finishing asphalt work and installing new speed cushions on 19th Street as the project moved toward reopening.
The timeline has shifted from the long span first laid out by the city. A neighborhood fact sheet said construction was expected to begin in late 2024 and conclude in summer 2026. A June 2024 project map showed the 19th Street portion as a summer 2026 item, and by January 2026 the city said the Maple Lane project was almost 70% complete, with Maple Lane already repaved and reopened north of 19th Street.
For residents who use the corridor every day, the reopening will matter most in practical terms: fewer detours, easier access to nearby streets and a return to the normal routines that have been disrupted since the closure began. The city has also warned that nearby neighborhoods could see heavier traffic while drivers avoid the work zone, a pressure that should begin to ease once the final striping is down and 19th Street is back open.
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