Jayhawk Watershed & Mississippi Street Improvements Project
Overview
The City is planning improvements along Mississippi Street between 9th Street and 11th Street. This project will bring street reconstruction, stormwater upgrades, utility renewals, and street enhancements to create a safer, more connected corridor.
Mississippi Street plays multiple roles in our community, connecting areas such as the University of Kansas, the Oread neighborhood, nearby destinations, and the broader city
With this, the street must serve a wide range of users and meet a wide range of needs.
Add your feedback to our survey - Mississippi Street Improvements Project Survey
Project Considerations & Goals
This project is shaped by several adopted city plans, neighborhood plans, and design standards.
Streets for Everyone (Complete Streets)
City policy requires streets to work for all users—people walking, biking, driving, and using transit. This includes features like:
Sidewalks and accessible crossings
Bicycle facilities
Traffic calming and safety improvements
Traffic signal timing
These elements help create a safe and comfortable experience for all ages and abilities.
Improving Walking Conditions
City planning efforts emphasize:
Filling sidewalk gaps
Improving crossings
Ensuring accessibility for all users
This means improvements to walking conditions are a key part of the project.
Supporting a Connected Bike Network
Mississippi Street’s role within Lawrence’s bicycle network creates an opportunity to explore how bicycle accommodation can support safe, connected multimodal travel while responding to the corridor's character and needs.
Respecting Neighborhood Character
Mississippi Street is located within the Oread neighborhood, which has a strong identity and historic character.
Plans and design guidelines emphasize:
Maintaining neighborhood scale and feel
Enhancing, not disrupting, existing character
Designing improvements that fit the surrounding context
Supporting a Key Connection
This corridor connects the university and surrounding neighborhoods and serves:
Daily neighborhood travel
Campus access
High pedestrian volumes, especially during events
The design must balance these different uses.
Working Within a Limited Space
Mississippi Street has a fixed width, meaning all improvements must fit within the existing public right-of-way and minimize the need for easements for construction or other features
Within that space, the design must consider:
Travel lanes
Sidewalks or multi-use paths
Bicycle facilities
Wayfinding and Signage
On-street parking
Trees and landscaping
Lighting and streetscape features
Underground utilities and stormwater infrastructure
Balancing Priorities
Because space is limited, the project involves balancing multiple priorities and developing a design that best fits the corridor while meeting City standards, plans, and policies
Some of the key considerations include:
Do you widen the street for transportation needs (parking bikes, cars)? or
Do you widen sidewalks in lieu of widening the street?
Do you adjust the street and sidewalk for transportation needs even if it impacts additional existing trees?
What are the higher priority streetscape features vs. infrastructure needs?
Some trees will be impacted regardless of the street cross-section chosen due to the stormwater construction.
Different design approaches will balance these priorities in different ways.
What Makes This Corridor Unique
Mississippi Street is not a typical street. It functions as:
A neighborhood street
A connection to the University of Kansas
A citywide transportation link
In addition, the corridor has high pedestrian activity, event-related traffic, existing parking demand and sensitivity, and a strong neighborhood identity. This combination makes the design both important and complex.
Decisions & Next Steps
While some requirements are already established, important decisions have not yet been made. There are multiple ways to design this street. These choices will affect:
How space is allocated
How the street feels and functions
How it impacts residents and users
Community input will help shape these decisions before designs are finalized.
Project Timeline
Our project team is currently working to gather community input about the project. After our feedback collection, we will develop design concepts based on what we've heard from our community in addition to our project constraints.
Then, our team will host a future meeting to share our concepts. We'll work to refine our design based on feedback we receive during those other meetings.
Dates | Milestones |
August 24 4 – 6 pm | Public Meeting #1 - Gather input on values and vision |
| Developing 2 Design Concepts |
September 28 4-6 pm | Public Meeting #2 - Gathering Community Input on 2 proposed concepts |
| Concept Plan Submittal |
October 19 | Connected City Advisory Committee Meeting |
November 9 | Submit Final Concept |
Get Involved
We want to hear from you! At this stage, we are asking for input on:
Your experience using Mississippi Street
Your priorities for the future
Your concerns about potential changes
Your feedback will directly inform the design concepts that will be shared at the next phase of engagement.
Add your feedback to our survey - Mississippi Street Improvements Project Survey