8A NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
LOCAL
MONDAY,OCTOBER 27,2008
Lawsuit filed against Lawrence trafficway
BY JOE PREINER
jpreiner@kansan.com
A lawsuit in opposition to the South Lawrence Trafficway is the latest attempt by environmental groups and Haskell Indian Nations University to thwart the proposed construction on the trafficway.
The lawsuit, filed by several environmental groups and Haskell on Friday, appeals to the spiritual and environmental importance of the wetlands through which the proposed trafficway cuts.
The construction project aims
to reduce the amount of pollution and congestion created by traffic on Lawrence streets. The project would divert traffic from traveling through the city via 23rd Street by offering an alternative bypass around the area. The trafficway has been in legal limbo for about 15 years, and the new lawsuit adds yet another delay.
Ryan Callihan, Lenexa senior and vice president of KU Environics, said the trafficway was not a bad idea, but the proposed route did not adequately address the importance of the Haskell-Baker Wetlands.
He said that while the Kansas Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration had offered compromises, each one involved destroying the wetlands.
"Everything they've proposed is ruining the wetlands," Callihan said. "It's also all in complete disregard for the spiritual reasons Haskell wants the wetlands there."
England Porter, Independence, Kan., senior and vice president of the newly formed Ecoconjice group, said the wetlands had been an integral part of Haskell students' study and traditional way of life. She
Photo courtesy of www.southlawrentracfawcay.org
The red line was the first proposal for the trafficway. The green line represents the current proposed route. The blue line is the alternative route proposed by KDOT. The yellow line is another alternative route that runs through the wetlands. The purple line is the route that groups approve of.
Alex Bonham-Carter/KANSAN
The Baker Wetlands is the proposed site of the South Lawrence Trafficway. The construction of the trafficway is being opposed by Haskell Indian Nations University and several environmental groups. The Wetlands Preservation Organization has proposed a route south of the Wakanausa river, away from the wetlands.
said the wetlands had been the site of many tribal burials, the locations of which Haskell has not revealed to KDOT. Porter said the problem with the trafficway project was not due to a lack of communication between groups, but rather complete negligence.
The Federal Highway Administration and KDOT have tried to reach a compromise with those opposed to the project.
According to the 42-page lawsuit, KDOT completed the necessary Supplementary Environmental Impact Statement, a survey of potential economic and environmental effects of the project that had been a previous point of controversy.
With the necessary procedures complete, the Federal Highway Administration issued a Record of Decision, allowing KDOT to proceed with the controversial project.
Jason Hering, Hutchinson senior and president of Ecojustice, said the groups opposing the project wanted more discussion regarding alternate routes for the construction. One alternative the environmental groups are willing to compromise on is a route that would steer traffic south of the Wakarusa River. This option would allow the wetlands to remain intact while still diverting traffic and pollution away from
Lawrence streets.
This option would require a considerable increase in funding to complete, Callihan said. He said it would greatly help the project proceed toward completion. According to the lawsuit, an option taking the traffcway south of the river has not been seriously considered by KDOT or the Federal Highway Administration.
KDOT has offered to make up for the loss of wetland areas by creating about 300 acres of manmade wetlands in the surrounding area.
Hering said that while manmade wetlands had been effective in
past projects, the land KDOT was offering to convert was previously used for farming, with soil that was not pesticide-free.
Environmental groups such as the Wetlands Preservation Organization, headed by Haskell student Patrick Freeland, have banded together with tribes in resistance to the project.
The University and Haskell groups will join with others as plaintiffs in the lawsuit, with KDOT and the Federal Highway Administration acting as defendants in the ongoing process.
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