As drivers may have noticed, the orange traffic cones and construction equipment on Sale Road are all part of the early stages of a state project. The $5 million endeavor was created in July with the goal of improving traffic in the area by reconstructing the road to have wider lanes and shoulders.

Despite the evidence of road work, the actual construction of the new 12-foot lanes has actually yet to begin. Currently, what drivers are seeing is the city moving utilities and powerlines, a common process in similar roadway projects.

Deidra Druilhet, public information officer of the Department of Transportation and Development, said the time frame for the work usually varies from the actual scheduled start date.

“The construction really won’t start until mid-November,” Druilhet said. “First, there is the official awarding period for the project followed by the assembly period. ”

Druilhet said the project was awarded to Gilchrist Construction Company, LLC based out of Alexandria. She said the assembly time period is the time the company uses “to move the equipment needed to complete the project into the area.”

Sale Road is one of several projects focused on improving the city’s roadways. During the first phase, some of the reconstruction will require a portion of Sale Road from Holly Hill Road to Timberlawn Drive to be closed completely to all traffic. The closure of this section of Sale Road will last six months. In the latter phase, other portions of the reconstruction on the east side of Sale Road will be done with limited traffic, where one lane is left open for use.

(American Press Archives)