LaGRANGE — Road construction on Ridley Avenue near Lafayette Square may take longer than expected to complete, according to city officials.

The roadwork is underway after a waterline broke a week ago and sent thousands of gallons of water down the street, flooding local businesses’ basements and buckling the street and sidewalks.

A 12-inch water line has been installed on the eastern side of Ridley Avenue and utility officials are in the process of testing the line and water quality, according to Tom Hall, city manager.

“Today, we should be done with the tie-ins to make the new water lines active,” he said. “They’ve got some chlorine tests that need to be done; there’s a process to make sure it’s safe.”

Hall said he expects the project to be completed by or around the first weekend in October. He had hoped it would be complete in a week, but the project is taking longer because the base, which is used to back-fill the trench in which the line was laid, must be poured concrete rather than dirt, Hall said.

Once the concrete is poured, the street will be resurfaced and the project should move smoothly after that, he added.

The total cost of the construction is expected to be around $100,000.

One lane of traffic on Ridley Avenue will remain open throughout the entirety of the project. About 150 yards of street are affected by the roadwork.

The previous water line, which is being abandoned for the replacement, was installed at least 80 years ago, according to Hall.

Hall thanked the city workers who he said have worked tirelessly to move the project along as quickly as possible.

The water leak was first reported to Troup County 911 at 5:04 p.m. Sept. 17, according to Suzy Noles, the 911 center’s director. A total of 12 calls were made to 911 reporting the leak. The first police officer arrived at 5:05 p.m. and began directing traffic, Noles said.

Workers were unable to shut off the water until 7:30 p.m., according to Hall. Still, the remaining water had to be pumped out of the hole dug by workers.