LaGRANGE – It has been a slow drive to get down Vernon Street this past week, but officials from the Georgia Department of Transportation are hopeful that the worst of the delays on the Ga. Route 14, U.S. 29 project will be over as soon as next week.

GDOT expects the 14.3-mile section of road to be completed in the next a few months, but the Vernon Street section is projected to be completed much sooner. From there, construction is expected to move back towards more rural sections of the highway where fewer problems with traffic are expected.

“The completion date of the project should be in April or May,” said GDOT Area Engineer David Neighbors.

The project is currently ahead of schedule, though GDOT still expects roughly three weeks of traffic disruption for the entire project. Locals who need to use the section of road that is being resurfaced are advised to plan for those delays by leaving a little early while the construction is in progress. The repaving project is expected to cost an estimated $2 million.

GDOT determines which roads should be resurfaced or repaved based on a grading system that looks at indents and cuts and other ware and tear on state roads and interstates to determine which roads have the greatest need.

Reach Alicia B. Hill at alicia.hill@lagrangenews.com or at 706-884-7311, Ext. 2154.