The third and final phase of the Plank Road reconstruction project, between Highway 40 and just south of McGregor Sideroad, is on track to be completed in early September.
Work this year began in April after phase one was initiated in 2022.
Phase three involved water main replacement, new water services to properties, new asphalt overlay, and wide paved shoulders.
City of Sarnia Construction Manager Robert Williams said all the underground piping has been installed, culverts have been replaced, and the existing pavement has been recycled.
Williams said the final paving process started this week and will likely take until the middle of next week to complete.
"It's a large stretch of road so it'll take us to the middle of next week likely, depending on some test results, and then we'll be shouldering off thereafter," he said. "Probably some time right after the long weekend, we'll be line painting and getting ready to open the road."
In the meantime, Williams said motorists may experience delays in the project area.
"We do still expect some closures and some interruptions to traffic right near Highway 40 where we're paving really close to the intersection, that is scheduled for [Thursday, August 22] and we recommend people plan an alternate route and come in from the north or expect delays," he said.
While the Plank Road project is expected to be completed according to budget and schedule, Williams said there were some minor delays.
"We've had a tremendous amount of rain this year and I think all of our projects are somewhat impacted but not by a great deal," he said. "It was an interesting project because we have a lot of commercial businesses, with fire protection and we have a petrochemical plant... so those challenges we knew about and planned for. Other than that, [there were] just some unexpected culverts that we weren't aware of that were underneath the old Plank Road."
As construction crews remain in the area, Williams is asking motorists to be respectful and mindful of those workers when travelling in the area.