First segment of West Ely project completed

A few hundred feet may not sound like much when it comes to rebuilding a busy road. On West Ely Road in Hannibal it means the difference between a thoroughfare with a dead end and a roadway where a detour around the construction zone is now possible for motorists.
The first segment of the West Ely Road project has been completed and is now open to traffic. Because the initial portion of the project had extended just east of Cherokee Trail, a reasonably short detour was not available, effectively making West Ely Road a dead end for those driving west.
“Now a small detour is possible,” said Mark Rees, engineer for the city of Hannibal.
Motorists traveling west on West Ely Road can now detour around the work zone by taking Cherokee Trail, Settlers Trail and Pioneer Trail back to West Ely Road.
Work on West Ely Road began Sept. 21 and was expected to take up to six weeks to complete. However, the work has been finished in five weeks despite the fact that rain earlier this month put a damper on the pouring of curbs along the new stretch of pavement.
Excavation of the old surface along the next construction segment of West Ely Road has already begun. Even with rain in the forecast, workers were busy Thursday morning putting gravel into the new section.
“What we need is a big tent,” said a Bleigh Construction worker with a smile.
“We’re hoping for a long, dry November,” said Rees.
The entire West Ely project is expected to be finished by the end of September 2010.