Road construction projects ramping up in Cedar Rapids

Getting from Point A to Point B on C Avenue NE, north of Boyson Road, isn't an easy task.

“For weeks, it hasn't been bad, but the last couple of days it's been bad, very slow,” says George Delvecchio.

Some drivers have no choice but to deal with the delay. Others who hardly travel through Cedar Rapids sometimes don't notice a work zone until it's too late.

“I came through Marion. I think I should have gone back through Marion, but it's that time of year,” says Nona Wessels.

‘Tis the season of road construction projects. Stopping and starting and taking a detour are hassles, but drivers know road repair is necessary.

“The road was actually not in very good condition. So, in the long term this is going to be an excellent thing,” says Delvecchio.

April is the beginning of road construction season, so drivers are having to be more patient and wait in longer lines, but the Cedar Rapids Public Works says drivers are seeing more road construction projects now than in years past.

• RELATED: More on road construction in the Corridor at The Cone Zone

“If you go back three or four years, we were only doing $14 to $15 million. Now we are trying to execute somewhere between $25 to $35 million on projects. So, you are seeing twice the number of projects today,” says Craig Hanson, Cedar Rapids Public Works Maintenance Manager.

Hanson says crews are working on roughly seven major road projects right now and are planning more in the coming weeks. He begs drivers to be patient, especially since this kind of road work can take anywhere from a few months to a couple of years. Safer roads are the ultimate goal, even if it means delays getting from Point A to Point B.

Public works says road construction projects will last until mid-October. That's because the goal is to wrap up work 30 days before the first snow fall.

-- Claire Kellett, KCRG-TV9