Traffic on West Union Street between Elliotsville Road and Morrison Elementary School, 793. W. Union, will be reduced to one lane Wednesday and Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
While the half-mile long stretch of road is closed, the city will repair a guardrail.
Curt Mayle, streets supervisor for the Athens Engineering and Public Works Department said he noticed the rail was rusting last week.
“The post was rotting out. It may have been since winter,” Mayle said. “It will need entirely new posts and plastic spacer blocks.”
Mayle added the section of West Union is mostly used by university students and parents transporting their children to and from school.
Sharon Ervin, director of transportation services for Athens City Schools, said she was not made aware of the project by the city. She expects it will cause some delays.
“I’ll have to let the drivers know,” Ervin said. “Usually, the city calls us the morning of a project. We’re used to this.”
Ervin said it might not affect Morrison Elementary School as much as her afternoon routes for Athens Middle and High School.
“Union Street is always pretty bad, and we’re out there early in the morning,” Ervin said. “Hopefully most of the city traffic avoids it so we can get through.”
Motorists should expect delays, and traffic will be flagged accordingly throughout the project, according to a release from the city.
“After 9 a.m., Union usually becomes pretty clear,” Mayle said. “We’ll finish up by three, people coming through the area just have to be patient.”
Mayle added the project will cost about $1,500 for materials alone.
“We’ll maintain traffic as best as we can,” he said. “We’ll start after school is in and be done by the time school is up.”
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This article originally appeared in print under the headline "Partial closure on West Union."
