By EMILY SPARACINO / Staff Writer

Resurfacing work on Chelsea Road is nearing completion as crews prepare to apply the final elements.

The first two phases – a crack sealing operation and application of the final seal coat of asphalt – are complete.

“They have finished the majority of the work,” Shelby County Engineer Randy Cole said on June 23. “Now, they’re tying in driveways, and they will have to come back and groove both sides of the road and put in rumble strips.”

Wiregrass Construction is the contractor on the project, which started June 9 and includes the stretch of road from the intersection of Chelsea Road and County Road 49 south to Alabama 25 in Columbiana.

Although most of the work is done, Cole said crews must wait 30 days before striping the roads.

“The permanent striping is Thermoplastic, and the pavement has to cure for at least 30 days before we can put down the Thermoplastic,” Cole said. “Then, the project will be completed.”

Cole said the project could wrap up at the end of July or early August.

As with other phases of the project, crews will work daily from about 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., depending on the weather.

“The road rides really smoothly,” Cole said. “Conditions have been optimal. Just be careful and slow down when workers are present.”