Douglas County Road 1029 will be closed for nearly two months this fall, but reopened in time for use through the winter months, a county official said Wednesday.

The road, which connects the Farmers Turnpike and Lecompton, is cleared for adding paved shoulders and widening ditches on both sides of the road, plus filling dips, shaving hills and repaving lanes to make travel safer.

Perry-based Hamm Inc., the project’s general contractor, will close the road for five or six weeks this fall to install two box culverts, said Keith Browning, county engineer and director of public works. Work is expected to begin in mid-October.

The road would be reopened for traffic once the culverts are installed. Crews then would close the road again about March 1 to handle the other work, which would be expected to be finished in mid- to late summer.

Douglas County commissioners welcomed the news as they settled several issues related to the project:

• Cost: The county will send the state a check for $398,182, to cover the county’s share of the $1.8 million construction bill. The county’s cost is nearly $67,000 less than the county had expected to spend.
• Travel restrictions: When 1029 is closed, Browning fears that traffic will detour onto East 500 Road, which runs parallel and a mile west of 1029. Commissioners agreed to post temporary speed limits — 30 mph north of North 1850 Road and 25 mph south of North 1850 — on East 500, plus a 25 mph limit on North 1850 Road.