Resurfacing work is set to begin this week on a 7.8-mile stretch of U.S. Highway 24 in Jefferson County, and motorists are being advised to be ready for traffic delays.

The $1.1 million project – set to begin Thursday, weather permitting – will reduce the highway to one lane of traffic in areas where work is occurring. A pace car will lead traffic through the work zone, and drivers should expect to be delayed up to 10 minutes at any one time, said Kimberly Qualls, a spokeswoman for the Kansas Department of Transportation.

More than 5,000 vehicles use the stretch of highway on a typical day. Work is scheduled for daylight hours on weekdays and possibly on some Saturdays – although likely not when Kansas State University has a home football game, Qualls said, as the highway is a popular route for Wildcat fans heading into Manhattan.

Hamm Construction Inc., of Perry, is contractor for the job, which is scheduled to be finished in early October, Qualls said.