Paving of West Second Street has begun.

Contractors with Milestone Inc. of Columbus laid the base coat of asphalt for the new road Monday, and the surface coat will be placed within the next two weeks, a city official said. 

But with a fresh, smooth surface, free of potholes and deterioration, some Seymour residents are worried speeding will become an even greater problem when the road reopens this summer.

The road should be completed in late June, city engineer Nathan Frey said.

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“The project is coming along really well. Most of it has been completed,” Frey said. “The first layer of asphalt will be completed today (Tuesday). About 80 percent of the concrete work is completed. The contractor is working on final grading of the areas, which will be sodded within the next two weeks.”

Doug Ray, who lives at the corner of Second Street and Western Parkway, brought his concerns to Seymour City Council members during a meeting Monday night at city hall.

Ray thanked the council for getting the $3 million road reconstruction project started, the bulk of which got underway in March.

“But we’ve still got a problem or we’re going to have more of a problem,” Ray said. “Speeding.”

Ray suggested city officials look at putting up a three-way stop sign at the intersection of Second Street and Manor Heights Drive.

The stretch of road being rebuilt runs from Lasher Drive near Central Christian Church west to Vehslage Road. It’s the first phase of a two-phase project to reconstruct and widen and improve the entire street from Lasher Drive to Springhill Road.

Construction on the second phase should begin in April 2017, Frey said.

West Second Street is typically a busy corridor, often used by motorists driving east to bypass U.S. 50 to get to downtown Seymour or to head west toward Brownstown.

The street also is heavily used by students walking to and from Seymour High School.

“Somewhere we need to slow them down. The police can’t sit there all the time,” Ray said of traffic. “What we should have done, we should have put a roundabout down there. It slows people down, but it would have taken a lot more property to do it.”

Frey said the city is aware of Ray’s and other people’s concerns about speeding in the area.

“I have been working with the city’s thoroughfare committee to look at options to slow traffic,” Frey said. “Currently, the plan is to complete a one-week speed study once the route is open to traffic.”

Possible solutions to speeding could include adding stop signs, narrowing the driving lanes with a white edge line or other means that would be acceptable to the Federal Highway Administration, he said.

Improvements being made to the area include the addition of a storm sewer to help alleviate flooding, curbs, gutters and a sidewalk on the north side of the street, all of which when paired with the new road surface will make traveling the area easier and safer for motorists and pedestrians, city officials have said.

The Federal Highway Administration is funding 80 percent of the project, using money collected from the gas tax paid whenever motorists fill up at the gas pumps.

The remaining 20 percent will be paid by the city with money that has been earmarked for several years, specifically for the West Second Street project, Frey said.

When finished, the newly rebuilt road will be about 4 feet wider, Frey said.

But Ray said something will have to be done to keep motorists from speeding.

“It was already a drag strip, and now, it’s nice and smooth,” he said. “It’s something to think about. This is 30 years overdue, but we’re glad to see it coming along.”

The biggest hurdle for the city and construction workers throughout the project has been maintaining local traffic, allowing residents to get to and from their homes.

“We want to thank residents in this area for their patience and cooperation,” Frey said. “Any time a road is totally reconstructed, it is difficult for people to get around.”