Part of Lexington Avenue will be totally closed Monday for paving

Several blocks of Lexington Avenue will be closed entirely to through-traffic Monday to allow a contractor to pave the street with asphalt, city engineer Casey Brunke said.

Asphalt overlay work on Lexington Avenue will extend from Sherwood Drive to Cape Rock Drive, city officials said in a news release.

Paving operations are scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. and be completed by that evening, she said. All through-traffic will need to use alternate routes, Brunke said.

"The detour on Cape Rock Drive and Perryville Road is in place and can be used to bypass the construction," city officials said in a news release.

Brunke said the contractor, Nip Kelley Equipment Co., will work with residents who live along the affected section of the street to allow them to travel to and from their homes.

The city engineer said it was decided to close both lanes of the street for a single day so the paving could be completed sooner.

Street improvements began last fall with concrete patching, officials said.

The project, costing more than $721,000, includes new sidewalk construction on the north side of the street, removal and replacement of portions of driveways and curb and gutter, and adjustment of existing utilities and manholes, Brunke told the council last summer.

Motorists should experience a much smoother ride once construction work wraps up this year, officials said. The project is funded with transportation sales tax money.