OTTUMWA — The Ottumwa bypass may be open to Thanksgiving travelers.

On Monday, road crews were working on the bypass section over by Dahlonega Road, near the Alta Vista Avenue entrance to Indian Hills Community College.

“The contractor is currently paving the main line and finishing up on the ramps,” said Scott Sommers, the resident construction engineer for the Iowa Department of Transportation. “Main line is the main pavement out there where traffic normally travels.”

He said he is pleased with how the road looks and the pace at which the project is proceeding.

“They’ll hopefully have all the concrete paving done by October, pending cooperation of the weather. After they get the pavement on, they’ll have shouldering, sub-drains, painting and signing to do,” Sommers said.

He said the process of painting the center lines and the edge lines “takes more time than you might think.”

But all that has been figured in, and Sommers said IDOT is on schedule.

“They’re thinking of being done and open the week of Nov. 19. That’s their target, at least,” he said. “That’s what they’re wanting and I’m pretty sure they’re going to get it. That’s been their goal all along, and they’ve been doing pretty good.”

Fairfield bypass

The bypass in Fairfield is coming along well, too, even though it is one year behind the one in Ottumwa. It’s expected to be done in 2008.

“Everything really seems to be on schedule,” said IDOT’s Pete Tollenaere, the assistant district engineer. “That’s just how the projects worked out. The Ottumwa project started first.”

Paving has not begun at the Fairfield bypass site.

“Currently, the grading contractor is close to getting finished up with their work, probably by the middle of October. Then, we have a number of bridges still in the process of being completed.”

Most bridges will be done by fall, with a couple smaller bridges being completed next spring.