Hoy Road to open end of month

MADISON – Hoy Road is finally expected to be open to two-way traffic by the end of the month, officials said this week.

“We’ve had to deal with multiple delays due to rain over the summer, but the weather is going to be perfect over the next couple of weeks for us to finish up,” said Keith O’Keefe, an  engineer with Neel-Schaffer. “It’s been very difficult to do word work when faced with an inch of rain nearly every afternoon, but now the weather is great.”

Construction on Hoy Road began in September 2020 by Hemphill Construction as a multi-step, $9 million project with the intent to widen the lanes and make it safer for drivers with new asphalt and sidewalk improvements.

The project includes improvements to the intersection of Hoy and Rice/Tisdale Road; curb, gutter, and sidewalk improvements; a multi-use path; and the widening of Hoy Road to five lanes from Old Canton Road to Victoria Place. 

Right now, the widening of the road has left only one lane open to westbound traffic from Rice Road to Old Canton Road.

Two years later, the project is nearing its end, and O’Keefe said Hemphill Construction is finishing work on the curbs and sidewalks.

“Once they finish that, they’ll start applying the final surface of asphalt and striping,” O’Keefe said. “We at Neel-Schaffer still have some landscaping to do to finish everything up.”

O’Keefe said Hoy Road was originally two very narrow lanes, which were each around ten feet in width with open ditches on each side.

“The pavement was not in good condition,” he said. “The new road will have lanes that are twelve feet wide, curbs and gutters, and turn lanes at all intersections. It’s going to be a great feeling when it’s finished. I know it’s been a big inconvenience to the public, but traffic will flow a lot better when it’s done.”

“We’ll also have the multi-use trail along with it and it’ll be a neat quality of life asset to the city,” he said. “People can get out there to walk, jog, and ride their bikes safely.”