Drivers will soon be able to navigate West Berry Street without the help of orange barrels and detour signs, albeit behind schedule.

According to the original report of the initiative, the street construction was contracted at 300 days. Instead, the projected April end date will put the length of construction at 14 months.

     The Berry Street Initiative is a four-stage plan to revamp the Berry Street corridor directly east of University Drive. The Initiative includes new and safer crosswalks and sidewalks, as well as new benches and trash cans. The major renovations included the resurfacing of the street, which caused closures and delays around the TCU campus.

     As of Jan. 25, the fourth and final stage of construction dealing with the southern-most lanes of Berry Street had begun. Project manager Arty Wheaton-Rodriguez said he was hopeful that the construction would finish in mid-April, but said the project could stretch to the end of the month.

     The fourth stage will be completed in two parts, Rodriguez said. The first part will focus on resurfacing the south side of the street while opening the middle lanes for traffic. Once that is finished, middle lanes will close to put in new medians and aesthetic work will be done to the south sidewalk to mirror the north side. Upon completion, the entire street will be lined and reopened for normal traffic flow.

     The duration of the construction has frustrated many local drivers. “It clogs up the lanes,” Will Jenkins said, a TCU sophomore. “It makes you want to take a different route, which means more time to get places.”

     Another local driver, TCU sophomore and Arlington resident Henry Brown, isn’t bothered by the inconvenience. “It’s no big deal you just go another way,” Brown said.

     Radio Shack is among the affected businesses, as it is blocked off from both directions of traffic while the southern lanes are closed. Although signs indicate how to access the cut off areas, Radio Shack’s business is down.

“It’s definitely slowed our numbers down,” Daniel Lopez said, the store manager.

     For more information on the Berry Street construction, visit the Berry/University Village project page.

Caption: Traffic backs up on Berry Street westbound. Only one lane can get by due to the construction.