When the work on the St. Sebastian Way extension finishes this summer, officials have said drivers can expect a smooth ride from River Watch Parkway to Walton Way.

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Rainier Ehrhardt/Staff

Crews work on a bridge along a new stretch of St. Sebastian Way, which will connect River Watch Parkway to hospitals.

But until that day commuters will have to deal with some major traffic disruptions in the name of progress.

The latest -- a monthlong closure of Broad Street between 15th Street and Crawford Avenue -- was announced this week. Drivers will be detoured around the busy intersection starting Monday because crews from CSX Railroad will be repairing the crossing to make it less bumpy for cars.

"We knew (the Broad Street closure) was going to happen sometime, but we didn't know when," said Mike Keene, area engineer for the Georgia Department of Transportation. "We are kind of at the whim of the railroad."

Officials had previously said a springtime closure of 15th Street would be the next major problem for drivers. Right now, they expect that to occur in late April or early May and to last until the end of work in July.

Keene said the contractor -- Tucker, Ga.-based Sunbelt Structures Inc. -- will use this time to construct a series of concrete panels it will use when it rebuilds the bridge over the canal on 15th Street later this spring.

The $30 million St. Sebastian Way extension is designed to move traffic from River Watch Parkway to the heart of Augusta's medical complex with fewer stoplights and no railroad crossings.

Realigning that future intersection shut down traffic on Walton Way last year for four months and diverted 25,000 vehicles in the process.

Officials don't expect the Broad Street closure to have the same impact. About 14,700 vehicles pass through that area each day, according to Steve Cassel, Richmond County traffic engineer. Much of the traffic will be diverted using Calhoun Expressway, according to a DOT press release.