ROANOKE (WSLS 10) - As more people are hitting the roads, it's a hassle for some as crews pave dozens of roads in downtown Roanoke.
Many say it can almost be a maze to navigate through all of the road construction in the city.
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Some of the work is city paving projects, but AEP is also doing a lot of maintenance work that requires tearing up the roads.
Roanoke city construction crews are busy laying asphalt and paving one section of road at a time.
"We've talked about Franklin, Broadway, McClanahan. We've paved Garden City, we paved Hershburger, we paved the whole Morning Side neighborhood in Southeast," said Mark Jamison, the transportation director for the city of Roanoke.
Right now, traffic is slow along Brambleton Avenue between Brandon and the city's limits from paving. Workers are also reconstructing the bridge near Towers along Franklin Road.
Last year crews paved 65 miles of road, but during just this spring and summer, the city is set to pave 74 miles, costing nearly $6 million and that number could still grow.
"We've had a very, very busy spring. A lot of the work that you have seen is related to private-utility work," said Jamison.
With summer almost here, construction season is in full bloom.
"Downtown's tough enough to drive in so it's difficult enough when lanes are blocked and you know, it creates blind spots. So, it's just kind of a mess," said Tyler Scales, who lives in Roanoke.
In the next week, paving will start along 13th Street SW and Memorial Avenue from Salem to Black Dog Salvage.
By the end of the month, workers will begin working on parts of Orange Avenue.
Jamison said several private contractors are doing road work downtown such as AEP, Roanoke Broadband and the water authority.
Most projects are maintenance; however, to replace old cables and water lines in the ground, crews need to dig up the roads.
Most projects should finish by the end of summer.