Motorists are once again driving on Aboite Center Road between Coventry Lane and Dicke Road.

The Allen County Highway Department announced that work on the first phase of the Aboite Center improvement project from Coventry to Dicke finished at around 4 p.m. Wednesday and that section has been reopened to traffic.  Also opened is the intersection of Aboite Center and Coventry Lane.

With the completion of that phase, workers have now turned their attention to the section of Aboite Center between Dicke and West Jefferson Boulevard.  That phase is scheduled to be finished sometime in mid-October.  The recommended detour for eastbound traffic will continue to be south on Homestead Road to US 24 then east to Aboite Center.  The detour for westbound traffic from West Jefferson will be north onto Getz Road, west onto Covington Road, south onto Dicke Road to Aboite Center.  As with all highway projects, the length of the closure could be affected by weather.

The $6.6 million project includes widening Aboite Center from two lanes to four 12-foot wide lanes with curb and gutter, adding an eight-foot wide multi-use path on the north side and a five-foot wide sidewalk along the south side of the road.