Pflugerville officials expect the current phase of construction on Kelly Lane to be completed on schedule in December despite engineering hitches and unexpected delays.

The portion of Kelly Lane between Falcon Pointe Boulevard West and Murchison Ridge Trail is currently slimmed to a narrow, two-lane road bordered by orange barrels and barricades.

The goal of the project is to widen the road and add turn lanes, sidewalks, medians and new traffic signals. The changes are designed to relieve traffic around area homes, schools, businesses and the soon-to-be-open Hawaiian Falls Water and Adventure Park at SH 130 and FM 685. Raised curbs and stormwater drains will also be installed.

Roadwork on Kelly Lane began in December 2013. Work crews ran into underground infrastructure that builders and city officials did not know existed. Some of the pipes and cables that crews have uncovered are so old they do not appear on any plans, Pflugerville City Engineer Dan Franz said. Builders hit what Franz referred to as a "live" wastewater main that was not noted in plans.

"There isn't a construction project out there that doesn't have issues and hiccups and things we uncover. This project has been no different," Franz said, adding that the project remains on schedule.

Franz said relocating utility lines along Kelly Lane slowed the project between December and February. He said the project's contractor, Pflugerville-based Cash Construction, has made up for the lost time.

BJ Cash, vice president of Cash Construction Inc. and the Kelly Lane project manager, said encountering such problems as uncharted pipes is normal in the Pflugerville area. But on Kelly Lane the obstacles are not just underground.

"It's always difficult with a busy street like this," Cash said. "You've got the school and the traffic and the kids getting in and around the construction site."

Three schools are located in the Kelly Lane corridor, including Murchison Elementary, Kelly Lane Middle and Hendrickson High schools. Traffic on the road is heavily congested at the beginning and end of each school day.

Max Poss has served as the crossing guard at the intersection of Kelly Lane and Kennemer Drive since 2006. Poss said his work as an air-traffic controller in the Navy prepared him for the job of shepherding groups of children across Kelly Lane. Though most motorists are patient and cautious as they pass Murchison Elementary where Poss is stationed, the ongoing construction and bumper-to-bumper traffic have not made the job easy, he said.

"This is like herding cats," Poss said. "It's a pretty hairy place."

The Kelly Lane project initially began in 2011 with utility relocation. The contract for roadwork was issued in November 2013, and construction began a month later.

Construction is currently taking place on the southern side of Kelly Lane. Work will shift to the northern lanes once some cabling is relocated and work on a traffic signal is completed.

All water lines along the road have been installed, Franz said. The city of Pflugerville will update its website as construction continues.

Pflugerville Mayor Jeff Coleman said area residents have responded well to the project.

"Our citizens are doing what we asked them to do–they are finding other ways around," Coleman said. "Opening up Colorado Sand [Drive] and getting Pflugerville Parkway in better shape before we did this was a stroke of brilliance."

The improvements should allow an additional 4,000 vehicles to use the road each day.