NICK FEAKES | Sports Editor

The ongoing construction project and developments on Droste Road are “currently about 50 percent complete,” according to project manager Tim Rohrbacker.

However, the asphalt for the new roadway itself will not be laid until next spring.

“Because the roadway will be full depth asphalt, and we are into December, the roadway itself will not be removed and replaced until spring of 2018,” Rohrbacker said. “Hot mix asphalt is a temperature sensitive material, and it is difficult to properly place when air temperatures are below 50 degrees Fahrenheit.”

All other aspects of the construction, including pavement reconstruction, sidewalk improvements and utility adjustments will be complete before the new roadway is laid.

Sidewalk improvements are nearly complete on the west side of Droste, and work will begin on the sidewalks closest to Lindenwood houses as soon as utility adjustments are completed and the required poles have been pulled out.

According to the project’s website, the construction has gone $2 million over the original budget.

Workers have experienced conflicts and delays during the construction process. One such example, according to Rohrbacker, was an AT&T pull box being in the way of the new storm sewers, keeping workers from being able to install pipes up the road.

The construction hasn’t come without inconvenience for Lindenwood students as loud construction often starts at 7 a.m. right next to many of the campus houses on Droste Road.

Student Ariana Lewis often wakes up with her “bed shaking in the early morning,” she said.

The project still remains on track for completion by May 21, 2018.