It has been more than two weeks since the start of construction on State Road 62 in Boonville, and -- to virtually no one's surprise -- traffic has been snarled in all directions.

The roadway will be widened from three lanes to four, with a new traffic signal and new signage. It is a part of an overall project that will widen SR 62 all the way from Boonville to Evansville.

But the current construction, with a distance of just over a third of a mile, is considered by the Indiana Department of Transportation to be one of the most complex sections of the construction.

"It is very difficult to construct a roadway in a metropolitan area," said INDOT Vincennes District Spokesperson Cher Goodwin. "You have so many factors, and of course safety is the first thing you have to think about. And you always have to come back and tweak the plan, to make sure we are impacting businesses as little as possible."

During the first phase of the construction, traffic has been moved to the north side of the highway while the southern half is rebuilt. INDOT expects that work to take approximately four weeks, excluding weather delays.

Blankenberger Brothers of Cynthania is the contractor for the project, at a cost of $2.7 million. The overall cost for construction for the 0.37-mile section will be about $5 million.

Traffic is also being restricted on SR 61 at the intersection with SR 62, while that intersection is reconstructed.

At least some of the businesses along the highway are feeling effects from the construction. There are several fast-food stores along the road, including Pizza Hut, Subway, Taco Bell and more. Most of those restaurants, contacted this week, acknowledged that business is down, though the percentages vary.

Mr. Gatti's Pizza, located just south of SR 62, has experienced a drop of about 15 to 20 percent -- or about $1,800 per week -- in business since the start of construction, said general manager Jenny Overton.

"Minimum wage already went up this year, and we're paying high prices for food like everybody else," said Overton. "So with this construction, we'll probably have to raise prices or cut staff."

Bruce Aigner owns a hardware store south of the highway, in Meyer Center. He says his business hasn't suffered too badly, though, he added, "if you get here, you've got to want to get here pretty bad."

Aigner keeps his own books for Aigner Hardware, and he's not seen a major drop in business. He says he thinks the restaurants might have a harder time than his store.

"It will have some effect on us, but what can you do?" said Aigner. "This road will be nice when they are all done with it. It is part of progress. Right now, if people can avoid this road, they will. But if people are working on their plumbing or electrical, there are not that many places to go in Boonville."

Overton and Aigner agree that many of their customers are complaining about the road construction. However, Boonville Police Chief Darrell Saltzman said that there have been no major accidents so far.

"The only accident we had was from inattention, somebody dropped off the pavement," said Saltzman. "We haven't had any complaints from the contractors. We do not want to create more traffic problems than what is already there."

Most of the work for the Boonville Police Department has been dealing with drivers who have tried to avoid the construction zone, either north on North Street or south on Yankeetown Road. Officers have been trying to slow traffic in those areas.

"We've increased our radar work," said Saltzman. "The officers have the discretion to give citations or warnings, whatever they feel will take care of the problem. They have no quotas, or a speed at which they need to start writing tickets."

Funding for the construction project is through Governor Mitch Daniels' "Major Moves" transportation program. Major Moves funds a decade of highway projects in Indiana. When Major Moves is complete in 2015, more than 200 new construction and 200 major highway preservation projects will have been built.

The timing for the rest of the SR 62 project was bumped up by two years, meaning the entire roadway should be finished sometime in 2010.

The current work in Boonville should be complete next year.

Other "Major Moves" projects in Warrick County will include Phase II of the State Road 66 widening project in 2008, Phase III of that same widening project in 2009, a State Road 261 widening project near Castle High School in 2012, and the State Road 61 connector (Boonville Bypass) project in 2013.