Two roads will lose direct access to North Main Street as part of a road-widening project.

Beginning Wednesday, contractors will permanently close North Main Street access from Lamar Street and Fern Avenue.

The project by the Richland County Transportation Penny Program involves constructing a new traffic pattern at the nearby intersection of North Main and Miller Avenue. The work also aims to improve drainage, allow for the addition of sidewalks and improve overall safety at the intersection.

Contractors will install detours for the new traffic pattern Wednesday. The detours will last through the project’s duration to give residents and motorists time to get used to the access changes.

Drivers will need to make a loop to access Fern Avenue. They can enter via the North Main intersection with Miller Avenue, then turn onto Ridgewood Avenue and then Byrd Avenue to reach Fern Avenue.

For the Lamar Street detour, drivers can turn from North Main onto Kortright Street to access Lamar Street.

When the project is complete, the detour routes will become permanent, as Lamar Street and Fern Avenue will no longer have access to North Main. The current intersection of Lamar and Fern with North Main will change to a T-shaped turnaround area.

The widening project is expected to be complete in August 2020.