Weary drivers and brave pedestrians who've patiently endured one roadwork project after another this season, take heart: Area construction and traffic slowdowns soon will go into hibernation for the winter, likely sometime around the end of November.

The downside? There are still a few bridges to cross before we get to that happy place of clear roadways. Here, we spell out what you can expect for your commute over next two months.

Want to stay on top of detours, closures and more? Visit our Traffic Updates page (find it fast in the future -- just click the traffic banner on urmctoday.com).

Projects Winding Down

Mt. Hope Corridor work is right on schedule. Work will shut down from Nov. 30 to April 15, when it will resume for some minor work to landscape and apply asphalt. The entire project is scheduled to be completed by mid-June 2013. Paving of the western (southbound) side of Mt. Hope (from Elmwood to Raleigh) will be completely finished by the end of September.

The eastbound, right-hand turn lane of Elmwood Ave. (at Mt. Hope) is scheduled to reopen on Sept. 29 – but the lane closest to the median will close at that time, meaning only one east-bound lane of traffic will remain open through Oct. 30.

Mt. Hope Cemetery fence replacement work has been temporarily delayed (because the materials were unavailable), but will resume with installation starting Sept. 28. Happily, most of the work is complete and should wrap up by mid-October. In the meantime, you can expect minor slowdowns as the work impacts Elmwood’s westbound lane.

Two new traffic lights will be up by mid-October, at the intersection of Elmwood and East Drive, and are expected to improve traffic flow and safety for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists. Details are forthcoming.

Westfall Road work is right on schedule and will revert to two-way traffic after Nov. 30, when construction shuts down for the winter. Until then, through-traffic has been switched over to the south side of the road.

The new ‘Diverging Diamond’ traffic pattern (at Winton Road) is expected to be complete by Oct. 15. During the weekend of Sept. 29, 590’s “Exit 1” ramps will be closed to complete work at the location.

Projects Ramping Up

Crittenden Boulevard will see significant closings and detours due to paving and water main installation down the entire eastbound lane. There will be a 30- to 45-day period when the roadway will become one-way. More details are forthcoming.

Starting 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 27, and running through 6 a.m. the following morning, Crittenden Boulevard (between East Drive and Mt. Hope) will close overnight. Detours will be in place during this temporary shutdown.

Castleman Drive will get new speed bumps improve safety in this residential neighborhood. Bumps should be installed over the next four weeks. More information is forthcoming.

On Sept. 29, two lanes along the center median of Mt. Hope (between Crittenden and Elmwood) will close for five weeks so that work on the median can be completed. This will reduce traffic to one-way in each direction.

In the coming weeks, we will have more details about a new project to create a traffic circle on East River Road. The work is expected to last until Dec. 2013.

Thanks for Hanging in There

There is no doubt it has been a challenging year of commuting for many of us. We would like to thank everyone for your resilience throughout the slowdowns, snarls, installations, excavations, construction and closings. We believe the end result will justify what we’re going through – and that within the next two years, we’ll see a new and improved neighborhood and Medical Center, including a brand new Golisano Children’s Hospital and bustling College Town community.

Again, you can keep up to date on these projects and more by visiting the Traffic Updates page on www.urmctoday.com.