Yellowknife (July 18/03) - Just when you thought it was over, the segment of Old Airport road in front of the hospital could be closed for a few more days.

Dennis Kefalas, manager of public works, hoped the detour around the Old Airport Road construction site would open in segments before the weekend, but the city later decided to keep the road entirely blocked to finish the project.

"I think the traffic is used to the detour there, so we might as well finish the project with the road blocked off," said Kefalas.

Greg Kehoe, director of public works, said he is hopeful the detour will be removed by Friday evening but said, "with construction, things change all the time and it's hard to predict what stage we'll be in each day."

Residents on Byrne Road, who've had increased traffic because of the detour, can't wait for the work to end.

"It's been an awful lot of traffic over here. I'd say it increased by at least 20 per cent," said Kathy Green, who lives on Byrne Road.

Bennie Fernandez got a double dose of traffic -- at her home on Byrne and at her job at Stanton Regional Hospital where drivers detoured to avoid construction on Old Airport Road.

"I think the traffic is a real safety concern at the hospital," she said.