BATON ROUGE- After two long years of construction and gridlocked traffic, the nine million dollar road project On Nicholson Drive at the intersection of Brightside and Lee is nearing the finish line.

It's a long-awaited promise to ease traffic and reduce commute times.

But, the construction's been a pain for drivers. Kaleb Duncan lives nearby and chooses to walk instead.

"It's always backed up. If I'm coming to go over to Rouses Market, it takes about 10 or 15 minutes longer than it should," Duncan said.

The work to improve the railroad crossing and traffic signals is already done.

There are also new left-turn lanes along the intersection. DOTD only has a few things left to do. Spokesperson Rodney Mallet says the upgrades will improve safety in the area to support the growth of businesses.

"We're going to have to pour some driveways. We have some asphalt work to complete, and the permanent striping we have to do as well. As you know it rains almost every day, and that's causing us some delays," Duncan said.

Though the weather has been the cause for project delays, manager Josh Jones at Mike Anderson restaurant says it'll be worth the wait.

"It's going to be beneficial once it's open and flowing. With the new turn lanes and the widening, it'll benefit us once they finish," Jones said.

There have been 87 car crashes at the intersection from 2016 to 2018. DOTD says the upgrades should decrease that number.

The project is expected to wrap up by the end of summer.