Starting on Tuesday motorists traveling through downtown Ironton will have to find a detour around Third Street because of the ongoing signalization project.

The street will be closed from Park Avenue to Adams Street for week of paving.

“While it is a short-term inconvenience, it is a long-term improvement for the town,” said Lawrence County Engineer Doug Cade, who is working with the city to oversee the project.

Four inches of asphalt will be milled or ground up with one and half inches of recycled asphalt laid down.

“That way we will have more curbing,” Cade said.

Also included will be paving all intersections. The contractor is Complete General Construction of Columbus.

The Third Street paving was an unexpected plus for the city from the $1.4 million project to put up six new traffic lights downtown. Funding came from the Federal Highway Administration through the KYOVA Interstate Planning Organization with the city of Ironton providing a $20,000 match that was paid over three and a half years.

“It is a major improvement to our downtown,” Mayor Rich Blankenship said. “It is a much needed project that we did not have in our budget. The six signal lights and all this paving improves our downtown. It all goes together.”