IRONTON — First it was Delaware Street and now it is Thomas Street.

Another one of the main arteries motorists use to reach the newly built Ironton Elementary and Middle schools will have a fresh coat of asphalt within the next week.

Mayor Rich Blankenship said Friday that “weather permitting,” road crews will be out on either Wednesday, Nov. 11 or Thursday, Nov. 12 resurfacing the portion of Thomas Street from McPherson to Delaware Street.

Also getting a makeover during the two-day project is the intersection of Cliff and Phillip streets along with Vernon Street between Fourth and Fifth where First Baptist Church’s new Faith and Fitness Center recently opened.

The streets will have limited access during the repaving process.

This week’s repaving following the resurfacing of Delaware Street on Saturday.

Delaware, along with Cliff, Thomas and McPherson streets, has seen traffic spike tremendously since Ironton City Schools moved their elementary and middle school students into the new school this August.

Traffic congestion on Delaware has made the alternate Thomas-McPherson route a popular one with parents and students alike both to and from school.

The rehabilitation project, introduced as part of the $62,000 resurfacing plan last month, will repave the named streets with hot-mix asphalt. The project will use monies allocated through state highway funds.

Street repaving and repair work within Ironton is funded through a variety of sources depending on the project.

Besides state highway and federal grants, monies are raised through local gasoline taxes and automobile registration fees that bring in approximately $461,000 annually.

However a large majority of those monies are earmarked for the salaries and benefits for employees of the city’s street department along with expenditures like fuel and operations.