CEDAR RAPIDS — The Iowa Department of Transportation said it will try to minimize disruptions to Xavier High School during a new phase of the Highway 100 extension project this spring and summer.

North River Boulevard at Ushers Ferry Road is scheduled to close, weather permitting, beginning Thursday through the end of May. The DOT will hold off on the more disruptive work until summer break, said Hugh Holak, an engineer in the DOT Manchester office.

“We want to limit it to the school year summer, but there's more work there than can be completed in the two and half months,” Holak said.

Motorists trying to access businesses on North River Boulevard will have access through Edgewood Road.

Temporary traffic signals will alternate northbound and southbound traffic on Ushers Ferry Road, which will be reduced to one lane between Oak Creek Drive and North River Boulevard for paving.

Oak Creek Drive also will have a traffic signal, according to the DOT.

After one lane of Ushers Ferry is complete, that lane will open and the other side will close for construction. Once this portion of the project is complete, North River Boulevard will open to Ushers Ferry from the south, and Ushers Ferry to the north will close completely to Blairs Ferry Road.

Ushers Ferry sees about 2,000 vehicles a day in this area, according to a 2013 DOT traffic study. DOT does not have a traffic count estimate for North River Road.

The hope is to finish the north part of Ushers Ferry, which Xaxier traffic uses to avoid busy Edgewood, before the start of the next school year, Holak said.

Nick Ireland, marketing director at Xavier, said the school is using social media and email to keep students, parents and staff updated about the road work.

“There have been disruptions since the work began, but we've been ahead of the curve in terms letting them know what to expect and to plan a little extra time,” he said.

Ireland said the school has been dealing with construction since the beginning of the year. It caused some issues with late arrivals early on, but everyone adjusted quickly, he said.

“We were understanding of the situation from the student's perspective,” he said. “We gave them a grace period, but since the beginning it hasn't been much of an issue.”

Several other aspects of the Highway 100 extension are also in progress, including the installation of a bridge at Edgewood Road, which has necessitated a detour, and a bridge at Covington Road, which has required Covington to be closed through November.

Holak said crews will begin pouring bridge decks at Ushers Ferry, Old Ferry, and Edgewood Roads beginning May 1.

The $200 million Highway 100 extension is expected to be complete in 2020.