Old Madison Pike bridge replacement.JPG

This screen capture from an aerial video shows the Old Madison Pike bridge over Indian Creek as it appeared May 7, 2015. The new four-lane span is expected to be finished and the busy road re-opened no later than Nov. 1. (Courtesy of Todd Freestone)

A massive construction project to widen Old Madison Pike near Cummings Research Park is about 70 percent complete.

Seth Burkett, spokesman for the Alabama Department of Transportation North Region that includes Huntsville, said the busy road is on track to re-open by Nov. 1. But Huntsville officials are pushing the contractor to finish sooner.

The section where Old Madison Pike crosses Indian Creek east of Slaughter Road has been closed since March 10, 2014.

"The bridge replacement is ongoing," Burkett told AL.com. "Three of the seven spans of bridge deck have been poured. We anticipate the remaining four being poured by mid-July. Placement of railings and sidewalk also remains."

See an aerial view of the ongoing construction work below.

Reed Contracting Services is in charge of the $5.2 million project to widen Old Madison Pike between Slaughter Road and Jan Davis Drive. The hardest, and most time-consuming, task is replacing a series of narrow bridges over Indian Creek with a single four-lane span.

The original expected completion date was June 2015, but progress has been slowed by utility relocation delays, harsh winter weather and rain.

City Engineer Kathy Martin said Huntsville officials hope to convince Reed Contracting to open two of the four lanes as soon as the new bridge is ready. "We'll be staying in contact with them all summer to check on the progress," Martin told AL.com Tuesday.

Burkett said the project includes a paved shoulder on both sides of Old Madison Pike that can be used by bicyclists. It will be four feet wide along the road and eight feet wide on the bridge, he said.

There will also be a new sidewalk on the north side of Old Madison Pike leading to the Indian Creek Greenway and improved parking lot for greenway users.

The road shoulders will not be marked as bicycle lanes, but the intent is for them to be used by cyclists. "We paved four feet for bicycle usage to get them out of the road," said Martin.