It may be spring, but thousands of drivers in northeast Edmonton are more likely to see orange than green.

Along the new Anthony Henday Drive extension, there are plenty of orange construction signs, orange cones, and workers in orange vests.

Construction of the northeast portion of the ring road started in 2012.

The northeast portion of the ring road has been under construction for about four years. (Government of Alberta)

That last section, which will cross Yellowhead Trail and link up with the Manning Freeway, is expected to finally be finished this fall.

For some drivers, it has been a frustrating four years of slow moving traffic and confusion.

Trevor Ward lives in Fort Saskatchewan and often commutes into Edmonton. The portion of the Henday under construction along the Yellowhead Trail was once a regular route for him. But these days he goes out of his way to avoid it.

Giant dirt piles and heavy equipment have become common sights along the stretch of the Anthony Henday extension. (CBC)

"If I need to go in the city, I'll either go down the Manning, or I will go down (Highway) 21 and to the end," said Ward. "That usually takes as much time as the Yellowhead, because it takes forever.

Driving along the Anthony Henday is "kind of confusing," he said.

The last leg of the project includes 18 kilometres of six- and eight-lane freeways and nine interchanges. A virtual video on the contractor's website shows a smooth flowing freeway, but in its current condition drivers are forced to zigzag around construction crews at 60 km/h.

It's a main route for many truckers entering and exiting Edmonton. One of them admits the slow traffic and winding detours can be frustrating. But Barry McDonald remains patient.

"They (cars) dart in and out, so you've got to be careful," said McDonald. "Go slow, but it doesn't take long to get out of it."

But McDonald is looking forward to completion of the Henday project.

"There's a lot of boondoggles in the city, and this will just make everything easier."

Ward is also excited for the project to finish, but doesn't think it will be completed by its fall deadline.

"I don't even see that happening," he said. "Maybe next spring. I bet you in spring they'll be completely done."

But project manager Robert Richardson said things are rolling along quickly enough for the project to be completed on time.

"We've had a good spring start with the warmer weather, and with the milder winter we had, the frost wasn't as deep as usual," said Richardson. "So that's helped us get a good jump on things here."

"I have quite a bit of confidence we're going to finish and open by October 1, especially with the start we've had in the spring."