A contentious project to reconstruct frontage roads along U.S. 59 inside Loop 610 will finish sooner than expected, officials said, but with a painful month yet to go.

Texas Department of Transportation officials announced Tuesday that Buffalo Speedway at U.S. 59 would close for a month after the Wednesday morning rush hour so Hassell Construction Company can finish rebuilding the intersections at Buffalo Speedway and the U.S. 59 frontage roads.

“Without the total closure, the reconstruction at this intersection could take as much as twice the time now allocated,” said Quincy Allen, deputy district engineer in TxDOT’s Houston office.

The closure will affect Buffalo Speedway in both directions. Drivers headed north on Buffalo Speedway will detour to the northbound frontage road, U-turn at Kirby and head back to Buffalo Speedway. Southbound drivers will detour along the southbound frontage road, U-turn at Weslayan and return to Buffalo Speedway via the northbound frontage road.

The U.S. 59 frontage roads will remain open but limited by the construction across Buffalo Speedway. One lane will cross Buffalo Speedway. A left lane will only allow for U-turns to the frontage road headed the opposite direction and right lanes will be right-turn-only.

Hassell has until Nov. 21 to complete the work, under an incentive agreement TxDOT announced Tuesday. The company can receive $10,000 for every day it finishes earlier than scheduled, up to seven days. The company faces penalties of $10,000 per day for every day it needs beyond Nov. 21, with no maximum.

The frontage road work along U.S. 59 has been one of the most controversial local maintenance projects recently for TxDOT. Many drivers have complained the road was adequate and the work was unnecessary, while others have complained of closings that seemed to have no purpose after work moved eastward along the lanes.

TxDOT officials have defended the project, noting it was part of the district’s long-term maintenance plans and saying the road was in far worse shape than drivers realized. Utility and local street work had led to various patches in some segments.

Closing Buffalo Speedway accelerates construction of the last major intersection related to the $19 million project, officials said.

“Hassell Construction has until the spring of 2015 to complete this project,” Allen said in a news release. “This incentive agreement motivates the contractor to complete the project significantly earlier to help mitigate impacts on the traveling public and avoid significant construction during the 2014 holiday season.”

TxDOT officials warned that although construction might finish sooner, some minor work such as striping lanes might take longer to complete.