Crews will begin a $12 million project to reconstruct and add safety improvements to almost three miles of U.S. 85 in Greeley on Thursday, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation.

Crews will widen the highway, remove the median and add traffic signals to some intersections on U.S. 85 between Fifth Street and U.S. 34. They also will install new curbs, gutters and guardrails.

A right-turn lane also will be added at Fifth Street to make merging into traffic safer. Finally, the bridge over the Poudre River will be repaired and the road between Fifth Street and U.S. 34 will be resurfaced.

On Thursday, crews will close the two left lanes on north and southbound U.S. 85 to conduct surveying, remove concrete and prepare for pipe work that will be done next week. Speed limits will be reduced and barriers and cones will be in place.

Road work will take place between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. No work is scheduled during the Greeley Stampede from June 22 to July 4.

The project will be completed next August.

For more information, visit www.coloradodot.info/projects/us85us34bypass. Those with questions about the project can call (970) 373-3400 or email us85greeley@publicinfoteam.com.