Starting today, part of Union Church Road will close while the Georgia Department of Transportation begins widening Ga. 53 and constructing a new intersection.

Crews will be working to open the new intersection about 200 feet southeast of the existing intersection, DOT Communications Officer Teri Pope said in a statement. "Union Church Road will reopen at the new location in the final configuration," she said.

The new intersection will not have the steep angle of the current intersection, and the signal will be installed at the end of the project.

Union Church Road will remain closed for 21 days, weather permitting, Pope said.

A detour will route motorists onto Union Place.

Farther north, the DOT plans to close one lane of U.S. 129 from Gainesville to the White County line while maintenance is being performed.

Work is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and crews will work in two-mile sections starting at Limestone Parkway, Pope said. "We will work north first and then coming back and working south. Once finished with that section, work will begin on the next two-mile section," she said.

Flaggers will be utilized to allow traffic to flow through the work zone, Pope said. Delays are expected. The maintenance work is expected to be completed if weather permits by Nov. 9.