If you normally travel along John B. Brooks Road in Jefferson to reach U.S. 129 or Ga. 332, you will want to find an alternate route beginning Friday.

At 6 p.m. on Friday, a portion of the road between Boy Scout Trail and the entrance of Mission Foods will be closed until around 6 a.m. July 22.

The closure will allow time for the replacement of three railroad crossings in that area. The closure is one of several planned for the next 13 months and is a part of a larger improvement project for the entire stretch of road.

The $2.2 million project is a partnership between city of Jefferson and Jackson County governments. The improvement project will include adding a continuous, center turning lane.

“This is only the first phase of the project,” said Sheila Briggs, Jackson County Department of Engineering contracts administrator.

“There will be a signed detour, but the first closure will be towards the front end of John B. Brooks (Road).”

The road is used mostly by the businesses in the Walnut Fork Industrial Park, but it is also used by residents in the Seasons of Pendergrass subdivision.

This closure is expected to last four and a half days, but subsequent closures are only expected to last for a weekend — from 6 p.m. on Fridays until 6 a.m. on Mondays. The majority of the road work is expected to take place at night and on weekends in small increments. After the railroad crossings are replaced, work will move toward the back end of John B. Brooks Road from Ga. 332 to the entrance of Seasons of Pendergrass.

During the improvement project, no lane reductions will be allowed from 6:30 a.m. until 8:30 a.m. and from 3 p.m. until 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, project officials said.

Advance notice will be given prior to any future road closures.