NATCHEZ — If everything goes according to schedule today, Martin Luther King Jr. Road at the Anna’s Bottom approach should soon be open to two lanes of traffic.

The Adams County Board of Supervisors last week approved a $15,000 increase in the United States Department of Agriculture’s Emergency Watershed Project. The original contract awarded to Camo Construction of Vidalia in early August was for $182,000.

County Engineer Jim Marlow said Thursday the project is winding down, with seeding and fertilizing remaining to be completed today.

Once the project is wrapped up, Marlow said both lanes of the road would be open, though a portion of the lane coming out of Anna’s Bottom would be gravel. A portion of the lane had fallen into a 30- to 40-foot slide caused by erosion earlier this year.

Marlow said another portion of the southbound lane also had to be taken out to tie in the new construction.

Within the next two weeks, Marlow said he expected the county road department to replace the gravel section with asphalt.

Rather than put up a wall, Marlow said the construction crew built a slope, which would include a ditch at the bottom with a loose stone basin.

Marlow said a new pipe was also installed which would aid in moving water from the road down into the ditch.

The deadline for completion had been Wednesday, Sept. 13. Marlow said the structural work of the project was completed by the deadline, with only minor dress up work such as the hydro-seeding being required.

Since the major work was complete, Marlow said no extension was required.

The issue of seeking emergency EWP funding for the project had been ongoing since February.

The USDA had previously approved the project in 2015. However, years can pass between approval and funding being received. So with the road looking like it could wash out, supervisors sought to receive the money more swiftly.

Supervisors ultimately received word of the funding in June.