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Twenty years is a long time to ask people to be patient.

After 20 years of talking about repaving Morgantown Road, many people’s optimism that the project will ever get done has just about run out.

Plans to widen and resurface the road have been in the works since an 18-year-old crossing guard, Casey Schrock, was struck by a passing motorist at the intersection of Morgantown and Booker roads in 2001 and died from her injuries.

A couple of obstacles have held up the project.

While most of the landowners were willing to see it move forward, just a few people fought Adams County in a legal battle for the couple of feet at the edge of their property touching Morgantown Road.

All of the other residents who wanted the project done paid the price for it.

By the time Adams County won the lawsuit, the money for the $3.3 million project was gone — through no fault of the Adams County Supervisors. The state’s money was simply spent on other projects.

We’re hopeful that the years of waiting might finally be coming to an end.

Perhaps it’s the promise of $5.9 million in federal dollars from a COVID-19 relief package that is anticipated to trickle down to Adams County from the federal government that is stirring up a new spark of hope.

Maybe it’s because, after 20 years, our elected officials have finally had an earful and are willing to do whatever it takes to push the project forward — even if it means they have to borrow the cash. The years of waiting shows that they are not taking the decision lightly.

Supervisors have said they will seek other avenues of funding the project before applying for a federal bond, but would support doing so if it is deemed necessary to finally get the project started. We hope it gets started this year.

Every month that goes by is more opportunity for accidents to happen, including wrecked vehicles and — heaven forbid — loss of life.