Motorists will have to wait a little longer — though just a couple days — for the closed section of Buford Dam Road to reopen.

Officials had projected that work on the stretch from Sanders Road to Market Place Boulevard would be finished by Saturday.

But Gerald Blackburn, Cumming city administrator, said the opening will instead be on Monday.

"With the temperatures like it is, there was some concern about striping it," Blackburn said. "We plan to stripe it on Friday and there was concern about opening it on Saturday with the temperatures so high."

Daytime temperatures this week have approached 100 degrees, with the forecast calling for highs to stay in the mid-90s through the weekend.

Blackburn said there will also be ample crews working on Monday in order to help direct traffic flow.

"On the weekend, there might not be enough people out there," he said.

Contractor C.W. Matthews increased its crews a few weeks ago in order to keep the project on schedule.

The stretch of Buford Dam Road has been closed since early March, forcing travelers to detour around the area via Mary Alice Road and Hwys. 9 and 20.

The closure was necessary to replace a culvert near where the road crosses Market Place.

The project is part of a larger effort that includes widening parts of Buford Dam Road up to four lanes and installing sidewalks on both sides from Sanders to Hwy. 9.

Construction work from Market Place to Hwy. 9 is expected to continue — without closures — for the next few months.

Blackburn said the total project remains on schedule for completion by the end of September.

The estimated cost of the entire project is about $3.8 million, with about $1.8 million of that coming from the state.