As motorists have no doubt noticed over the past couple weeks, several roads are closing and reopening as Forsyth County tackles projects designed to improve drainage.

Next up is McConnell Road in west Forsyth, which will be closed starting Monday to allow cross drain pipes to be replaced at Yellow Creek.

The road is scheduled to reopen Sept. 6.

Sharon Lane reopened Friday after its pipe replacement was completed.

And the reopening of Fowler Road, closed for construction of a concrete culvert, has been delayed about a week due to heavy rains last month.

Instead of Aug. 6, the road should be ready by Friday.

“All three projects share a common point,” said Tim Allen, the county’s assistant director of engineering. “They are projects to replace undersized drainage structures.”

While the work is related, the timing is coincidental.

Allen said the county tackles the projects as needed or as identified by staff members.

Undersized structures to handle flooding have been coming to the end of their life spans recently. On Sharon Lane, the metal pipes lasted about 30 years.

And county construction standards have been changed over the decades to require reinforced concrete pipes that are more resilient, Allen said.

“A properly sized and installed reinforced concrete pipe has a lifespan of 80-plus years, which will help minimize future road issues and closures,” he said.

The McConnell Road pipes recently began to cause repeated flooding issues.

For more extensive water problems, the county may install a concrete culvert like the one going in at Fowler Road, which has been closed since June 7.

That project required raising the road grade as well as putting in a larger structure to help prevent rain from disrupting traffic.

In the past 12 years, Allen said the county has built more than 20 culverts to remedy flooding issues.

All the projects are funded by the county’s 1-cent sales tax.