AUSTIN (KXAN) — Starting Wednesday, the Texas Department of Transportation will close off a section of Ranch to Market Road 2222 to re-stripe ahead of opening the Ranch to Market Road 620 bypass road on Friday.

TxDOT initially planned to open the bypass south lane Tuesday, but it got delayed because of the rain earlier in the week. Once opened, drivers will be able to travel in both directions.

Transportation officials said this will help alleviate traffic at the RM 2222 and RM 620 intersection. That’s because drivers will be able to skip the signal and keep moving.

“This is an area that has been growing for a while, and we needed some relief there at the RM 620 and RM 2222 intersection,” said Brad Wheelis, a TxDOT spokesperson. “And that’s what the bypass road does.”

Drivers should also be on the lookout for new signals.

“If you’re going northbound on the bypass, you’ve had to stop at a traffic signal before you take a right turn on RM 2222, that’s now going to be a free-flowing movement,” he said. “So traffic will move into its own lane on RM 2222. This means that you won’t have traffic backed up on the bypass it will flow better and that’s going to provide some more relief.”

After TxDOT opens the bypass road, transportation officials said the work is not done. They will still need to stripe the auxiliary lane that will lead up to the bypass just north of Steiner Ranch.