If Jenny Engle wants to go anywhere, she has to drive Columbia Avenue.

Engle lives several blocks from the notoriously busy road, and Columbia Avenue is the only main thoroughfare she can access from her neighborhood.

So when she learned that PennDOT was to begin a major project there this week, Engle greeted the news with relief — and trepidation.

"Columbia Avenue is nothing but bumps, ruts and pools of water," she said. "I'm willing to put up with the inconvenience for the improvements."

But she knows the work could be a giant pain for motorists. "I'm sure it will be frustrating," Engle said.

Other drivers who use Columbia Avenue, also known as Route 462, share Engle's worries, although there's agreement with her that the upgrades are certainly needed. Most businesses along the corridor aren't expecting to lose customers, but some owners faulted PennDOT for not giving them advance notice.

The repair and resurfacing project, which starts Monday, will cover more than 3.6 miles of Route 462, from Rider Avenue in Lancaster Township to just west of Urban Drive in East Hempfield and Manor townships.

Roughly 22,250 vehicles drive this portion of Columbia Avenue each day, PennDOT reported.

Expected to be completed by the end of August, the $2.26 million upgrade will include drainage and guide-rail improvements, road-base repairs and an asphalt overlay. Pennsy Supply Inc., Hummelstown, is the contractor.

According to a PennDOT press release, there will be one lane of traffic in each direction 6 a.m.-8 p.m. weekdays.

During overnight hours, however, Route 462 may be restricted to a single lane with flaggers guiding vehicles through the work zone using an alternating traffic pattern.

PennDOT spokesman Greg Penny noted that even when traffic's moving in both directions there's no turn lane, so anyone making a left-hand turn could cause a backup.

In an e-mail, Penny explained that the construction project has been in the pipeline for several years and is being done now "because of the age and condition of the pavement."

The last time PennDOT resurfaced most of that section of Columbia Avenue was 1990, Penny wrote. Near Centerville Road, a portion was redone in 1999.

But in the area closest to Lancaster city, the road hasn't been resurfaced since 1969, he said in the e-mail.

John Shuba, who co-owns the store Angry, Young and Poor with his wife, Elizabeth, lives in the Wheatland Hills area behind Dairy Queen.

His business is in downtown Lancaster, and he drives Columbia Avenue to get there. If the traffic gets too backed up, Shuba said, he could try riding his bike to work when warmer weather arrives.

But he's not that worried. "It seems like we need" the repairs, Shuba said.

On balance, a few months of congestion "is a small price to pay," he said.

John Graeter, who also resides in Wheatland Hills, said the situation may not be so bad if PennDOT works on portions of the road at a time.

He uses Conestoga and Eisenhower boulevards to access Columbia Avenue, and said he'll pick the one that's least busy when the project gets going.

Still, "I'm sure that at some point along the way it's going to be a mess," Graeter said.

Jenny Engle said she hopes PennDOT uses "common sense" when imposing traffic limitations.

In some places, if lanes are moved or narrowed, "it could be problematic," she said.

For example, Engle said, the Columbia Avenue-Good Drive intersection is difficult enough in normal times — with drivers pulling into the wrong lane — that she dreads dealing with it during road construction.

George Robb, owner of the Lucky Dog Cafe at 1942 Columbia Ave., said the massive project "will definitely be inconvenient" for customers and delivery people, but he doesn't expect a negative impact on business.

There are two ways to get to his establishment, Robb said, and patrons who don't already know about the one off Ursinus Avenue will learn soon enough.

Keith Rutt, owner of Wheatland Beer Distributors at 1701 Columbia Ave., said he has a lot of customers from nearby neighborhoods like Manor Ridge who will keep coming in spite of the roadwork.

Overall, though, "I think it's going to be tough," said Rutt, who noted that there was little or no warning the project was coming.

"There's no getting around it," he said. "Everybody's going to have a little trouble. What can you do?"

In fact, if he didn't have to drive Columbia Avenue himself, Rutt said, he'd find a way to avoid it.

Beth Conklin, co-owner of Tobias S. Frogg, 1766 Columbia Ave., said she had no idea the roadwork was about to start until a large concrete drainage pipe suddenly appeared in the restaurant's front yard last week.

Conklin said she wasn't too pleased that PennDOT failed to alert business owners in advance.

The timing also doesn't help, she said, because the economy is still precarious. "This is definitely a concern for us," Conklin said — especially with Route 462 being down to one lane after 8 p.m.

Tony Legenstein, president of Certified Carpet, 1855-65 Columbia Ave., said the inconvenience will be more of an issue for motorists than for businesses. "I think they'll take every shortcut they can find," he said.

Legenstein said he's unsure how Certified Carpet may be affected by the five-plus months of roadwork, but he's not overly worried. He did, however, come up with a silver lining: Drivers stuck in traffic will have more time to look at the businesses on Route 462.

The PennDOT project could even present a unique advertising opportunity, Legenstein said.

"Maybe we should hold a 'construction sale,' " he said with a laugh.