Contractors working on behalf of the state Department of Transportation will be laying on the gas as they try to get North Prince Street in Lancaster city stripped of its old asphalt and covered with a fresh layer before the coming cold weather.

Motorists, however, will likely have their foot on the brake on the city's north-south thoroughfares for the next month.

Workers for contractor J.D. Eckman Inc., of Atglen, began milling the northern end of Prince Street, near Liberty Street, on Monday. They are expected to mill the existing road surface for three days before applying a leveling surface of asphalt between Liberty and Lemon streets by the end of the work week.

They will repeat the process on:

• North Prince, from Lemon to Vine streets, the week of Sept. 20.

• South Queen, from the Engleside Bridge to Conestoga Street, the week of Sept. 27.

• South and North Queen, from Conestoga to Lemon streets, the week of Oct. 4.

• And North Queen, from Lemon Street to McGovern Avenue at the Amtrak station, the week of Oct. 11.

The state deadline for paving is Oct. 15. Work will resume in the spring.

City officials are expecting to see significant traffic backlogs. They are advising motorists to take alternate routes whenever possible. Electronic message boards will advise motorists of delays.

Traffic impacts will be significant in areas leading to, and adjacent to, the work, warned Matt Metzler, the city's capital improvement program manager, in a prepared statement.

"No Parking" signs will be posted on the blocks where the milling and paving are being done and removed as the work progresses. Because of the noise, the work is being done during daytime hours.

While the repaving is taking place, utility crews also will be busy on nearby streets. PPL, UGI and the city Water Bureau crews are attempting to get work done now so that they will not have to cut into the repaved street to access utility lines.

PPL is working in the first block of North Queen Street this week. The crew will move to the 100 block next week and the intersection of Chestnut and North Queen streets the following week.

PPL will move to North Prince Street in early October after the milling and paving is done there. They will access utility lines through manholes at that time.

UGI crews are working in the 500 block of North Queen Street this week. They will move to the 600 block and work there through the end of the month. UGI will work in the 700 block of North Queen the first two weeks of October.

Meanwhile, the city Water Bureau workers will replace a water line in the 300 block of North Queen Street through next Monday. They will replace a water line in the 400 block of North Queen Street from Sept. 27 to Oct. 4.

Eckman will put down the final wearing course of pavement next spring. The entire $5.12 million project includes repaving of Prince Street from Liberty to Vine and repaving of Queen Street from Engleside to McGovern Avenue.

bharris@lnpnews.com