Barbara Lawlor. Nederland. It’s been in the works for years. Last week it began.

The excavators dug out Second Street beginning at the intersection of Snyder Street and heading east. They went down three feet, avoiding gas and water lines, and then began to fill it up, section by section, with layers of different sized gravel which will be topped off with porous asphalt. Large, old pine trees that aroused much concern when the origin plans came out are being protected during the construction period and will continue to be the guardians of the East End.

Due to the closure of Second Street, Snyder Street will temporarily be a two-way street between First and Second Streets. Nederland Town Administrator Alisha Reis asks that residents do not drive around the barrier that closes the street. It could be dangerous. The work is expected to continue for the next 30 days. Depending on weather, it could take longer or it could be sooner than anticipated. In the next few weeks, Reis says, there will be a huge impact for residents, and she asks for patience and understanding during the excavation and paving processes. “The benefits to the residents and the river/environment are the end goal.”

A hole, three feet deep, will extend from one side of the street to the other and it is noted that all items, landscaped or decorative, that extend into the road will be removed. Residents were warned to get their possessions out of the way. Each time the excavator digs, they only go as far as they can fill back in for any given day. Once the hole is filled with gravel, it will be walkable, but not drivable; vehicles will have to wait until the paving is complete. The houses on the south side of the street may access their properties from the alley, and houses on the north side will have to figure out where to park on their own.

The Nederland Feed and Pet Store has always offered customer parking along the Second Street and a few spaces in their lot, which made it easy to carry large bags of feed from the sheds to the vehicles. Now there is no access to the front of the store. Ned Feed owner Abby Pause says they have been allowed to use the path that is accessed from Third Street. Most people are accepting this inconvenience as just an inconvenience. Some customers are outraged that a business has been so impacted by a town decision. They told Abby that she and Adam would probably lose a lot of business.

“It’s not that big a deal,” says Abby. “Once people know where to find us, they are fine with it. We are just as busy as ever and will probably be even busier once we have a nice paved road. More people will travel down the road.