EVANS CITY — State and municipal officials hope the temporary left turn lanes added to Main Street will alleviate some of the traffic backups that have long plagued motorists, most of whom use Route 68 to commute between Butler and southwest Butler County.

The state Department of Transportation project to mill and resurface Route 68 from the hill on the east of town to near the elementary/middle school has been ongoing since mid-July.

Shields Paving is doing the work, which includes two temporary left-turn lanes at both of the borough’s two main intersections. The turn lanes face east and west on Route 68 at Washington and Jackson streets.

The purpose of the lanes is to remove motorists who are turning from the flow of traffic to more efficiently move traffic through the borough.

Council President Lee Dyer said PennDOT officials will measure the traffic flow to determine if the turn lanes are alleviating any of the backup during peak drive times, then decide whether they will become permanent.

Turn arrows will not be added during the observation stage to the traffic signals at Washington and Jackson.

Dyer said the borough will lose a few parking meters to the turn lanes, but that it was the least expensive option for PennDOT regarding the traffic tie-ups.

“We’re hoping (the new left-turn lanes) will smooth out traffic during the high volume periods,” Dyer said.

At the August council meeting, police Chief Joe McCombs said the turn lanes would be the best idea to get the turning motorists out of the flow of traffic. He also recommended prohibiting turns from Harrison Street onto Route 68.

PennDOT officials said they expect the $2.3 million project to be done by October.

Dyer said PennDOT also had Shields Paving tar and chip Mars-Evans City Road from Route 68, where it is South Washington Street, to Mars.