BENTON - Preparations for major road and utility construction begin Monday in downtown Benton. 

The work zone on US 641 will run near the Town Creek Bridge through downtown Benton to the 5th Street intersection. It includes all of the one-way sections along Main Street and Poplar Street.

Utility construction will start the first week of July, while the concrete curb and full-depth road construction is expected to ramp up in late July and continue through the summer. 

The contractor plans to maintain one lane of traffic in each direction at all times, and will attempt to maintain entrances and access for businesses and houses along the work zone. However, some utility excavations and concrete work will require brief blocking occasionally. 

The $3.3 million project has a target completion date of June 2021.