The long-awaited opening of Old Augusta Road at Highway 21 may have to wait until next month.

Contractor R.B. Baker sought and received a change order from Effingham County commissioners to address drainage problems at Old Augusta Road’s intersection with Highway 21. Because of the differences in grade and to make the drainage work properly, a 36-inch gutter needed to be installed, among other improvements, County Administrator David Crawley said.

“Because of the time it takes to get these items engineered and designed and constructed, it will create a delay in the opening of the intersection,” he said.

Engineers did not pick up on the differences in grade for drainage, according to Crawley.

“This will be something we have to address,” he said of the drainage. “When (R.B. Baker) started setting grading stakes, they realized this was something that needed to be addressed.”

The problems surround the difference of the banking on the southbound and northbound lanes and the difference in the median that created.

“If we don’t fix it, you’ll wind up with a situation like at McCall Road,” Crawley said.

A change approved in August pushed the opening of phase I back to mid-October. The current completion date is set for the second week of November.

“Everything else will be done,” Crawley said.

Completion is expected to be the second week of November.