WINFIELD |The five-month closing of a major east-west thoroughfare between Winfield and Crown Point is sure to contribute to driving headaches already present in this south Lake County town.

The Lake County Highway Department announced it will be closing 109th Avenue at Colorado Street for bridge repairs Monday in a project expected to last five months. The county plans to detour traffic north on Colorado to 97th Avenue, then east to Randolph Street.

But some Winfield residents will experience a bit more inconvenience because only three of the town's roads -- Colorado, Arizona, and Grand -- run north from 109th, and Arizona and Grand present additional problems.

Arizona runs from 109th to 101st Avenue, but 101st running west has been closed by the town of Merrillville for the past six months because of flooding. Merrillville Public Works Director Bruce Spires has said 101st will not reopen anytime soon as the town is in litigation with a Winfield resident who is alleged to have caused the flooding.

And Grand Boulevard, although passable, needs major repairs, which Winfield officials hope to begin at summer's end. The intersection of Grand and 109th also has been the site of several accidents because of a restricted "line of sight" coming off Grand, town officials said.

Ongoing construction development also will be affected by the road projects and closings.

Thieneman Homes is developing the Wyndance subdivision on the south side of 109th, and Ken Thieneman said work on the road will hamper the project. His concrete trucks coming from Crown Point will use 117th Avenue east to State Street, and then north to reach 109th. But Thieneman is concerned about safety on 117th.

"They had better slow down traffic heading west on 117th because there is a series of blind curves," he said. "It could be an accident waiting to happen."