In the spring of 1998, the city announced a two-year, $24.7 million ($ in dollars) project reconstructed New York Avenue from South Dakota Avenue to the District line. The two bridges which created two-lane traffic jams were replaced and the roadway widened to three lanes in each direction. The ramps connecting South Dakota Avenue with New York Avenue were also replaced. A new roadway design, which incorporated a reinforced concrete road surface, was used on this section of the street. The project also installed new street and traffic lighting and improved storm water drainage. Design and delays in obtaining federal funding kept the project on the ground until March 1999. Traffic barriers were used to create reversible lanes, to alleviate rush hour problems. The work proved more difficult than planned, and was not complete until June 2002. For reasons which remain unclear, the bridge over the railroad tracks near South Dakota Avenue NE was not replaced, and the two-lane bottleneck continued.