The second phase of the West Oxford Loop extended should be open to traffic this summer.

“The improvements to Industrial Park Drive are expected to be completed either late this year or early next year,” said Kevin W. McLeod, an engineer with Elliot & Britt Engineering that designs and oversees the project for the Office of State Aid Road Construction.

Industrial Park Drive will be widened from two to three lanes, with a portion on the west end of the existing road being widened from two to four lanes.

The first phase connected West Oxford Loop to College Hill. That part of the extension was later named the George G. “Pat” Patterson Parkway.

The West Oxford Loop project is a joint endeavor with Oxford, Lafayette County and the Mississippi Department of Transportation to help improve interconnectivity in the area.

The last phase will complete the connection between Highway 6 West and Highway 7 North, which has been part of Oxford and Lafayette County’s long-term plans for more than 20 years.