ST. GEORGE -- Construction is underway on a major expansion along Perkins Road, a corridor that has seen mounting congestion in recent years as development spreads across southeast Baton Rouge.

For Beverly Burnett, the road outside her business has become almost as familiar as the grooming table inside.

“I love spending time with them. I love grooming, it relaxes me,” Burnett said.

Burnett has been grooming dogs for 50 years. For the past eight, she and her son, Terrell, have run their family shop along Perkins Road, building a loyal customer base one appointment at a time.

Inside, the atmosphere is calm steady hands, soft brushes and wagging tails. Outside, it is often a different story.

Since the Pecue Lane connection to Interstate 10 opened, drivers have increasingly used Perkins Road as a cut-through. With only one lane in each direction, traffic can quickly back up, especially on busy afternoons or when there is an accident.

“If it’s a Friday or something happens, then the traffic is backed up and then it’s actually really no way to go. No exit out because you only have the two lanes,” Burnett said.

Now, crews are clearing land for a project that will remake the stretch of Perkins Road between Pecue Lane and Siegen Lane. The plan calls for widening the roadway from two lanes to four and adding a center median to better manage turning traffic.

City-parish transportation leaders say the upgrades are necessary as the corridor becomes a primary connector for drivers traveling to and from I-10.

“It’s a major connector road and particularly by the fact that the new opening of Pecue and the I-10 interchange, it’s going to bring more traffic to the area also,” said Fred Raiford, Director of Transportation and Drainage.

The project is expected to be completed around 2030.

Until then, Burnett and her son say they will continue serving customers even if it takes a little longer to get to the shop.

“Probably be upset for trying to get through the traffic,” Terrell Burnett said, “but once they see their happy dog groomed and smiling with bows and stuff like that, it will all be worth it, then get through the traffic and coming in.”