SAN MARCOS -- The city is gearing up for a 10-week summer road work project that will see the asphalt on sections of more than two dozen roads being repaired and resealed.

The work is scheduled to begin in the middle of the month and run through the end of September.

Major roads on the repair list include Mission Road, Woodland Parkway and Linda Vista and Mulberry drives. Several residential streets and parking lots for both the San Marcos Boys & Girls Club and Mission Sports Park also will be fixed.

City officials said this week that the work will be staggered to avoid construction being done on all the roads simultaneously and that the roads roads will remain open during repairs.

However, city officials said lane closures during repairs will result in some traffic delays.

"It is inconvenient for everybody, but once they're done, they are nice to drive on," said Paul Buckley, maintenance superintendent for the city's public works department.

The city typically plans and carries out a road maintenance project each summer. City spokeswoman Jenny Peterson said the work is part of ongoing efforts to repair road and parking lot cracks before water gets in and weakens or pushes up the asphalt, leading to potholes and other bigger problems.

The project will not include new sidewalks, gutters or other infrastructure improvements, she said.

The city recently hired San Diego-based TC Construction for more than $2 million to fix the roads. Buckley said the money will come out of gas taxes and other state and federal money earmarked for road maintenance that the city received in the fiscal year that ended June 30.

Budget constraints brought on by an economic recession have forced some cities to postpone or scale back their road maintenance work.

Buckley said that while San Marcos may have to consider such a move next year, the city has the funds it needs for this year's project.

The work is being done now because summer heat helps cure the sealant used on the asphalt, he said.

"Also, schools are out, so it helps with traffic volumes," said Buckley.

The sections of Mission Road and Woodland Parkway scheduled to be worked on have schools along them. Buckley said the city is requiring the contractor to finish the work on those two roads before the 2009-10 academic year starts in late August.

"We want them done and out of that area before the schools are open," he said.

A full list of roads to be worked on can be found online at www.san-marcos.net under "City News & Events."

Call staff writer Andrea Moss at 760-739-6654.