No pain, no gain.

The familiar exercise adage might well be applied to anyone traveling on South Brundidge Street in upcoming weeks as long-overdue street widening and repair work actually gets under way.

After months of anticipation, the road closure barricades appeared Wednesday morning and commuters headed to work, to Troy University, or simply headed towards downtown found themselves forced to detour and find an alternative route.

While many folks were unhappy about the road closures and short notice, many more will be frustrated in weeks to come as traffic becomes more congested on alternate routes (think Park Street, Pecan and Thompson) and as closures extend and lengthen.

And that’s to be expected. This work will be a major disruption for anyone who routinely travels along South Brundidge Street or its feeder routes, and even more so for the businesses and residents living along the street.

That’s why it’s important to remember the “gain” as we go through the pain.

South Brundidge Street is a major thoroughfare heading into Downtown Troy and Troy University. And anyone traveling along the road in the past several years could testify to the poor conditions of the roadway –from bumps and cracks to potholes and narrow lanes. This much-needed project should address many concerns, including the addition of a turn lane to ease congestion in areas near Madison Street and University Avenue, the adjustment of the Madison Street intersection and long overdue paving and resurfacing.

So will their be pain? Most definitely, as many of us discovered bright and early Wednesday morning.

But we need to endure the pain with as much patience and resolve as we can muster. And we need to stay focused on the gain.