LaGRANGE — City roads officials, in an effort to alleviate traffic on Greenville Street, closed a portion of Horace King Street this morning for an undetermined period of time.

Horace King Street south of Lafayette Parkway — near Kimble’s Events by Design — is closed completely to allow two southbound lanes to turn east on Lafayette Parkway, according to Lou Dekmar, LaGrange public safety chief. For motorists traveling west on Lafayette Parkway — away from downtown, headed toward Interstate 85 — the closed portion of the road will be on the right-hand side of the intersection.

The move comes as traffic is backing up at the four-way stop of Greenville and Horace King streets — next to the LaGrange Farmers Market — due to the closure of the Greenville Street railroad bridge east of that intersection. The police department hopes by closing the portion of street, motorists will be able to turn left through the intersection more quickly. Earlier this year, the Georgia Department of Transportation deemed the Greenville Street railroad bridge unsafe for traffic and closed it.

Barricades block the south side of Horace King Street’s intersection with Lafayette Parkway. North of Lafayette Parkway, the two southbound lanes were being re-striped this morning. The right lane will allow drivers to turn left onto Lafayette Parkway toward Interstate 85 or right toward downtown LaGrange. The left lane will simultaneously allow for left turns. Traffic signals will also be altered to accommodate the changes.

A traffic study by the LaGrange Police Department showed that about 800 cars per day enter the intersection of Horace King Street and Lafayette Parkway from the south side, which is slated be barricaded and closed. About 3,000 cars per day enter the intersection from the other side.

Dekmar said the police department will continue to monitor the traffic flow and further changes, including re-opening the south end of Horace King Street, if the move doesn’t solve the traffic problem.

David Brown, the city’s public services manager, said the Horace King Street closure would likely remain until the Greenville Street bridge can be repaired.

The Greenville Street railroad bridge could be closed for more than a year, city officials said this week.