PIGEON FORGE, Tenn. (WVLT) -- Road construction has slowed traffic down for several years in the major tourist destination of Sevier County.

Pigeon Forge brought in $61-million in sales tax last year, and they hope the route to bring the tourists in, will clear up very soon. But, this project is still years away from an 'end of construction.'

One of the big annual tourist draws in the mountains, is the beautiful fall colors. The orange leaves bring them in, but the orange barrels slow them down.

For more than two years crews have been working on State Route 66 in Sevier County, the main path from the Interstate to Pigeon Forge.

Mayor David Wear said, "The more heads in beds and people through the turnstiles, and folks visiting our attractions, and enjoying our environment; we welcome them, that's what we were built on."

The 66-corridor may not be in Pigeon Forge, but Mayor Wear said it's important for the trip in to be an easy one, "So they don't have to sit in traffic, and we don't lose people to that, is very important for not only Sevierville, but Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg, and the county overall."

Which is why the Pigeon Forge Rotary Club asked the Tennessee Department of Transportation for an update on the project, at their weekly meeting Wednesday.

TDOT project supervisor Kristin Qualls said, "We're widening that to three lanes that travel in each direction. It will also have a full width, full depth shoulder that could easily be converted into a fourth travel lane, and they'll have seven foot sidewalks too."

Kevin Fitzgerald, Deputy Superintendent with the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, believes people who work and live in the area will appreciate the road, when it's done.

Fitzgerald said, "Our visitation is down slightly this year. I think we're down 4-percent for the year."

During the meeting, a local school principal shared stories of frustration around the school. He said complaints from parents, range from backed up drainage, to rough roads along the construction zone.

Phase one is set to open in November. It's a 4-mile section, started in July 2009, from Nichols Street to State Route 338.

Phase two, going since September 2010, is about two miles long. It stretches from the Interstate 40 exit at 407. It is scheduled to completely open in November of 2012.

Qualls said, "Phase three includes the widening of the bridge, over the French Broad, which is a huge undertaking in itself." That project is suppose to start late this Winter, and will take 2.5 to three years.

So, that means the 66-corridor will be free of barrels, at the earliest, in late 2014.