The long-anticipated widening of Abernathy Road and related improvements to Johnson Ferry Road will be delayed for several more months.

The state Department of Transportation, which initially said it planned to start the process this summer, now plans to start in early 2009.

The project affecting both Sandy Springs and east Cobb County is scheduled for solicitation of bids in January, said David Spear, a state DOT spokesman. If the timeline holds, a contract would be awarded in February, and work on the road system would begin two to three months later, he said.

The project will widen Abernathy Road from two to four lanes and install a center median from Roswell Road to Johnson Ferry Road. Johnson Ferry Road will be widened to three lanes in each direction from Columns Drive in east Cobb County to Riverside Drive in Sandy Springs.

From Riverside Drive to Roswell Road, Johnson Ferry will remain two lanes in each direction, with a center median being added, Spear said.

The city of Sandy Springs, meanwhile, plans to install a linear park along the widened Abernathy Road. About half of the houses along that stretch have been razed so far, according to city officials.