Orange barrels, bulldozers and men at work have never looked so good.

Road construction is usually a headache we’d prefer to go without, but when crews began work on Homochitto, Martin Luther King Jr., Franklin and St. Catherine streets this week, a collective “hallelujah” rang out in Natchez.

These major arteries have been in dire need of help for years now. Pothole after pothole greets you on several of the roads, and the drive is certainly not pleasant for locals or guests.

The city has decried a lack of funding for years, and it seemed basic road maintenance had simply fallen through the cracks.

But just before his term ended, Mayor Phillip West got word that his effort to get state road money had worked.

We are thankful the work has finally begun, and we’ll just live with the inconvenience for a few months.

Hopefully the quickly fading potholes will serve as a reminder to the new city administration — don’t neglect the roads.

City leaders need to set aside money to work on other roads — not the main arteries — and to maintain everything we’ve got.

Bumpity bump driving results in curse words, not hallelujahs.