The fate of County Route 202's fall opening rests with Wal-Mart.

The retailer is soliciting contractors to extend Sam's Club Drive to connect Route 3 to the new mile-long county road, which joins Route 12F near the county Industrial Park.

James L. Lawrence Jr., county highway chief, said his crews will wait for Wal-Mart to finish its portion before polishing off their side of the connection.

"There's still a possibility it could be open this fall," Mr. Lawrence said, adding his crews will work until Nov. 1 if the weather is warm enough.

Meanwhile, Mr. Lawrence said rain has interfered with his crews compacting dirt to stabilize the new road at the base of the hill. After moving dirt, crews still need to lay a stone base and pave the entire road. The $2 million road project is about 75 percent complete.

Wal-Mart is planning to expand its existing 121,113 square feet into a 201,113-square-foot supercenter. As part of that process, the retailer agreed to rearrange parking spots and flood lights and install drainage to create a direct path for motorists shuttling between Route 202 and Arsenal Street, Mr. Lawrence said.

The Route 202 construction was once considered part of a three-pronged project to improve vehicle flow in a heavily trafficked area. While a proposed east-west road connecting Wal-Mart to Salmon Run Mall has stalled, the county still intends to align the eastern entrance of its corporate park with Salmon Run Mall Road. That project won't start before spring, Mr. Lawrence said.

"We're waiting for the removal of Griff's," he said.

The county bought about 60 feet of land along Route 12F from Onondaga Development Corp., Alexandria Bay, last October. As part of the deal, Onondaga Development, whose managing member is P.J. Simao, agreed to demolish the former gas station.