That steady pinging in your head is the sound of progress.

At least that’s true for those who live within earshot of McKinstry Street in central Napa, where four months of pounding on the foundations of two new railroad bridges has commenced. The new bridges will clear up the obstructions the existing bridges cause to rushing waters when the Napa River is flooded and moving fast.

That pinging, estimated to be as loud but a little more insistent than a chain saw, is also the sound of the stimulus plan at work. The $65 million for the railroad project comes largely from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and helps move the Napa River flood project along.

The foundation pile-driving is estimated to last four months. But the next phase of the project is a little more uncertain, even with more stimulus money in hand.

The elevated bridges will require lifting by three to five feet the railroad tracks as they cross First and Third streets just east of Soscol Avenue, requiring some engineering on either side of the tracks and the temporary closure of both First and Third.

Project managers have arranged to close only one of those crucial thoroughfares at a time, but are still working on exactly when which road will be closed and for how long. The idea is to minimize the disruption for those traveling between Soscol and the Trail downtown.

We appreciate the effort to minimize the disruption, but are eager to see the work completed.

There are only so many good weather months for roadwork. And after more than 10 years of slow-and-go progress on Napa River flood control, we’ve got the money and the plans, so let’s keep things moving.