BILLERICA -- If the widening of Route 3 moves as fast as Debbie Graney did in designing the project's official logo, the endeavor will be completed almost as soon as it starts.

With top-of-the-line software equipment and a cascade of ideas, Graney hunkered down in front of her computer at work earlier this month until she had it just right. "I had all these ideas running through my head, but I decided to put the brakes on and keep it simple," she said with a giggle. "It only took me about an hour." The interlocking bars in gravel gray with "Route 3 construction" written boldly through the design conveys the simplicity and function contractors have envisioned for the project. "That's what we're hoping for," said John Greeley, community relations director for Route 3 contractor Modern Continental.

Her logo was chosen earlier this month from a field of 30 submissions to be the official emblem of the project. Modern Continental encouraged residents in towns along the highway to submit logo proposals.

Graney's simple logo -- with a less-is-more approach -- was exactly what the contest judges had in mind.

"We wanted something streamlined and simple, and this stood out," said Greeley. For Graney, of Billerica, seeing her design emblazoned on the official Route 3 project Web page is a bit of a surprise since she entered the logo contest on a whim.

About a month ago, her cousin sent her an e-mail detailing some of the proposed plans for the project, but a little blurb at the bottom explaining the logo contest piqued her interest. "I said, 'What the heck, I should take a stab at it,' " Graney said. But because no guidelines were set for the contest, Graney didn't know in what direction to take the logo design. "I realized I just needed something simple," she said.

While working as a jack-of-all-trades at her father's portable sawmill business, Better Built Corp. of Wilmington, Graney had dabbled in a little Web design. About a year ago, she began doing some Web design work for the company, learning as she went along. "I just took it over by default," she admitted. So one day at work, she took that stab and put her software to the test, coming up with the logo in an hour's time. The only problem: It was three days past the contest deadline. She sent the logo to Modern Continental anyway, and didn't have to wait long for Greeley to tell her the good news. "I was extremely surprised," she said. She also added a last-minute tweak to the logo, suggesting that the enlarged 3 in Route 3 be animated and spin on the Web page.

"The ability to project everything about the project was a positive for us," Greeley said. For her effort, Graney will likely need longer to use her prize than it took to create the winning logo. She was rewarded for her effort with a $50 gift certificate to Marino's Restaurant in Cambridge. The contest was another step for state and construction officials to bring area residents on-board in support of the project, which is expected to improve traffic flow on the highway by its completion in 2003, but may lead to some headaches for local motorists in the meantime. State transportation officials and construction representatives have been holding informational meetings with community leaders and residents along the corridor to prepare them for the construction process.