After years of planning, the Greenville City Council on Monday approved a $1.9 million construction contract for of roadway improvements at Interstate Drive and Mary Drive.

“This is something we’ve been working on some time now, about two years, we’re ready to award the bid,” Mayor Dexter McLendon said.

The city awarded the contract to Prattville-based J.C. Brown Construction Company, which was the lowest bidder.

“(The bids) started at $2.9 million and $2.4 million and I didn’t breathe until we got down to $1.9 million,” McLendon said.

The project, which is being funded with a Community Development Block Grant, will restructure traffic at the intersection of Hwy. 185 and Interstate Drive, and will also include the widening and straightening of Interstate Drive.

Greenville has pledged $1.1 million for the project, and will pay $50,000 in grant administrative fees.

McLendon also said as part of the traffic restructuring, the city plans to move the traffic light that is currently located in front of the Texaco and Exxon stations toward Krystal.

“When this is finished everyone is going to say this is the best thing we ever did,” McLendon said. “It’s going to make traffic at that intersection so much better.”

Gov. Robert Bentley announced last November that Greenville would be awarded the $500,000 CDBG grant to help fund the project.

According to Bentley’s office, the following projects will benefit from the grant:

• BBS Properties and Assigns will construct an 18,000-square-foot shopping center with shops employing at least 25 people.
• Shrinath Hotels will build an 80-unit hotel and full-service restaurant employing about 20 people.
• Wintzell’s Oyster House will construct a restaurant creating 125 full- and part-time jobs.
• Bishop Properties will construct a 140-unit apartment complex employing five people.
• CP Homes will construct a 42-unit assisted living facility employing 20 people.