STARKVILLE — The city has approved an almost $7.6 million bid to begin the first phase of its Main Street redesign, which will temporarily obstruct traffic somewhat as it transforms its downtown into a destination.
The board of aldermen approved accepting a Main Street Improvements Project bid from Starkville-based ECON Construction on Tuesday as part of its consent agenda.
This first phase includes the street from City Hall to Jackson Street, as well as the intersection of Lafayette Street. The project will expand sidewalks, add brickwork and lighting, and remove a turn lane to make Main Street more like the city’s other dining destination spots.
“Aesthetics matter,” Mayor Lynn Spruill told The Dispatch before the meeting. “Beauty matters. People want to be in pretty surroundings, and that is part of this in addition to the functionality of allowing for sidewalk cafes. That’s one thing we’re lacking, you’ve got sidewalk opportunities in the Cotton District but none downtown. That will truly be an opportunity to allow for some additional restaurateur assets.”
Original predictions in 2024 hoped work might start in January, but City Engineer Cody Burnett said it had been substantially delayed by issues with design, funding mechanisms and government review.
Bids on the work itself, however, came in well under budget at $7.6 million instead of the projected $8.5 million, which Burnett attributed to contractors having more or less availability in different years. ECON Construction was the lowest of three bids.
“The prices were pleasantly lower than we expected,” Burnett said. “Granted, some of the numbers used for those estimates were from surrounding projects, which I think were elevated above normal. It also depends on contractor availability. Ask this year and it’s $10 million, ask next year and it’s $8 million. It depends on their workload. … We were very, very happy with the bids, and glad to have a little bit of buffer, which is unusual with these kinds of projects.”
The most dramatic changes will be widened sidewalks on both sides of the road and inlaid brickwork around the City Hall roundabout, Dr. D. L. Connor Drive and North Lafayette Street. The extra sidewalk space will come at the expense of a dedicated turn lane, as well as some angled parking converted to parallel spots east of Caldwell Street.
Burnett said the project will need another four to six weeks to finalize contracts and hold coordination meetings. Once it does break ground, construction is projected to run for 18 months.
During that period, sections of Main Street will be closed to traffic. Burnett said workers will confine the closure to one block at a time, as well as make sure they keep at least one traffic lane open, though that will convert the street into one-way traffic. That’s all to minimize the impact on local businesses, which caused some friction during Highway 182’s revitalization and 2023’s Main Street water and sewer upgrades.
“Of course I (have concerns about traffic and access), just like the 182 project,” Spruill said. “I absolutely do. But do I think this is best for the city in the long run? Yes I do. And that’s what we have to look at, the long term plan and what it will do for the next 50 years.”
The second phase covering the remainder of the project from Jackson Street to Montgomery Street is still up in the air at this point. Burnett and Spruill declined to give public estimates as to what it would cost, and said the city would need to look for outside funding before officials look at moving forward.
ECON Construction declined to comment publicly on the project until contracts are signed.
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