Andalusia residents of the Feagin Street area will benefit from water and sewer upgrades made possible with the help of a $375,000 Community Development Block Grants announced by Gov. Robert Bentley Wednesday.

Mayor Earl Johnson said the city has been working for several months to secure the funding, with which it will replace undersized 1-inch metal water lines with 3-inch PVC lines to improve water pressure to homes on Dillard, Davis and King avenues, Kirkpatrick Drive, and Beatrice and Catawba streets. The city also will make drainage improvements to alleviate flooding problems along Beatrice Street and at the intersection of Carnell Street and Feagin Street.

Feagin was on the list to be resurfaced as part of a summer street improvement project, but that work was delayed when it was determined that infrastructure issues were contributing to the deterioration of the street. Once the repairs are made, Johnson said, the street will be resurfaced.

The grant requires a local match, and the governor’s office said Andalusia is contributing $205,725 toward the project.

It will be several months before work gets under way on the project, Johnson said, as the engineering must be completed before the Utilities Board can let bids for the work.

“This grant program enables communities to undertake vital projects that local governments might not otherwise be able to complete,” Bentley said.

The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs is administering the grants from funds made available by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.