Wiregrass Construction is expected to begin working on improvements to South Three Notch Street by the end of September.

The company was the low bidder for the project, which is being managed by the State Department of Transportation.

The State of Alabama awarded Andalusia an $8.6 million ATRIP grant in 2013 for the repairs to the southern entrance to the city. The project required a $2.1 million local match. ATRIP is a program Bentley designed in which future federal dollars were pledged against a bond issue to fund current projects.

The project has been in the planning and design phases since that time. The work will take almost a year.

In his most recent report to the council on the project, Tim Ramsden of CDG Engineers said just as in the project that revamped River Falls Street, everything inside the right-of-way will be replaced.

“Everything will be redone, and be brand new,” he said.

The project will line up Snowden Drive and Moore Road where they intersect with South Three Notch. The street will be three lanes in its widest parts near the hospital, and two lanes into town.

The Andalusia City Council on Tuesday authorized the release of the city’s matching funds for the project, $965,000, to the state. Once the state receives the funds, the clock starts ticking, Mayor Earl Johnson said.

“We’ve been told that Wiregrass Construction is anxious to get started,” Johnson said.

Councilman Ralph Wells pointed out that the city released funds for the project which it collected and set aside.

“There is no borrowing for this project,” Wells said. “We had an account set up to fund this.”

The council also authorized the payment of $156,790 to Southeast Alabama Gas District for relocating of gas lines as part of the project, and paid the City Utilities Board $81,386 for materials and infrastructure its employees have already installed in preparation for the project.