The wait is almost over for residents of Kings, a neighborhood that will, after years of hearing plans, see the widening and overlay of North Washington Street.

Meeting Monday, Vicksburg officials received and accepted a bid from APAC-Mississippi Engineering to widen, overlay and strip about 4 miles of the street from its intersection with Haining Road to the Mississippi Department of Transportation’s right of way at U.S. 61.

“For the past five or six or seven years, we’ve promised the people of Kings that we’d fix their road,” said Mayor Laurence Leyens. “The day has finally come.”

The bid, which was for $1,351,428.40, will be sent to MDOT for approval before the city awards the contract to APAC.

The plan is to improve traffic flow along North Washington Street from the Port of Vicksburg to U.S. 61 North. North Washington, used as a truck route for industries in the area, is in bad shape and has needed repairs for years, Leyens said.

That project will be paid for by the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program.

In a separate contract, APAC workers have been repaving downtown streets since last month as part of a $6 million project that was earmarked from the $16.9 million in bonds issued in September. The first area to see improvements was Oak Street, where city crews replaced concrete patching along the north-south corridor and began work on a sidewalk that will be placed along the west side of the street. Other work in the area will include removal of branches, repairs to holes in the section of road north of Fairground and repairs to storm drains and street lights. About $500,000 from the bond was set aside for the mostly cosmetic changes to Oak Street.

The first phase of the downtown paving, which will cover parts of Monroe, Mulberry, South, Levee and Clay streets, as well as less than a mile of Redbone Road from U.S. 61 South past Singing Hills Road, was bid to APAC for about $1.8 million.

Another stretch due to see changes in April is a 9-mile area of U.S. 61 North, a heavily traveled road and truck route that will be overlaid and re-stripped from Interstate 20 to Redwood. The changes will be made possible through a $5.5 million construction bid from low bidding APAC. The entire project will be paid for with federal money, Mississippi Department of Transportation Central District Commissioner Dick Hall has said.

MDOT plans to begin resurfacing the northern portion of U.S. 61 at the same time as the surface along U.S. 61 South, where a half-mile section has been closed since April 2005. A $5 million effort to stabilize a sloughing hillside where heavy rains sped up soil sliding has been touch and go, likely because of a lack of funding. MDOT plans a $1.2 million project to lay new surface for failed highway lanes this month. Four-laning U.S. 61 throughout Mississippi is an ongoing effort stemming from the Vision 21 plan passed by the Legislature in 2002. The plan includes the replacement of the Yazoo River bridge at Redwood, set for completion in 2009.

On the agenda

Meeting Monday, the Vicksburg Board of Mayor and Aldermen:

Swore in Donnell Robinson and Cleon Butler as police officers.

Recognized for five years of service Craig Millett and Christopher Hinton of the fire department, Paul Billotte of the police department and Michael White of the gas department.

Recognized Ann Grimshel in the purchasing department for 15 years of service.

Received a bid from Custom Products Corporation of Jackson for traffic management supplies.

Received bids from Keyes Recycling for $160.10 per ton and from Vicksburg Recycling for $171 per ton for white goods.

Accepted a recommendation from the Preserve America steering committee to award a contract for a cultural heritage specialist to Reid Rejebian, formerly Bobby King and Associates Inc., pending approval by the National Park Service.

Authorized the mayor to execute a charitable contribution acknowledgement form from Sherwin-Williams Company for donation of paint to the Main Street Program, who will donate it to the Vicksburg Riverfront Mural committee.

Approved an application for $6,964 to be given for Cal Ripken and Babe Ruth franchise fees and insurance for the 2008 Recreational Baseball League.

Authorized payment to Utility Service Company for work at water towers at Martin Luther King Drive, Hullum Road and 3580 S. Frontage Road.

Approved a request from parks and recreation to place advertisements at city pools for the American Red Cross Lifeguard Training Course.

Approved Main Street March 2008 advertising.

Discussed dilapidated buildings and overgrown lot codes and authorized Victor Gray-Lewis, director of buildings and inspections, to proceed to cut, clean and demolish properties.

Accepted a letter establishing special assessment and adopted a resolution for cutting and cleaning of properties at 924 Meadow St., Oak Street and 116 Melrose Ave.

Accepted a letter from the Vicksburg Convention Center and Vicksburg Auditorium appealing the decision of the Architectural Review Board denying the request to place a digital message board/marquee at the convention center and authorized the city clerk to publish and set an appeal hearing for April 7.

Approved budget amendments to move $850 from professional services to capital at the water treatment plant and move $3,000 from supplies to capital and $8,500 from welding to capital building in the street department.

* In an executive session, discussed five longevity raises, two in the fire department, one in the police department, one in the gas department and one in the purchasing department; one termination in the fire department; three personnel matters in the fire department; 21 pay adjustments, six in the fire department and 15 for department heads; and a real estate matter.

* The board will meet again Monday at 10 a.m.