A contract to raise 4.7 miles of mainline Mississippi River levees in Issaquena County was awarded to Greenwood, Miss.-based Kenneth R. Thompson Building Inc., the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said Monday.

Some preliminary work has begun on the $10 million project, which will raise the levee by 5 feet and close the northern portion of Mississippi 465 between Goose Lake Road and the Fitler community to public traffic over the 36-month project time, the release said. The asphalt road surface will be removed as part of the levee enhancement.

The Corps will handle design and inspection, which is part of the Mississippi River and Tributaries Project.