The first phase of a $4 million paving program in the city of Vicksburg is going out for bids.

The Board of Mayor and Aldermen Monday authorized City Clerk Walter Osborne to advertise for bids for the project’s Phase 1, called “Group 1” in the ad.

The group includes Indiana Avenue from Porter’s Chapel (Road) toward Calvary Baptist Church, Porter’s Chapel Road from Indiana Avenue toward Raintree (Road) and Old Halls Ferry Road in Ward 2, and Harrison Street in Ward 1.

City officials said the engineering for those streets is either complete or nearing completion.

Ward 1 Alderman Michael Mayfield said Harrison Street has been a problem for several years, citing washouts, replacing underground utilities and punch lists for repairs.

He said the street is a major thoroughfare between Cherry Street and the city’s two junior high schools and “gets a lot of traffic.”

The streets being paved under Group 2 include:

• Ward 1: Tully Street, Walters Street, King Street, Jefferson Circle, Johnson Street, Spout Springs Street, Lane Street, Monument Street, Dallas Street, Portland Street, Bowmar Avenue and Washington Street intersection, Depot Street and Washington Street intersection.

Ward 2: Indiana Avenue from N. Frontage Road to Confederate Avenue, Bellaire Drive from Porter’s Chapel Road to the top of the hill, Kendra Drive from Northridge to Long Meadow and Mission Park Drive.

Under the paving project, Monsour and Mayfield each have $2 million to spend on paving in their wards.

The board in February 2021 approved a total of 30 city streets to be paved — either a full street or street section — as part of the $4 million paving plan but had to alter the program after learning in June of an amendment to the Environmental Protection Agency regulations involving lead waterlines.

The amendment, which was approved in March, requires municipal and water district water systems with lead waterlines to submit a lead service line replacement plan to state environmental agencies by Oct. 16, 2024.

At the time, Public Works Director Garnet Van Norman said all of the city’s old waterlines have lead surfaces “and in the next three to four years we’re going to have to start removing them. If we pave the streets now we’re going to have to tear them up again in three to four years. We’re going to try to start doing that (replacing lines) but it’s going to be very difficult.”