The Elm Street Road project will begin sooner than expected now that the Troy City Council allowed for the awarding of the expedited bids during a called meeting on Monday.

The city council awarded the bid to W.S. Newell & Sons, Inc. and Newell & Bush, Inc., of Montgomery.

“We asked for an early award in hopes that we could get going before school got out or about the time school got out,” said Troy Mayor Jason Reeves. “Unlike everything else related to this project, this happened very speedily. It looks like we are going to have this project completed when school starts in August.”

The motion was passed unanimously with District 1 Councilman Charlie “Sarge” Dunn offered the motion and District 2 Councilman Greg Meeks seconded. The two council members said they had been large proponents for the project, and Dunn said he had pushed the project since he was put on the council more than 10 years ago.

“I’m just excited to see that it’s about to be done,” Dunn said. “I’ve been trying for 10 years to get it done, but like I said good things come to those who wait. Basically, I have to give the mayor and Mr. Meeks a lot of credit for getting this done, this is one and two joins and the other street where it is going to be fixed in District 2 but a lot of people in District 1 use it a lot.”

The project will resurface County Road 26, or Elm Street, as well as replace a bridge from the intersection of George Wallace Drive to the junction of County Road 14, or Swindall Road.

Due to the request for an early bid awarding, the State of Alabama Department of Transportation Special Provisions required the city award the project within 15 calendar days of the opening of proposals.

The city’s warrant of $456,212.85 is to be delivered to ALDOT no later than noon Wednesday, April 8.

Reeves said the project would begin within the next 10 days to two weeks and also said the city would hold a preconstruction meeting once ALDOT had received the warrant.