NATCHEZ &045; Aside from such projects as the Visitor Center and the federal courthouse, David Gardner said Minor Street has been the toughest project he’s tackled in more than 20 years as an engineer.

&uot;There’s been barely enough right-of-way. It’s been difficult to get approvals from the state. Historic properties have been involved,&uot; the city engineer said.

On top of that, he and his staff had the headache of acquiring multiple rights-of-way, some of which had no clear title.

But according to Gardner, all that work &045; more than eight years, in all &045; made the Mississippi Department of Transportation’s approval of the project last week even sweeter.

Alderman Theodore &uot;Bubber&uot; West, whose Ward 4 includes Minor and some surrounding streets, announced the approval. &uot;It’s long past due,&uot; West said. &uot;We’ve waited a long time for this.&uot;

West said he gives credit for the project to mayors who championed the project during the last three terms and who, with the Engineering Department, shepherded it through the process.

&uot;It took a lot of teamwork, Š a lot of hard work to keep this going,&uot; West said.

With the approval, Gardner has said, the project could start as soon as March. Once it’s started, construction should take about a year to complete.

What makes the project so necessary? The street is used as a cut-through from Concord and Brenham avenues to Martin Luther King Jr. Street.

But it’s so narrow that it can barely accommodate one-way traffic, much less two-way traffic, streetside parking and pedestrians &045; making the area hazardous for all travelers, Gardner said.

In addition, poor drainage causes rainwater to run off and erode property on neighboring streets.

As part of the project, crews will widen the street to 24 feet and add a sidewalk and a parking area along one side of the street.

Curbs and gutters and storm drains will be added to help siphon rainwater to underground pipes, alleviating drainage problems and erosion.

Since part of yards fronting the street will be taken for the project, retaining walls will be built along the street to further prevent erosion.

The project will be paid for with $900,000 in federal funds &045; actually, 80 percent in Federal Aid Urban funds with a 20 percent city match.

FAU routes are arterial roads the city gets federal money to repair.

The city’s last FAU project was completed late last year. That $192,912 project included overlaying Orleans between Martin Luther King Jr. to South Pearl streets, South Commerce Street between Orleans to State streets and South Pearl between Orleans and Washington streets.

With the Board of Aldermen’s approval, Gardner said he would like to spend the city’s next FAU funds to conduct overlaying of eligible thoroughfares throughout Natchez.