NATCHEZ — Three years after it was proposed and nine months after it received local approval, the Bridge of Sighs project is within weeks of starting construction.

The bridge — a reproduction of a historic walking bridge over Roth Hill Road — is a part of the Natchez Trails project, and is being funded by grants from the Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks and the Federal Highway Administration.

City Engineer David Gardner said the project is under contract with Dozer Inc. and has been given the green light to proceed with construction.

Gardner said he hopes to see foundation work for the bridge begin within the next four weeks.

“While he is doing some foundation work, we will be reviewing the bridge drawings,” he said. “I have a committee put together from the Natchez Preservation Commission to help me review those drawings.”

The project was delayed late last year after the preservation commission asked for more details on the project to make sure the design was cohesive with the rest of the bluff area.

While the foundation work is being completed, the committee will work with the conceptual drawing from the bridge manufacturer to finalize how it looks, Gardner said.

The early stages of construction shouldn’t have a significant impact on traffic in the area, he said.

“We will have to coordinate with Magnolia Bluffs Casino when we set the bridge in place,” Gardner said. “We would have to close traffic temporarily, but we will work closely with the casino to minimize the impact when we actually get a crane out there and set the bridge on the piers.”

Natchez Mayor Butch Brown said the project should move quickly because the bridge will be prefabricated.

“I am excited that the project will be done and a part of the bluff inventory for the city’s tricentennial in 2016,” he said. “We have really made an effort in having these kinds of projects in place for the tricentennial.”

Gardner said the scope of the project falls within its $700,000 budget.

“This is exciting, because it is a project that we have been working on for so long, and we are finally here about to get started,” he said.