Some of the work on Charles Frasier Boulevard could be done by February 2027, according to the city’s engineer.

Paul Simonton told city council members at their August 6 meeting that paving, sidewalks and curb and gutters could be installed on the first phase of the work, from MacArthur Drive to Veterans Parkway, within the next month. In the meantime, contractors are expected to finish the work underground from the intersection of Veterans Parkway and Charles Frasier Boulevard to Ralph Quarterman Drive.

“We have made some progress on finding all the utilities and getting the drainage in,” Simonton said.

There is some additional underground work to do on South Main Street, as its intersection with Deal Street will become a roundabout, Simonton added.

Originally, the project began more than 15 years ago as the installation of sidewalks and drainage on South Main from Second Street to Ralph Quarterman Drive. The project scope expanded as traffic increased and funding from the special local option sales tax and transportation special local option sales tax became available.

It was also put out to bid several times before Platinum Paving won the contract with a bid of more than $11 million two years ago.

Sidewalks will be put in along South Main to Deal Street, where new turn lanes will be added.

The project will put in right-turn lanes and a lengthened left-turn lane, and a widened section going northbound on South Main. That will put four lanes at the intersection. The right lane on Charles Frasier — which begins at Veterans Parkway — becomes right-turn only as it gets to Eunice Street.

Also planned is a roundabout to replace the intersection of Ralph Quarterman Drive and Charles Frasier Boulevard.

The city also is contracting with Edwards-Pittman to do a noise study of traffic along Veterans Parkway. The city, which purchased 21 acres near Veterans Parkway for a potential city center, has an 800-foot frontage on Veterans Parkway.

The road, though, is a state Department of Transportation route. A noise wall, protecting the Woodwind South development, stretches for about 270 feet.

In order to take that wall down, or even replace it with any buffer, the city has to conduct a noise study by a qualified firm.

“It’s a DOT wall,” Simonton said. “We can’t impact it without the study.”

The metal wall that is up now was the least costly option at the time. The study will look at whether the city can take down the wall and avoid a negative impact on Woodwind South or if the city can take the wall, turn it, and create a buffer between the city’s proposed development and the condominiums.

“I don’t think we’ll end up taking the wall down,” Simonton said. “I see us doing a landscape buffer, one that separates residential from our commercial development and it will replace the noise attenuating reason for that wall to be there.”