Foley, Ala. — (OBA) —  Foley is moving forward with an expanded road improvement effort. City leaders want to make neighborhood travel much smoother for residents. The plan will add more than a mile and a half of additional street work. Several key driving routes will see upgrades soon.

Work on the major paving project is scheduled to begin in October. The Foley City Council approved the updated annual schedule to improve travel conditions. In total, the full resurfacing effort will cover 6.3 miles of city streets over the next year.

The updated schedule includes resurfacing 1.54 miles of roadway along Park Avenue. This stretch runs between South Hickory Street and South Pine Street. Adding this section provides local motorists with a smoother, safer ride through a busy neighborhood.

City leaders received six bids from paving companies. Asphalt Services was the lowest bidder. The winning bid totaled about $1.08 million, including additional work on West Park Avenue.

Mayor Ralph Hellmich said asphalt prices were low enough to allow the program to expand. Favorable pricing helped the community tackle additional maintenance without exceeding its goals. Careful planning gave city leaders the opportunity to address more worn pavement.

"We had very good engineering estimates," Hellmich said. "When the oil prices go up, that usually drives up asphalt, but this allowed us to plan for this and included everything."

Other neighborhood streets are also slated for improvement under the plan. Crews will work on Lakeview Drive from Carnoustie Drive to Baldwin County 12. Drivers will also see new pavement along West Peachtree Avenue from North Cedar Street to Alabama 59.

The project also includes one alley between West Orange Avenue and West Myrtle Avenue as an alternative project in the plan. The proposed area for this resurfacing project extends from South Pine Street to South Alston Street.