A contract to build the city’s auxiliary waterline has been awarded to Florence-based contractor Hemphill construction.

The Board of Mayor and Aldermen Monday authorized Mayor George Flaggs Jr. to sign papers awarding the contract to Hemphill. The company’s $5.030 million bid was the lowest of five bids submitted for the project and less than its estimated $6 million cost.

Four of the bids submitted for the work were under the project estimate.

Other contractors submitting bids included S&J Construction Co. of Jacksonville, Ark., $5.309 million; Utility Constructors Inc. of Jackson, $5.336 million; Necaise Brothers of Gulfport, $6.029 million; and KAJACS Contracting of Poplar Bluff, Mo., $5.899 million.

City officials expect work to begin on the project sometime between Thanksgiving and the first part of December.

“This has been a long time coming,” North Ward Alderman Michael Mayfield said. “It’s way past due. I believe a lot of people are going to be happy when they learn the water is not going to be cut off because there’s a problem with the main waterline.”

The auxiliary waterline will start at the city’s water treatment center on Haining Road and go south, running parallel to Washington Street. It will connect to the existing waterline at Washington Street in front of the Jesse L. Brent Lower Mississippi River Museum and Interpretive Center.

Flaggs said in July a crossing valve was installed on the city’s main waterline when repairs were made to the line in 2010 after it was damaged during the construction of the museum.

“All we have to do is tie in to it,” he said.

Flaggs on July 12 signed an agreement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Vicksburg District for $4.5 million in the Water Resources Development Act Section 592 infrastructure program grant money to help cover the cost of the project. The city’s share of the project cost is $1.5 million.

Discussion about an auxiliary waterline began when the city’s main waterline was damaged during excavation for the Corps’ Jesse Brent Lower River Museum and Interpretive Center.

In November 2010, the Board of Mayor and Aldermen hired IMS Engineers of Jackson to perform the engineering for the project. At that time, the city received a $2.45 million 592 grant and the project was estimated at $3.29 million, with the city’s share projected to be $841,821.

There was little action by city officials on the project after IMS’ hiring until November 2013, when Flaggs called a meeting of IMS representatives and city, Corps and National Military Park officials. By that time, the three-year delay had caused the project’s cost to nearly double.

The board later fired IMS after project bids came in an estimated $2 to $3 million over budget.

The board in 2016 hired EJES Engineering of Jackson to replace IMS.

EJES developed the new route down Washington Street, but because there were limited funds for the project, the board initially decided to split the project into two phases. The first phase connected part of the line to the water treatment plant.

The board in January canceled that plan after receiving news of the extra money.