The Board of Mayor and Aldermen Monday took under advisement bids from two companies for paving eight streets in the South Ward under the city’s $9.5 million capital improvements bond issue.

Central Asphalt Co. of Vicksburg and APAC Mississippi, a Jackson-based company with an asphalt plant in Vicksburg, were the only bidders on the project with Central submitting a bid of $995,850.28, and APAC $1.02 million.

South Ward Alderman Willis Thompson said he expected the board to approve one of the bids when it meets Friday.

The work is the first phase of a $4.6 million, two-phase project to pave city streets in the North and South wards, with $2.3 million allocated per ward per phase. City officials in August advertised for bids for paving streets in the North Ward.

South Ward streets designated for paving include Warrenton Road, Halls Ferry Road, Cypress Centre Boulevard, Fleetwood Drive, Manship Circle, Suncrest Drive, Charleston Drive and St. Charles Place.

“I was pleased we got some bids in, and they were around the amount we thought they would come in at,” Thompson said. “I had allocated $1 million for the first phase, and I think we accomplished that. “They’re (the bids) pretty close. The engineers will examine both the bids and come back with a recommendation.”

He said the contractor has 60 days from the day the contract is awarded to complete the work, adding, “I want to do it as soon as possible. We’ll have to do it while we have good weather, so probably within the first few two weeks I would hope they would get started. The goal is to finish the work by the end of the year.”

Street paving topped a list of capital improvements developed by city department heads in December in 2014 that at the time totaled $57 million.

That list was later pared down to $18 million. The $9.5 million is the first draw of a total $18 million bond issue approved in March that must be used within two years.

In January, the board approved a $143,500 contract with Applied Research Associates Inc. of Champaign, Ill., to do a street survey, which will be used to develop a priority list for street paving in the future.

In March, the city approved contracts with AJA Management and Technical Services of Jackson for the South Ward and Stantec in the North Ward.